Welcome to the GAIN Blog
The blog is updated Monday-Friday. Tune in for posts and discussion about health, fitness, nutrition, training experiments and reflection. We share articles, videos and more. We post the link to our Instagram story every day, make sure to follow along there to never miss a post.
Ladders: simple not easy
One of my favorite workout protocols when I’m low on equipment or on a time crunch is a ladder.
A ladder is where you add an additional rep to an exercise each set - you climb the ladder with reps.
Since you’re starting with just one rep, then two, then three, the warm up is built in for you too.
Here’s one that I’ve done three times this summer:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-8-10
Goblet squats
Push ups
Save that for the next time you’re in a hotel, trying to sneak in a workout at home, or need something to take on the road with you.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Lean into discomfort / trust your gut
In the past 10 years of being a business owner I’ve learned quite a bit about decision making.
Perhaps the most earth shattering was realizing multiple things can be true, or more than one option can be the right choice.
I navigate this with a simple system. If something makes me uncomfortable, or nervous, I lean into it. I try to explore it and find out why. Am I avoiding something because it’ll be challenging or unfamiliar?
On the other hand, I trust my gut.
This framework makes it possible to look at things from different angles, and gather insights from multiple perspectives.
If you’ve got some decisions to make, give it a shot.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Sit to Rise/Floor Time
I’ve written before about the importance of being able to get up and down from the floor.
In fact, it’s a pretty good predictor of longevity by testing your strength, balance and mobility.
If you want to hone this skill, where to you start? Spending more time on the floor!
Sitting on the floor is a great mobility exercise in and of itself. The same is true if you want to improve your sit to rise test, try getting up and down off the floor more frequently each day. If you’re good at getting up with one hand, try practicing and working through a sit to rise without placing your hand down.
If it seems really hard now, practice makes permanent, get to work!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Content Creation and Education
If you’re getting your fitness information online, and the content creator “gets out of bed,” on camera, please keep in mind they already got up, set their phone on a tripod and crawled back into bed to get the shot.
When I was in college, we needed to cite reputable sources when submitting a paper.
Wikipedia articles were a common topic, and were never to be used on serious papers because it could be untrustworthy since you couldn’t know who edited them.
Today’s equivalent is content creators constantly bombarding our feeds with more and more information, and it can be overwhelming trying to decipher the truth and cut through what’s actually good information versus something that’s shiny and sparkly for more content to pump into the machine.
I love Instagram as much as the next person. I love seeing what other coaches and athletes are tinkering with. That being said I try to remember, it’s entertainment not education.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Born to Run
Someone was recently seeking motivation to run, and I told them to look no further than Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
It inspired me to cue it up on Audible, it’s my third time reading/listening to it, and I’ve got to say, it’s an awesome book.
I first read it in 2010 or 2011, a year or two after it came out and it inspired my dive into barefoot shoes and I bought my first (and only) pair of Vibram Five Fingers.
I forgot how much ultra running lore the book contains, and how it was my original introduction to things like the Leadville 100, Western States and The Badwater 135. Not to mention the interesting people, the likes of Scott Jurek, Ann Trason, Anton Krupicka, Caballo Blano, Dr. Irene Davis and Barefoot Ted. I can’t help but think about how much this shaped my interest in running years before I even sign up for my first trail run.
There’s some controversy around the book, it inspired a lot of people, like me, to ditch their shoes and go minimalist. The trouble being that their feet weren’t properly tuned up or prepared for such a drastic change.
Regardless, it’s a great read, I can’t recommend it enough. Just don’t get too inspired that you try to run a barefoot marathon today.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Sporting my five finger shoes 2010 or 2011 doing a 44kg get up
Friday Thoughts 41
Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday thoughts, coming to you from Vacationland. I’ve been swimming, boating, running, hiking and lounging. My screen time in down 60% and my sleep is up, I’m looking forward to being back in the gym next week. Here are some of my favorite Instagram posts I’ve come across recently.
Here are some awesome, and easy to make breakfast ideas from Bri, whether you’re a runner or not!
Catch me on the trails wearing these come winter.
This was a good take and got me thinking. It is weird that every checkout, everywhere is trying to get us to buy candy. And while we’re at it, let’s get rid of all the toy cars in grocery stores too so I can stop avoid those aisle when I’m with Elliot.
Word of the day.
I watched this a bunch of times.
That’s it for today, see you next week!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
How Low Do You Go?
My answer may surprise you.... It depends!
Trying to set a powerlifting world record? You should probably know what the required depth is and be sure to uphold that standard.
At Gain, we have a simple standard for squat depth, and it can change each and every day for each person.
Your should squat as low as possible while maintaining good technique, stability and control.
That means no funky spine movement, no heels lifting off the floor, nothing weird going on with your knees and that you're able to breathe throughout the set.
If we want to be effective, capable humans, we should be able to get into a nice low squat and hang out - or least be able to get off the couch and the toilet without too much trouble.
Depth will be a moving target. Overtime, as your skill and strength improves, hopefully your mobility will too. That means better ownership on the bottom, resulting in a more impactful, bigger range of motion squat.
Not there yet? Not a big deal at all. In fact, who cares. I would even argue that a half squat is far more effective in building strength and movement competence that no squatting whatsoever.
So how low should you go? As low as skill allows, but always chase more depth through sound movement and consistent strength and mobility training.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Feels Normal
A high-level, gym skill you can develop is understanding how certain movements feel when you perform them.
Over time, you should develop a baseline of what a normal rep feels like.
Something like, this is how 5 push ups feel when I'm well-rested and my shoulders are cooperating.
Somedays push ups won't feel like that, and that's okay too.
This is what 65 pounds feels like when warming up my back squat, or 135 when deadlifting, or 85 when bench pressing, anything like that.
On those days they're off from baseline, make some sort of modification.
Cut the reps back, add more warm up sets in, or alter your top end weight. All of those are good training options, and the more experienced in the gym you are, the more you need to be able to notice those small nuances - it’s what will keep you in it longer.
On the opposite of the spectrum, if you're feeling really good, you should recognize that too.
Squeeze out a couple of extra reps, or if your squat is feeling particularly strong, it's a great chance to put some more weight on the bar!
Although it may seem obvious to do a little less if it doesn't feel great and a little more if you're into it, this is advanced gym-goer skill, sharpen it!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Out & Back
One of my favorite style of runs requires no gps watch, no awe inspiring trail loops, or complicated intervals.
It’s the out and back run, and all you need is a timer, though, you could probably pull it off without one.
I started playing with this during 2020 when the gym was shut down and use this method now especially when I’m road running with no where to go.
It’s simple, run to a spot, note the time, and return to the starting position in less time.
This negative split run has all sorts of baked in benefits. Knowing you need to beat your time coming back, you can use the initial leg as warm up. It incentivizes you to take it easy, get the blood pumping and avoid what so many of us runners do, come out way too hot. When you come out fast and inventively slow down at the end, you’re training your body to get slower when you’re tired!
When you hit the turn around point, it’s time to put on the jets. Pause and take a few deep breaths if you want. This is a great chance to work on your speed, technique, breathing and rhythm. How hard your run it is up to you, and should depend on how you’re feeling.
I would venture to say this would even be a good walking workout. Mosey out with a casual pace, and walk with focused determinism on your return.
Give it a shot!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Protein Chat
You know by now that keeping a daily food log is the best way to up your nutritional awareness.
If you're ready to level up again, the next piece to figure out is how much protein you're eating.
Protein is important. We all know that it’s important for building muscle, but it’s also about recovering from workouts and having healthy cells.
Many people are surprised at how little protein they eat once they see it quantified.
Instead of using some equation like 1g of protein for every pound of bodyweight, aim for a number slightly higher than what you're currently at. This is why you must figure out how much you’re eating, otherwise you’re guessing. If you're consuming 75g of protein a day, and want to be eating 125g, don't jump straight there. Hit 100g consistently first and see how it goes, and what it takes to get there, before trying to add more.
Use these tips to make sure you're setting yourself up for protein success each day.
Protein at every meal. No matter what.
Find protein rich snacks
Sleeper protein: foods that have more than you think. Bagels have around 10g of protein in them! I also like using Fairlife milk in my coffee, three cups of coffee worth is around 12g added on the day (and let’s be honest, I’m having 4 cups)
Add a protein shake or a scoop of protein in your oatmeal.
If possible with protein powder, try a couple different kinds to see what you like and how your body reacts
Once you figure out a good level of protein, you can start using that as a way to create boundaries and guide your food choices so you’re getting your muscle building nutrients daily and consistently.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Friday Thoughts 40
Welcome to Friday thoughts, it’s been a few weeks! My saved folder on Instagram is busting with informative, funny and random things I’m excited to share. Let’s dig it!
I’ve been enjoying Eric Cressey’s commentary on social media lately and it’s been getting me thinking a lot. I starting reading his blog BEFORE INSTAGRAM WAS INVENTED! I know, it’s hard to believe that there was such a time, but in 2008 I would be in the library “studying,’ and I was mostly reading his blog, Joe DeFranco’s, Tony Gentilcore’s, Ben Bruno’s and anyone else who regularly posted on T-nation.com. Back then, you read their blogs because they were real coaches, with real clients inside of real gyms. In the trenches as Eric and Tony used to say. Nowadays, everyone can be an expert if they know how to edit a snappy reel and grab your attention.
I love seeing other people doing the birthday sled challenge like we do at GAIN! The sled is a great, versatile tool for anyone.
I love this visual of foot vs shoe, hope you’re getting in some barefoot time this summer!
This explanation of BMI being pointless is spot on. I’ve been enjoying Ilona’s videos and I’m excited to see her tear it up on the rugby pitch in Paris.
Speaking of high BMI and incredible athletes, I’m most excited to see Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze on the weightlifting platform - and don’t worry, I’ll give you all a primer on the difference between weightlifting and powerlifting before the Olympics start. The guy trains hard, has incredible technique and can lift more than anyone ever. This snatch here is 462 pounds! Most people can’t even fathom deadlifting, never mind getting over their head!
One more olympic post. Keep this in mind the next time you see a must-try supplement or exercise or health-protocol (we’ve gotten a lot of stuff wrong before).
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Terminal Decade
A client has been away on a road trip for the past four months, and they came back and gave me a copy of Peter Attia's book, Outlive.
I’ve talked about his idea of the Centenarian Decathlon (many times) before, and flipping through the new copy inspired me to post this again. Take some time and really think about the following today; what do you want to be able to do you last 10 years of life?
I don’t think anyone wants to be bed ridden and immobile, so regardless of your age, the time to start training is now!
Listen to the podcast outlining his Centenarian Decathlon here.
Included on Peter’s list are things like, being able to pick up and goblet squat a 35 pound kettlebell, so he would know he has the strength and mobility to pick a baby out of a crib.
How about covering 3 miles on foot within 3 hours. If you’re reading this, chances are a 20 minute mile is palpable for you right now. What about when you’re 80 or 90? And that’s the point, even if it feels silly now, it’s helpful to spend some time thinking, what do I want to be able to do?
Other items on Peter’s list include performing a one minute farmers carry with body weight, a sit to rise standard, and a couple of physical tasks involving stairs.
Hopefully your terminal decade is far off in the distance, regardless, start thinking about how you can train to maintain your physical capabilities well into the future.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Sweat Sodium Concentration
As you know, it’s been hot. It looks like there’s no relief in sight on the 10-day forecast either.
You also know you should be drinking plenty of water to stay on top of your hydration, and you might even know that you need to replace electrolytes after hot and sweaty workouts.
I found this article from Robb Wolf, founder of LMNT, quite insightful.. He cites different studies about sodium loss and sweating and how best mitigate sodium loss to perform well. Along with what sort of factors can contribute to sodium loss through your sweat.
Justin MIner
@justinminergain
Durable
It’s not often that people come into the gym and tell me they want to be more durable.
People want to lose weight, build stamina, gain strength, become healthier, but a side effect of all of that is a less fragile, or more durable body.
When a client came in recently and told me they had a mishap on staging while working on their house, I couldn’t believe it.
They took a big fall from a long way up and walked away unscathed.
I’m not saying luck wasn’t involved, as I’m sure it was. It was pretty cool nonetheless when they told me that the past couple years of strength training made them so durable that a big fall was no big deal.
I’ve heard a lot of similar stories over the years too, involving stairs, ice, ladders and the like.
Whatever it is you’re training for, remember, becoming less fragile is a nice side effect.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
How to Build to a PR Attempt
Nothing is worse than planning to hit a big PR in the gym, and instead you fry yourself on the build up to the goal weight. There is a fine line between doing enough work to actually get warmed up, and managing fatigue so you feel fresh when you get there.
Here are some basic rules to follow when trying to ring the PR bell.
Do the minimum amount of work to get there, i.e., don’t do all sets of 10 working up to a 3 rep max.
When in doubt, spend more time with just the bar. I’ll typically do AT LEAST 50 empty bar reps when warming up for a back squat.
Keep the weight jumps the same, or smaller, as you get heavier…Even if this makes plate math more difficult.
Minimize attempts over 90% of your best to just 3 lifts. Managing CNS fatigue is just as important as having strong muscles to hit a big lift.
Rest 3-4 minutes between all sets. Seriously!
Here’s an example of someone’s build up to hit a 200 pound squat.
2x10 @ 45 LBS
1x8 @ 95
1x6 @ 115
1x4 @ 135
1x3 @ 155
1x3 @ 175
1x1 @ 185
1x1 @ 195
1x1 @ 200
1x1 @ 205*
*adding in a fourth single above 90% is usually a sign that you’re having a good day.
While these aren’t hard, fast rules that will apply to all of you, for all of your PR attempts. I hope they can be used as guardrail to help guide your weight selection.
The ability to plan out a big lift attempt is an important skill for all seasoned lifters to know.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
June By the Numbers
Welcome to this month’s installment of By the Numbers, where I pull all the passive data I collect from my watch. I use the start of each month to look back, notice trends and make adjustments for the next month. Let’s get into it!
Steps: 372,632 or 12,421 per day.
Similar to my numbers from May, and about what I expected. Even on days I’m not running, I’m trying to get out and walk a lot and have been frantically trying to cram in some yard work most days too. Highest total in one day was 44,500 - after running 15ish miles up and down Mount Washington. Lowest day was on June 9th, only 5000! That was the day after MSD, and my legs were toast!
Sleep: 7 hours 40 minute average
This is way up! I’ve been really focused on getting here by getting to bed early. Like the sun hasn’t even set yet early. The previous two months the average was 7 hours 12 minutes, so this was a significant improvement. More so, I also got 8+ hours of sleep 12 nights out of the month! I only got it twice in June. Needless to say, I’m feeling good.
Workouts: 25
Basically I only ran last month. I did a handful of kettlebell workouts, and a couple sandbag workouts, but otherwise stayed away from barbells and focused on building running volume. I accumulated 68 miles for an average of 17 miles per week or 2.3 miles per day. I took 3 days off going into Mount Washington, and a few days on the other side too. I’ve found for me that more miles isn’t necessarily better for me, so I don’t know how much that monthly total will climb.
I hope this inspires you to look back and check in on any health/fitness/lifestyle data that you are collecting. See if you notice any trends, or come up with some ideas on how to adjust things for this month.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Student Becomes Teacher
If you know me and Hannah, you know we love a hotel gym.
That’s why on Saturday morning, despite trying to sleep in, we found our way to the hotel gym for a quick workout before a day full of wedding activities.
This gym was small, as they usually are. There were a good set of dumbbells though, all the way to 50s. Standard for a hotel but also nice when they don’t tap out at 30 pound dumbbells.
We did some obligatory hip stretches and Hannah asked what she should do.
I landed on a hotel workout classic, a quick ladder. One to ten reps of goblet squats and push ups.
Hannah grabbed the 30 pound dumbbell and I (obviously) grabbed the 50. I watched her first squat of the workout and decided I would double the reps to make it harder for myself. I would go up by 2s ending the workout at 20 reps instead of 10.
As you can do with this style of workout, I came out too fast, and was gassed, quickly.
Soon Hannah flipped the script and went coach mode on me.
She finished her round of 6 and said, “I’ll do 6 push ups the rest of the way, my technique is breaking down and I don’t want to do too much.”
On the round of 7 (14 for me), she called out from across the small gym, “not the best push ups I’ve seen you do…”
She was right. They were sloppy. I was rushing. And I was hungry and regretting this morning workout.
I took a good break before the next round and broke my push ups into 4 sets of 4.
“I’m done!” I call out. “I need to quit. I bite off more than I can chew this morning.”
“Probably a good call,” my wife, now coach responds as she finished the workout at an appropriate pace.
That was the day my workout appetite was bigger than I could chew and Hannah was the wise coach in the hotel gym.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
New Month
The Reuillard Wedding this past weekend was a blast. We had great weather, gorgeous venue, and an all around great time. Taylor will be back in action at GAIN on Friday the 5th for some limited hours coaching.
For me, June was a crazy month. I did 3 races, we travelled to visit friends in Maryland and went away for the wedding as well. It was fun, but this week I’m planning on emphasizing some simple habits to get my body feeling the best.
Here’s what I’ll be paying close attention to this month, I urge you to find a few areas to focus on as well.
Breakfast: My baked eggs, cottage cheese and turkey bacon concoction is so good, and over the past couple weeks I haven’t made it ahead like I usually do. When left to my own devices to make breakfast, I usually don’t eat as much, or feel hungry too soon after. Something about the macros in the baked eggs are just the perfect way for me to start my day and I’ll be back to it this week.
Running: I’ve intentionally pumped brakes on running the past two weeks. I had an aggressive ramp up to Mount Washington, and I wanted to give my body time off following the hard effort. I’m hoping to kick off a summer of track sessions this week. It’s been a couple years since I’ve made my way to the track consistently and it always enhances my running skill.
Electrolytes: On hot days I’ll be sure to get electrolytes in with my water to better absorb the water and replace all the important stuff I lose when sweating.
Morning Movement: Recently Hannah has been getting her workout in the garage early in the morning to avoid the heat. I’ve been joining her, and while I usually don’t do a full on workout, this time has been awesome for me to move my hips around, roll my feet, and get some rotation work in. It’s kind of like warming up for the day and I’ll continue to do it this month.
Barefoot: It’s peak barefoot season right now, I’ll be ditching the shoes any chance I can get to log more time barefoot.
Alright, Happy July first. Take a minute today to reflect on what you’re going to work on this month. Refine some old habits, build some new ones and always audit your routine to see if you can make anything work better. I’ll be in the gym early this week covering for Coach T, see you in the gym!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Reminder: Closed Friday June 28
We will be closed tomorrow Friday June 28th so we can travel to the Reuillard wedding. This will be the last blog of the week too. We’ll see you all next week!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
PS Fourth of July Hours:
CLOSED Thursday July 4th, limited schedule Friday July 5th (9am, 10:30am, 12pm)
Barefoot Time
This summer I want you to get some intentional barefoot time.
Ditch the shoes and take a walk through the backyard, or to get the mail.
Get more warm ups, cool downs and kettlebell swings in with your shoes off.
Stretch your toes and try to wiggle them around, even if it feels impossible!
Our feet play an important role in how we move and feel and perceive
Give them some love by making them work this summer.
If you want a learn more about how important your feet are, and how to best take care of them, I can’t recommend this (old) podcast enough.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain