Three Types of Workouts

One of my favorite strength coaches is Dan John—the guy who created the goblet squat. He talks about three types of workouts most gym-goers will experience over their lifetime. These aren’t his favorite back squat or bench press sessions, nor are they his preferred rep schemes. Instead, he’s describing how workouts feel subjectively, both during and after.

Here’s the breakdown:

One out of five workouts are pretty good.
Things click, you’ve got some pop, and everything moves the way it should.

Three out of five are “check the box.”
You get in, get out, and get the work done. Nothing magical, maybe you’re going through the motions or motivation is low, but you still show up.

One out of five are trash.
You’re tired, something feels off, you don’t want to be there, and everything feels heavy.

I remind people of this often: not every session in the gym is going to be heroic. Most will be “meh,” some will be bad, and a few will feel great. That’s normal. And honestly, with these dark winter days, a lot of people are in that “check the box” phase, myself included.

It all boils down to consistency and your ability to keep doing the thing. Knowing that workouts like this happen, and that it’s normal, will hopefully help you keep your head in the game for longer.

—Justin Miner