Loading Push Ups

I write a lot about getting your first push up, or how to properly scale push ups to get the best training stimulus. Today, I am shifting gears and talking about progressing push ups, specifically, how to load them using a variety of techniques.

Band Resisted: a method of putting a band around your band, and anchoring it to the ground using your hands. This adds more difficulty at the top, which is the easier range of motion, and provides less resistance on the bottom.

Weight Vest or Ruck: using an external load the make the reps more challenging. Historically, we could put a plate on someone’s back, but the ruck, or even the weight vest, are much more secure, easier to set up by yourself, and it gives you more loading options.

Feet Elevated: not a technique we use often, but lifting your feet off the ground, say 14-20 inches, will increase the amount of your body weight you’re pressing each rep.

Honorable mention: increased range of motion push ups. Using plates, dumbbells, kettlebells or parallettes can increase the difficulty because they require more stability and time under tension. Going deeper make the press out of the hole more demanding.

If you’re ready for a push up challenge, load them up and see what you’ve got!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain   

Muscle Mass and Hydration

I read this blog post the other day from Peter Attia. It caught my attention because it was about how dehydration affects you as you age. It’s a nice primer on dehydration, and how it can impact your body and how it performs.

There was a  really interesting take a from it that I didn’t expect. It’s another point for the column of having more muscle, especially as you age. Older individual’s response to dehydration can become more severe due to their lack of muscle mass.

From the article:

“Lean mass typically decreases while fat mass increases, and because muscle cells contain far more water than fat cells, this transition results in a substantial reduction of total body water. With less total body water, the effects of any deviation from optimal fluid balance are magnified, such that even mild water deprivation can cause clinically significant dehydration.”

There’s obvious benefits from having more strength as you age. I had never considered how having more muscle mass could affect dehydration though. It’s a good reminder to keep lifting weights and drinking water!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Deliberate Practice

We've all heard the saying practice makes perfect. Have you ever thought about how to practice though?

Surely, you’ve heard of the 10 thousand hour rule. It states that it accumulating that many hours to your craft will make you a true master. The type of practice that you accumulate matters though, you can’t just go through the motions. Deliberate practice is the most effective way to carve and hone your skills and abilities.

Deliberate practice requires three criteria.

A clearly defined stretch goal. The task must be clear and challenging to achieve.

Immediate informative feedback. Success or failure in the task must be clear and provide new information.

Repetition. The task must provide an opportunity to alter our effort for a better result.

Deliberate practice methods are found in all of the worlds top performers routines. It requires focus, intensity, and commitment over time. If you want to improve at something, build some deliberate practice into your routine to fast track your progress.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Target Times

When preparing for a tough workout or a challenging race, I have a three goal system to create realistic expectations. I’ve used this system for a long time for a variety of conditioning workouts, races and ultramarathons.

Let’s use a race as an example. I’ll come up with three distinct time targets.

1. No matter what - This is my safe target, I’ll finish here no matter what.

2. Safe pace - I’ll finish in this time with a sustainable pace I’m confident in.

3. Stretch goal - If I go all out, and things go smoothly, I’ll strive to finish in this time.

This simple drill can help set realistic expectations and outcomes to strive for before you start.

Give it a shot.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

GAIN Get Together

Summer is winding down, which means it’s time for us to have another GAIN Get Together!

Here are all the details you need to know to hang out with your gym friends:

When: Friday August 18 at 5pm

Where: Liar’s Bench Beer Co.

Why: To have fun

Mark you calendars. Cheers!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

A Brief Visit in 2015

The photo below was my instagram memory this week from 2015.

GAIN was less than a year old and my mom took my grandmother, Gram, 84 in this photo and her Auntie Carlene, out for lunch, a drive and a tour of the gym.

I coaxed Gram into some inverted rows, box squats and push ups on an elevated bar. What I remember most from that day is how different GAIN was than her interpretation of what a gym is.

She’s wearing her purse because she didn’t want to take it off and leave it in case gym patron would steal it. I explained to her that is impossible around here, and that it’ll be safe in the office. She opted to hold it, and proceeded to go crossbody style for added security.

She asked where the sauna was, if there were locker rooms and if members have 24/7 key access like some gyms she has heard of. She asked a couple times where all the people were and why no one was working out.

As she marveled in the strangeness of this warehouse gym, she kept saying, well as long as you’re happy and paying the bills, this is great.

Gram passed away this year, which is why I’m reflecting so much on her brief visit to, from her perspective, a strange gym, nothing like any she had heard of before.

The gyms my grandmother was familiar with are going extinct. They didn’t produce results or make real, long-lasting changes for people.

Gyms like GAIN are more and more common. People are realizing they need real training, real weights, informative, professional coaches and a strong community to belong to.

While it’s still a strange concept, it’s becoming more normal because more people are becoming aware of the positive impact small, strength and conditioning gyms can make in peoples’ lives. They don’t look like a traditional gym from the past, and that’s a good thing, they weren’t as effective anyway.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Pick One of the Following

I’m getting better at writing workout programs.

It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, it’s literally one of the things I’m most obsessed with.

I should mention I’ve written a lot of them. When I was day dreaming about owning a gym in chemistry class, I would write out programs for imaginary people instead of practicing formulas, or whatever it is you learn in chem class. Since then, I’ve had many years of practice, 8 of them at GAIN.

One thing that always comes up, and I have always mentioned it in initial consultations over the years; I can write a great 4-week long program, but I can never predict how you’ll actually feel on the 4th Wednesday from now.

You could have a bad day, a good day, an extra cup of coffee or be heading out on a work trip. It’s impossible to predict how you’ll feel. Unrealistic to expect everything to go smoothly.

Over the years, I’ve defended against the unknown in a variety of ways, but no other way has been more effective than what I’ve been doing the past 6 months.

Once a week, on experienced trainees programs, I have a section of “Pick one of the following.”

Having some options with your training helps tune you in. What do you like? What do you need? How are you feeling? It may seem silly reading this, but most people don’t stop to reflect on questions like that in the gym. The more thought you can put it, the more you can get from it.

As your training age increases, your program can come with more options, and more of a choose your own adventure style. Use these opportunities not to always take the easiest, or hardest, option of what’s available, but rather to pause, reflect and ask, what does my body need today?

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Monday in August

August can be a tough month for gym-goers everywhere.

It’s hot and muggy, you’re probably going on vacation or taking a few days off work, going to concerts, birthday parties, hiking trips, you name it. We’re smack in the middle of one of the busiest times of year. It can be easy to let your gym habit start to slip up, with a little planning ahead, you can stick wit your gym habit and head into the fall feeling fit and strong.

Here are a few ways to keep up with the gym during this busy time of year.

Get it done

My workout sweet spot used to be 2 in the afternoon. All my coaching responsibilities are done, I had time to get some food and shift gears. Not these days though. There’s too much to do. If I don’t get my workout done earlier, around 9am lately, the likelihood of other stuff needing to happen, like mowing the lawn or picking up kids, is too high.

Not to mention it isn’t as hot.

In other words, the later I start, the harder it becomes to get started.

Stick to the Schedule

Each week on Sunday I dump all the things I’m thinking about on to paper. As part of this process, I write out when I’m going to workout each day. This is a rough draft before I actually put it in my phone as a reminder. This process helps me carve out the time I need and be efficient about when I’ll train. Especially when planning more time consuming things, like a trail run.

I schedule the rest of my day around these training windows. Plan your workouts in advance and stick to it!

Reset

I’m planning a full week off for my body this month. I’ve been training for a big day in the mountains and after that, I won’t be in any rush to get back. A week off is the best motivator. Usually after 4 or 5 days I’m itching for some movement and craving my normal routine. If you’ve got a lot on your plate this month, skipping a couple workouts won’t negatively impact you if you’re playing the long game. The key there is that you have to be playing the long game. If you’re just starting out, it isn’t the time to skip workouts, you still need to build the habit.

A little planning can go a long way in keeping up your habits. Keep up the hard work!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

New Hats

If you have ever looked at Coach T, and thought, wow that’s a nice GAIN hat he’s wearing.

I’ve got some good news for you.

Not only can you purchase the same hat as Coach Taylor’s GAIN Hat, we also have two other varieties available. A new all, never been done before, navy blue trucker hat and we have one visor still up for grabs.

Grab one today!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Team Cupcake

If you’re ready to train up for a run and want a good cause to go along with it, look no further.

The Seacoast Cancer 5k is on Sunday September 24th. The route runs through Pease, starting and ending at the Wentworth Douglass Portsmouth Outpatient Center.

Even if you aren’t interested in running, I encourage you to keep reading and get involved with Team Cupcake.

Why Team Cupcake?

If you’ve been at the gym for a while, you may have been lucky enough to have one on Kendra’s fantastic cupcakes. She always seems to cram in more flavor than you ever thought possible. Around the gym, she’s also known for exceptional dog pets (plus homemade treats, obviously) and wildly impressive feats of strength. Kendra crushes pull ups, is a straight up kettlebell master and has run more marathons than you have fingers.

In December, she was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. She’s been getting treatments at the Seacoast Cancer Center, the host of this race. Kendra created the team, and I asked her if I could share it here to get GAIN Community involved.

Use this link to sign up for Team Cupcake. If you can’t run, you can still sign up for the team and make a donation. Kendra is having Team Cupcakes shirts made too, if you want to purchase one, let me know and I will pass it along to Kendra.

Get involved!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Step Ups

Step ups don’t get a lot of love in the strength training world. They’re not that complex and they are overshadowed by more impressive things people do on boxes, like jump on them.

It’s too bad, step ups can teach us a lot about how we move, how to create tension and where our movement faults may come from.

Here are some coaching point to consider when performing at step up of any variety.

Once you have your foot planted on the box, don’t let it cave inwards, towards your big toe. A good cue is knee towards your pinky toe. It’s almost overcorrecting it, so if it  falls in a bit, you’re still in a good position.

That knee may also want to push too far forward, lifting your heel off the box. Don’t let that happen either! Imagine your foot as a tripod, big toe, pinky toe and heel. They should all be firmly planted when doing a step up.

One more cue to think about, a slight lean, when starting the rep, will aid in keeping your lower body organized. If you have knee pain when doing step ups, this slight adjustment can make a world of difference.

These tips will help you whether you’re doing step ups for conditioning, with some load for strength work or if you find yourself outside the gym stepping up on things.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Before or After

Some people like to foam roll before training. Some like it after.

Personally, doing it before a workout, makes me want to take a nap. Laying on the floor is comfortable.

I lost many training sessions to naps learning this about myself.

But, if you like to do it before you train, do it.

We could argue about the most effective time to do it. Rather than worry about that though, consider, when are you most likely to actually get it done.

For me, I do it at right, in preparation of the next day’s training.

Tinker around and find out what works for you.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Need a Consistency Reset?

A key to long-term fitness success is consistency.

Consistency requires doing the same thing over and over again, which makes it difficult to persevere.

Here are some helpful ideas to bust out of a training rut.

Shake it up - Train at a different time of day. Normally an evening person? Squeeze in a noon during your lunch break just to stop the monotony of hitting the gym at the same time every day.

Seek Context - Not sure why you're doing what you're doing? Ask your coach and they should give you some good insights to the inner working of your training program. A little bit of direction goes a long way.

Train with a Friend - Schedule a workout with a buddy and have them jump in on your workout or vise versa.

Time off - Maybe you need a week to hit the reset button. This one is a slippery slope, for sure. However, a little time away from the gym can be just what you need to get back on track. Especially if you've been working towards a goal and it’s time to shift gears.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Why It's Confusing

Joel Jamison, whom I referenced in a post last week, stating that his book was a staple on most strength coach’s bookshelf made this post earlier this week, and it’s everything about why the fitness industry is confusing, and why headlines are always making us rethink what we thought we knew.

To be clear, this isn’t specifically a dig at him. I don’t think he did anything wrong, but it shows how citing research studies doesn’t always translate to real life as fluidly as we would like to believe.

Here’s the post:

“If the main reason you’re lifting weights is to live a long and health life, research suggests the benefits max out at only 40-60 minutes per week. After that, more lifting is likely NOT any better.”

A few questions popped in my head, and the first comment on this post I saw was from Rob Wilson. I’ve been to his gym in Virginia Beach and met Andrew Huberman there, but that’s for another day.

Rob asks:

“Is that time the ACTUAL working time lifting weights or total session time including rest periods, warm up time, and other non-lifting specific activities that are engaged in during exercise time. That's a big differentiation. A very hard set of 5 deadlifts is 30 seconds and that's at a tempo of 1 rep/6 sec. Pretty slow. So three sets heavy is only 90 sec of work but there might be 2-3 minutes of rest.”

Jamison’s response to the comment:

“The paper is a meta analysis that look at several different papers, each with its own methodology, but in general it is self reported time doing strength training.”

That was such a great question! To Rob’s point, there is a big difference between spending 30-40 minutes in the gym, and actually lifting for 30-40 minutes, and this meta analysis cited is unable to answer that question because all the data is self reported. Meaning, each person could be counting their self reported strength training time differently.

Obviously I agree, time in the gym is beneficial. But the claims from the data are misleading, or confusing at best. As always, the best thing to do is get to the gym and figure out what works on you.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Technical vs. Adaptive

We all know change is hard because we, all the time, try to change things only to fail after a while. Maybe we even make a seemingly perfect habit or lifestyle change, eventually slipping back into our old ways.

Our challenge to change, according to Ronald Heifetz, fall into two categories. Technical change problems and adaptive change problems.

Technical challenge:

There is known information out there for this. Someone has a protocol or a checklist or the solution can be found on Google. How to perform appendix surgery or land a plane are technical challenges. Regardless difficulty, there are precise know solutions and experts who know the information intimately.

Adaptive challenges:

Require adjusting your mindset or perspective. They require you to see things differently and understand the challenge at a more complex level. They’re more ambiguous and open to interpretation. There isn’t a clear procedure to follow readily available.

How many people say they need to lose 20 pounds but never do? There is no shortage of technical information available to them. They have access to Keto diets, paleo diets, vegan diets, intermittent fasting, gluten free, low carb, you name it. All the information is available, even for free. But they can’t change or change for a while and revert back.

This is an example of trying to solve an adaptive problem, I need to become healthier/lose weight, with a technical solution, a diet.

Some may have success with the technical solution too. So don’t think it can’t work that way. My challenge to you, is to see where in your life you are trying to use technical answers to adaptive challenges. Maybe think of a time that you did successfully change something, how did you solve it? Was the solution technical or adaptive?

For more, check out Immunity to Change by Kegan and Lahey and Leadership without Easy Answers by Hiefetz.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Stress Can Be Enhancing

According to a new post by Andrew Huberman, a growth mindset is the best mindset to apply to improve at anything.

Of course, if you’ve been following along for a while, you already knew that. It’s one of our core value at GAIN, and has been for me personally since I ready Carol Dweck’s Mindset while in college. It shifted my perspective on, well, everything.

Cultivating a growth mindset wasn’t easy, and one thing that made it stick was a new perspective that hard things are valuable teaching tools.

Back to Huberman’s post.

He states, “If you do something for the sheer effort required to participate, over time you’ll likely perform very well at it too… Recent data show that growth mindset is most effective when combined with factual understanding that stress can enhance mental and/or physical performance by mobilizing our energy and focus.”

To summarize, don’t just cultivate a growth mindset, you also should to embrace the idea that, “Stress Can Be Enhancing,” to compliment it.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Push Up Praise

Push ups are underrated for two reasons. First, they’re not flashy, new or all that exciting compared to other gym moves. Often, their success is measured by quantity, not the quality, or how well you can do them.

On the surface, they’re a chest exercise. That’s what a muscle poster in a commercial gym would tell you. But in reality, they’re so much more. 

They challenge your hip and core stability, wrist mobility, and you ability to stay stable and connected as you move and breathe.

The key to a perfect push up is properly using your upper back, or moving you shoulder blades as you lower yourself to the floor.

The next time they come up on your program, don’t write them off. Try to make them challenging and engage your whole body. Move slow. Be purposeful.

You’ll be surprised at how hard that can be! 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

By the Numbers

It was great to have a week away, a change of pace and be in a new environment. We don’t do it often, so it was a nice reminder that getting out of your routine can be refreshing.

Here, in no particular order, are some stats I pull from my brain and/or watch.

Average daily steps: 14,405

Average sleep: 7 hours 23 minutes

Podcasts listened to: 0

Books competed: 3

Screen time: down 37%

Lifting workouts: 0

Caffeine intake: down significantly

Runs: 9

Miles: 31

Clem Balls Lost: 5

See you at the gym!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Goose Egg

We’re winding down on our final days of vacation at the lake.

When we left, I carefully packed the truck with 5 kettlebells, a weight vest, two foam rollers, 5 bands and 3 different types of mobility balls.

I didn’t use any of it. Not once.

I had visions of myself doing kettlebell swings in the sun after an early morning run. The runs happened, but never the kettlebell workouts.

You might have had a similar experience. Planning to hit the hotel gym, packing kettlebells that don’t get used. Whatever it is. It happens, and isn’t a big deal. What is important is getting back to your routine once vacation is over.

A week off from weights won’t disrupt the grand scheme of your training. But a week slipping into a month is where trouble arises.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Barbell Rules

We love barbells at GAIN. While they're not the only tool in the toolbox, they're a tried and true method for building strength, muscle and athleticism. On top of that, they bring a skill component to the table. In order to do a barbell movement, you've got to be engaged and willing to deal with the learning curve.

When dealing with a barbell in a gym, keep these rules in mind:

- Don't drop an empty bar. Dropping barbells with bumper plates is fun. Don't do it to an empty bar though, it could disrupt how the collars spin.

- 3 Step Rule. When taking a bar out of the rack for a squat, you're allowed 3 steps. Two steps back (one per foot). The third step if for adjusting width and making sure you're even. No need to walk back 10 feet. It creates too many opportunities to get out of position, and if you're gassed at the end of a set, you'll want that rack close by.

- Speaking of opportunities to get out of position. Practice taking an empty bar out of the rack like it weights 500 pounds. This will only benefit you when it gets hard. Don't be sloppy just because it's light.

- Always do an empty set. If you're taking a barbell out of the rack, always do a set with the empty bar. It's a no brainer to take the opportunity for more practice and a little more warming up.

- Smash and slide. When racking a bar, always hit the backstops of the j-cups and then slide the bar on to the shelves. Don't try to gently place it in, that's when you'll miss.

- Numbers face in. When using old-style metal places, put the numbers facing in. This makes it easier to grab the plate when you take it off the bar, which is how I was taught in my high school weight training class. Mostly though, it looks better, which is important too. Keep in mind, bumper plates have made this mostly irrelevant.

- Respect the bar. As Henry Rollins famously wrote, "The Iron never lies to you...The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver...Two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds."

Justin Miner

@justinminergain