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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.
Friday Thoughts 140
Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts! I’ve been hanging with the family on Balch Pond all week and we’ve been having a great time swimming, fishing, tubing and all the other lake activities. I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym on Monday.
Training Ramblings
I always pack kettlebells to take on vacation and never use them. I kept the streak going again this year. I did get a couple runs with Hannah in, went wakeboarding and water skiing for the first time in 15 years, and got 10k steps on most days. I’ve been active, not training, and it’s been nice.
No Shoes
I recently talked to some of your about this challenge. The idea is simple, how long can you go without wearing shoes? I’ve only put mine on this week to go for a run, hike, bike or to go into the grocery store. My feet feel tougher already and it was a nice reminder of how often we have something on our feet. Imagine wearing gloves all day everyday, and never taking them off.
Strong is Cool
Sound the lunk alarm on yourself PF.
Le Tour Chefs
Awesome to see high performing athletes fueling with real fuel - and what a production to help support them. This is impressive!
That’s all for today, see you in the gym next week!
—Justin Miner
Journey before destination
There is no winning fitness.
There will be no moment of arrival.
There won't be a point you can stop.
You need to keep playing.
Chess, hockey and football are all finite games. They have rules. A start and an end. Clear winners and losers.
In fitness, business and life, however, there are no rules. There is no clear finish line.
You can keep playing though. And that's how you win; staying in the game.
But what about the races I train for? What about my goal to lose 10 pounds? What about my Whole 30?
"Finite games can be played within an infinite game, but an infinite game cannot be played within a finite game. Infinite players regard their wins and losses in whatever finite games they play as but moments in continuing play."
- James P. Carse, Finite and Infinite Games
You've got to play the long game. It's the only way to be successful and keep playing. Maybe it looks different over time, or you have different goals [finite games] that motivate you and get you in the door. But the game is always there. There's no destination.
I hope this perspective doesn't overwhelm you. Instead, I hope it brings you relief. There is no rush. No need to hurry to the finish line. To end on a cliche, it's the journey not the destination. Keep yourself in play.
Justin Miner
Up and down / floor time
Sometimes you’re hit with something so unexpected, and so awesome. A long-time GAIN client, who wouldn’t be upset with me if I shared, was terrified of getting up and down from the floor.
So much so, that if we created a workout pairing like:
3 rounds:
10 barbell push ups
10 glute bridges
They would do all 3 sets of glute bridges in a row. This way, they wouldn’t have to get up and down. Of course, this defeated the purpose of my well-crafted pairing, creating 3 opportunities to get up from the floor in a short period of time.
Anyway, that was many years ago, and just the other day this person showed me of a video of them boogie boarding. Boogie boarding! Riding the wave into the sand and popping off the earth to catch another. It was awesome.
Although training was initially intimidating, and way out of their comfort zone, they stuck with it over the years. And through consistency, persistence, and recreating their relationship with training and the gym, they’ve far surpassed any goals they used to think possible.
—Justin Miner
How Low do You Go
How deep should you squat?
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, 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 not too much spine movement, no heels lifting off the floor, nothing funky going on.
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? Half squat is 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
Monday Check In
Greetings from the lake!
I’ll be away this week on Summer Vacation with the family. Luke and Katelynn are covering all the classes.
Get into the gym and have a great week!
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 139
Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind this week, Enjoy!
Vacation
Next week the Miner Family is headed to Balch Pond in Wakefield, New Hampshire for summer vacation. Luke and Katelynn will be covering all the classes. I’m excited to get away. The plan is to swim, boat, fish, waterski, wakeboard, lounge and read.
Training Ramblings
This week I learned that deer flies are even more challenging to deal with while on a bike. When running I can run and swat, but that is much more difficult on the bike!
The workout was this:
bike 4 miles, run 4 miles, bike 4 miles.
I biked to a trailhead, ran the the high point in Barrington and back (554 feet, btw), then biked home. What makes this route so much fun is that I get to bike down this Class VI road, which is basically an unmaintained trail. It was a really fun adventure.
AXIOM SCORE
Last week I filled out my Axiom score - created by former GAIN Coach, Alex Hutchins, Axiom is a comprehensive fitness test trying to answer, “what does it mean to be fit?” There are 10 tests to enter and after completing them you get a score out of 100, and insights on where you could improve. I’m pumped for Alex and think this is really fun to play with. Here’s a screen shot of my score.
Wolverine’s 2k
Rowing a sub 7-minute 2000m is legit!
Fibermaxxing
This jumped out to me after Hannah said to me one night, “Do you know they’re making ‘fiber popcorn now?"‘ Don’t people know that corn is already famously fibrous!”
Studies Show
Reading
Save your brain, read a book. I’m happy to say I’m in the 16% of daily readers. I’ve been a reader ever since getting out of college, but mostly boring how to create a successful business/self-help type books. In the last 6-7 years or so I’ve gotten really into fiction and it’s cranked up my reading (and listening for those who demand clarification). Last week I finished my 21st book of the year. Mostly fantasy, but I’ve bee on a sci-fi tear recently, and really enjoyed the classic, Rendezvous with Rama.
Protein Emails
No notes.
See you in the gym!
—Justin Miner
Mobility Class Saturday
REcovery?
Saunas, cold plunges, and IV-drip bars are taking over.
If you’re considering adding an expensive recovery routine into your daily habits, I think there’s a big question to answer first.
Are you training hard enough?
Is there lower hanging fruit? Would the time spent “recovering” be used elsewhere? Another strength training workout? A 30 minute walk? Maybe some stretching on the floor while you’re watching TV?
In the sports performance world these methods can make a big difference. For us everyday people though, I think some protein and a walk could move the needle just as much—if not more.
—Justin Miner
Medicine Ball Weight Selection: heavier isn’t always better
When you're lifting in the gym, we love to see weights go up. Heavier lifts usually mean you're getting stronger.
But when it comes to medicine ball exercises, like slams, side tosses, chest passes and the like, more weight isn’t always better.
With movements like goblet squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, the goal is to build strength—your ability to produce force. The more strength you have, the more force you can create.
Medicine balls aren’t about strength though, they’re about power.
Power is how quickly you can apply force. It’s not just about being strong, it’s about being fast and strong.
Using a ball that’s too heavy can mess with your mechanics, slow you down, and actually reduce the power you're able to produce.
So while a 20-pound ball might look impressive, if it makes you move like you’re stuck in mud, it’s not doing the job.
10 crisp, snappy slams with an 8-pound ball > 10 sluggish slams with a 20-pounder.
Heavy is better for strength. Fast is better for power. Keep that in mind the next time you reach for a med ball.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check IN
Happy Monday.
We had a good time at the GAIN Wiffle Ball game on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who came out to play in the heat!
I spent a lot of time on bikes with the boys, which has been really fun. Especially pulling them in the bike trailer.
I successfully backed a boat trailer down a boat launch without getting frustrated.
And, I worked out on Saturday morning. I did 800s and db bench press - it was a fun workout.
That’s all, see you in the gym this week!
—Justin Miner
Friday THoughts 138
Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, let’s get into it.
MOBILITY CLASS
Reserve your spot for tomorrow morning’s Mobility Class with Ariel and kick the weekend off right.
WIFFLE BALL
Join us for Wiffle Ball - Saturday @ 3pm.
We’ll meet at the Community Campus field near the pickleball courts.
See you there!
TRAINING RAMBLIngs
There’s this idea in the training and fitness world to “never miss a Monday.”
I actually always thought it was a good rest day. Mondays were busy for me, and coming off big weekend runs it made sense. So I made this rule, never miss a Tuesday. I;ve posted about it in the past. It’s not an official rule, and I don’t really think about it much these days.
This week I took a rest day on Tuesday. I thought, that’s weird, I never miss training on a Tuesday.
I looked back through my training long and it’s the 3rd Tuesday workout I’ve missed 2026. Not that impressive of a streak or anything, but it’s foundation to my training week. In 2025 I only missed 4 Tuesdays.
These days I typically do train on Monday, but I like to keep it short and simple, and sometimes themed. Last year I did “machine Monday,” and would do intervals on the SkiErg or bike every Monday. Way back I did “minimalist Monday,” where I just deadlifted and did nothing else.
This week it made sense to skip my Tuesday workout. But looking back, having a hard training day on Tuesday has been a staple in my training plan. And maybe my most important training day of the week.
What’s your most important day of the week to train?
SOUND ON
This is Spanish weightlifter Marta Garcia, turn the sound and up listen. You can hear the bar coming off the floor, contact with the hips and the feet sticking the landing. With great training room acoustics. So snappy!
Training Doesn’t Stop…It Changes
I’ve been enjoying the posts from this strength coach who specializes in training jujitsu athletes. A lot of the time, his advice is just good training advice for most everyone.
There’s almost always something you could do to train and improve.
James Clear on Consistency
The More You Know
See you in the gym!
—Justin Miner
Why We Don’t Do Knee Push Ups (And What to do instead)
Doing push ups on your knees is fine when you’re low on equipment, or from time to time to modify a workout to get it done.
Long term, however, knee push ups are limited and leave no room for progress.
By dropping to your knees to perform a push up, you’re shortening the lever and lightening the load you’re lifting - which is a great if you can’t do a push up on your toes. The jump from knee push ups to toes push ups is challenging though, and nearly impossible to accomplish by only training push ups from your knees.
Instead, we do hands-elevated push ups using a barbell in a squat rack. With this system we have a clear method of progress. Lowering the bar lessens your angle to the floor, thus increasing the load you’re lifting. Much like adding weight to a deadlift, you can think of this as adding weight to your push up.
The hands elevated method allows for more nuance to get the right amount of perceived exertion. By elevating the hands, we still get to train the plank position in a longer-lever, something that will pay off if your eventual goal is to get a couple of push ups from your toes.
If you don’t have a barbell and squat rack, a bench, box, counter top or stairs work well too, however, keep in mind, what makes the barbell and squat rack the perfect push up tool is the adjustability - you can be precise and lower or raise the bar by a inch, customizing the right amount of difficulty and always having a way to progress.
—Justin Miner
New People SAy This to me all the time
“I hate going to the gym.”
New people tell me this all the time.
I imagine this is how dentists feel, because nobody really likes going to the dentist, right?
There's a weird connotation with gyms. It's negative. Trainers are crazy, gyms are weird, and if I want to be healthier or stronger, I have to go to the gym.
But that doesn't mean there's no hope.
Many of the first meetings I have with people go exactly this way. Ironically, the people who are convinced they don't like gyms often end up sticking around the longest.
I think it's because their imagine of a gym or how strength and conditioning works is misinformed. They have a preconceived notion of mirrors, bulky dudes, and constant judgment. Thanks Planet Fitness commercials from the mid-2000s.
If you're reading this, you probably already know GAIN isn't like that.
But if you hate gyms, give me a call. We're probably what you've been looking for.
—Justin Miner
Wiffle Ball: Join US
Take a break from the gym and join us for an afternoon of Wiffle Ball. No experience required. Just show up, get outside and have some fun!
Bring your spouse, kids, friends or just yourself.
Saturday, July 11 3:00–5:00 PM
Location: Community Campus Field (near the pickleball courts)
Who: GAIN members, friends, and family are all welcome.
After the game: We'll head over to Tributary Brewing in Kittery for drinks, live music, and to hang out.
Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect. You can RSVP using this link, scan the QR code in the gym, or find the event in the GAIN app.
The more people who come, the more fun it'll be. Hope to see you there!
—Justin Miner
Monday Check In
Happy Monday!
I hope you had a fun holiday weekend. We were in bed before any fireworks, played with the sprinkler and sparklers in the backyard and I chased Elliot up Parker Mountain for the second week in a row.
One of my weekly workout goals is to do some sort of cardio with machines. While I love running, the machines provide an intensity and training effect that’s harder to achieve with running. Bonus point when I combine to two.
Saturday morning’s workout was:
5 rounds for time:
300m bus stop run (to the stop sign at the bottom of the hill/back to the garage)
500m row (hold 2:00/500m or less)
The constraint of needing to hold that pace on the rower gave me intent and something to focus on. The runs weren’t easy, running back up the hill would get my heart rate up right before starting the row in the garage.
All in all 5 rounds took me just under 20 minutes. It was hot on Saturday morning and it felt good to sweat.
This week my training day goals are the same as last week:
2x olympic lift days
1x heavy day (deadlift and/or squat and bench press)
1x trail run
1x running workout
1x machine conditioning workout
What are your training goals for the week?
Get to work!
-Justin Miner
Friday THoughts 137
Greetings! Happy Friday, and Happy Fourth of July. Here is this week’s edition of Friday Thought, where I share what’s been on my mind all week. Enjoy!
Wiffle Ball
Join us next weekend of a fun game of wiffle ball.
When: Saturday July 11 @ 3pm
Where: Community Campus Field (near pickle ball courts)
Who: GAIN members, friends and family
How: RSVP HERE, or under “events” on the PushPress App
parking lot, pickle ball courts and fields near GAIN (note: this is not the new turf field)
July Challenge
First need to talk about the June Challenge. We had 20 people take it on, which far exceeds the norm. Among our normal challenge takers, a bunch of first timers went for it to. This combination of the sled and bench is fun and taxing. I look forward to revisiting it again next year.
JULY CHALLENGE
For time:
20 Zercher Squats @ 95/65
30 cal rower
450m farmer’s carry @ 53s/35s
*carry is 4x down + back across the parking lot perpendicular to the building
I wanted to do something with a long carry. I played around with a couple different options and decided to head outside and utilize our truck-free parking lot. The Zercher squats aren’t hard, and you’ll be incentivized to just get it done. Same with the rower.
I did the challenge last and it’s a good one. My goal was to make it 4 laps without putting the kettlebells down, and I made it. I’m looking forward to seeing you all take it on.
Final Thoughts
That’s all I’ve got today. I need to get into the garage for Hannah’s max out deadlift day. Stay cool today and Happy Fourth!
—Justin Miner
June by the numbers
Welcome to this month’s edition of By The Numbers, where I break down data from my watch and training log to reflect on the past month.
I track a few simple metrics—average sleep, daily steps, and total workouts. I’ve been doing this consistently for over two years, and it’s become one of the most useful tools I have for spotting trends, holding myself accountable, and fine-tuning habits. I highly recommend building a practice like this into your own routine.
Let’s get into it.
STEPS
Total: 333, 471
Daily Average: 11,115
About the same as last month, but 100,000 less than June of last year as I was ramping up for some races. Happy to see my average steps over 10k, even with less running than “normal.”
Sleep
Average Sleep Score: 80
Average Duration: 6 hours 28 minutes
Sleep has been pretty good recently. Sleep score is about the same that it always is - in the 79-81 range. I’ve got to get to bed earlier to get that duration back up over 7 - it’s been trending lower and lower for a couple months now. My HRV was normal all month, and I even had another couple days of it being above average - which happened in May, but hasn’t happened much in the past two years. When I woke up this morning it was tanked. Not sure why yet, but that’s a July problem not a June reflection.
Training
I had a tough 6 months of getting into a training groove. I didn’t have a clear direction and that had me feeling uninspired. I shifted around my priorities, i.e., I’m not training for insert big race or to get faster, I’m just training to train. To have fun, and enjoy the process. This leaves me with more variety, and better chance to tinker and play and mostly. I’m still running, but I want to spend time lifting the gym too and not neglecting that for the entire summer.
Total Workouts: 29
Runs: 8 runs
Final Thoughts
I always learn a thing or two when I do this monthly reflection, which is why I always encourage you to build a similar practice. It’s an easy way to check in and see how you’re doing and where you may be able to improve. Thanks for reading!
—Justin Miner
Roll THe Windows Down
Another heat wave. You know what that means, it’s going to be hot in the gym.
When I was in college, I was an ice truck delivery driver. Besides being one of my favorite jobs ever, I learned about heat regulation. Going from the air conditioned truck, into the sweltering heat, through a stuffy store or kitchen was brutal. After a while, I learned to keep the AC off, and drive with the windows down.
When I would get to the delivery location, I was more prepared to deal with the heat - the temperature shift was less extreme. Sure, driving the truck wasn’t as pleasant, and more sweaty, but it made a big difference.
To best prepare yourself for a hot workout at GAIN, shut that AC off. Drive here with the windows down, get a dosage of the heat before coming into the gym. If you come from an air conditioned home, to air conditioned car, to air conditioned store to air conditioned car to non air conditioned gym, you’ll be feeling it.
A little exposure goes a long way.
Stay cool!
—Justin Miner
SOLEC REVISTED
Remember when we tested our balance last December?
Everyone wants to improve their balance. It’s frustrating to train, because you need to challenge your balance in order to improve it. I learned this acronym within the past couple years and think about it a lot as a balance test. And it’s something you should know, too.
SOLEC: Standing on One Leg Eyes Closed.
That’s the test. Stand on one leg with your eyes closed, see how long you can last.
Your eyes play a big role in balancing and when you take that away it’s a big challenge.
Try the test with your eyes open and compare to your eyes closed score.
There’s a big range for a good target time here. At least a few seconds eyes closed is the bare minimum and getting 15 seconds with eyes closed is the gold standard. This will show you the key role your vision has with your balance. Give it a shot!
—Justin Miner
MOnday check In
Monday is here again!
Are you ready to start the week? Are you working this week? Traveling? Partying? Prioritizing the gym and getting enough movement in everyday?
Whatever your plans for the Fourth are, make sure to get in the gym this week. We’re open regular hours all week so you can get some quality strength and conditioning work done. You want to be the strongest person at the BBQ, right?
Maybe take some time to practice your wiffle balls skills for our upcoming game on July 11 - RSVP HERE.
See you in the gym!
—Justin MIner