Three Types of Workouts

I was digging through some old articles by one of my favorite strength coaches—Dan John, the inventor of the goblet squat—when one in particular stood out.

In it, he breaks down the types of workouts you’ll experience over your training career. Not specific exercises or rep schemes—but how workouts feel subjectively, during and after.

Here’s the breakdown:

• 1 out of 5 workouts feels great. Things click, everything moves well, and you leave feeling strong.

• 3 out of 5 are just okay. You check the box, get in and get out. Nothing magical. Motivation is low, but you showed up and did the work.

• 1 out of 5 is rough. You're tired, distracted, everything feels heavy—and you don’t want to be there.

It’s a solid reminder that not every session needs to be heroic. Some days will be blah. Some will be great. But all of them count. They all move you forward.

—Justin Miner
@justinminergain