Turkish Get Up Workshop

The first time I heard about a Turkish Get Up was in college. I had a phase where I was obsessed with kettlebells. It was the only thing I used to train and I was convinced they were the source of all good things health and fitness. Then and still to this day, the authority on all things kettlebells is Pavel Tsatsouline. 

Known by just his first name, Pavel is credited with bringing this Russian style of kettlebell training the the United States. I read his book Enter the Kettlebell and gained endless insights I still think about today. 

One of the most challenge, technical movements from the book was the Turkish Get Up. A 14-step ground to standing to ground transition. The move demands shoulder stability, hip mobility, hip strength and the ability to create a rigid torso - all while holding a weight over your head.

This week, in our Friday Night Skill Workshop, we’re talking all things Turkish Get Up. We’ll break down the movement, simplify the steps and build you the foundation to keep practicing this effective total body move. 

No weights are required for this workshop. Like in my college Exercise Prescription class, you’ll have to prove you can do it while balancing a shoe on your hand before you're given a weight. All are welcome, you can register using the Zoom link below. We’ll be kicking things off tomorrow evening at 5pm.

REGISTER FOR TURKISH GET UP WORKSHOP

Ice Cubes and Progress

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been spending some of this time around the house flipping through books I’ve already read, trying to gain some new insight. When I was thinking about what to write today, I reached for Atomic Habits, it’s been awhile since I shared any ideas from this game changer of a book.

The ice cube metaphor may feel like a punch in the face if you think you’re not making any progress.

Imagine you have an ice cube on a table. This room, where you ice cube is sitting, is temperature controlled. Starting at 20 degrees, we’re going to raise the temperature of the room 1 degree at a time.

After a while, we’re up to 25 degrees. No change on the ice cube, it’s still just sitting there, frozen. Fast forward a little longer, we’re at 30 degrees. Still no change to the ice cube. Once we hit 31 degrees, our ice cube is there, unchanged and apparently unfazed by the increasing temperature.

Finally, we hit 32 degrees. The ice cube starts to change, it’s melting. 

What made the ice cube melt? The 1 degree change from 31 degrees to 32 degrees? Or was the the compounding of the temperature change to get there? We saw no progress from 20 degrees all the way to 31 degrees. Now, just because we couldn’t see the progress, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

You might be going through something similar now. It feels like your turning your wheels, not getting any traction. You could be making progress and adapting now, it just isn’t visible yet. Remember the ice cube, you could be making change without even knowing it, small actions add up to big changes.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain 

Fitness Reassurance

The other day I touched some weights for the first time.

As you may know, my garage is full of gym equipment. When we were looking at houses, a garage was a “must have.” I knew I wanted an easily accessible gym I could use without having to get in a car.

It’s been a game changer for the past several months. Random sets of squats, bike workouts when it was -8 degrees outside and space to tinker around with stuff. When the gym closed, I decided to pretend none of that was there. If I was saying the at-home workouts were world-class, which they are, I better step up and do them with everyone.

I went 23 days without using my home gym. On Sunday, it was nice out, the sun was hitting a spot just outside the garage. I felt like it was time to see how a weighted movement felt after so many weeks off.

I set up a barbell, rolled it out of the garage and on to the driveway. I did 4 sets of 10 overhead squats. They were clean, spacious squats. My positions felt good, my muscles were happy and I was pleased that I didn’t struggle like I had anticipated.

This blog isn’t about home gym bragging. Instead, it’s a message to you, the person that thinks all their fitness is going to disappear during quarantine. It won’t, in fact, the exact opposite may happen, you may feel stronger and own the positions better. Keep it up with the bodyweight, or minimal equipment workouts, once we’re back in the gym, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Small Wins

Two weeks ago I set 3, easily achievable, daily goals. I did well on it. It got me out the door for an extra walk when I didn’t feel like it, had me reaching for a book instead of my phone after lunch and I did my mobility work every night after dinner.

Last week, I didn’t plan to hit these goals everyday like the week before. I made the mistake of assuming it would happen without as much effort. But then it was rainy, raw and cool out. Scrolling my phone became easier than reading and I found myself really needing some mobility work near the end of the week.

It was still too new to not require any effort. I thought, I already made all these small wins, they’ll just happen this week. We must be active with our goals, we must respect the weight they carry and be willing to strive for them.

I’m being a little more deliberate this week about setting goals. I wrote them dow in my notebook where I’ll look at them every day. I hope you’ll join me and set some realistic goals to keep you focused this week.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

What's it Mean to be Antifragile

The concept of antifragility has helped me a lot over the past two weeks.

Nassim Taleb is a former options trader and risk analyst turned modern philosopher. His work focuses on randomness, probability and uncertainty. He created this idea of antifragility.

When something is fragile, it can easily break. In Taleb’s words, it's victim to volatility. If something is not fragile, it is robust. It can withstand forces, won’t easily break. For example, a glass vase is fragile, it’ll break when you throw it down the stairs. A robust vase, will handle the blow. It’s a resilient vase, it handles the fall but stays the same.

This is important to remember. Antifragile isn’t just the opposite of fragile, robust is. Antifragile takes it a step further. Not only does it not break, it gets stronger with adversity. Each time that vase is tested, whether knocked over by a dog’s tail or an earthquake, it comes back stronger than before. 

That’s what it means to be antifragile. Getting stronger, more capable every time you’re tested. It means having options, the ability change course and using adversity as a chance to get better, to improve. Keep that in mind during these times. How can you make it so you’re antifragile?

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

The First Time I Ran

Before opening Gain, I had a serious rough patch. After a year of cautiously training to not aggravate my back and my hip, I took a year off from all working out. As a former athlete, I had nothing to train for. The feeling of no motivation combined with fear of making my injuries worse kept me me away from the gym.

Running always hurt. In college, during captain’s practice we would run down Hills Beach Road. Every time, no matter would I would strain a groin muscle. It would leave my limping for a day or two and eventually it would go away until our next running workout.

I remember thinking back then, when running was so painful and boring to me, that I should run a marathon one day. I hated it so much and it was so uncomfortable, I felt like I had to try and put that aside and try a marathon, eventually.

That thought left my brain and I hadn’t thought about it for many years when I decided to run with Hannah on a Saturday morning. It was spring 2014 and I had recently started to get back in the gym. I was getting my injuries under control and dedicated a lot of time to rolling and stretching. My new motivation was to be a human. I wanted to move well and stop hesitating for fear of injury.

That meant I needed to learn how to run, without getting hurt. I dove into running mechanics, learned about the Pose Method, and prioritized the skill of running over running for time or distance. I still didn’t like running, but felt like I should be able to run.

That Saturday morning, Hannah and I headed out of my Hampton apartment with a goal to run the 1.2 miles to the Secret Spot. Breakfast burritos and iced coffee were an excellent motivator.

I thought about how to lean and fall to create momentum, how to quickly pull my foot off the ground after letting it kiss the pavement for only a fraction of a second. Upon reaching our destination my calves seized up, my achilles tendons ached and the bottoms of my feet we displeased with my decision to run.

We ate our breakfast burritos while watching cars full of people drive by headed to the beach. We decided to walk home, not run. This became our weekly ritual throughout the whole summer, my first real introduction to running.

One day in September, we ran down and found the place boarded up. Closed for the season. I forgot about running after that summer. It would be another two years, after we got Clementine, that I discovered trail running and finally started calling myself a runner.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Rereading

I hate borrowing books. I want to fold pages and take notes. I want to break the spine so it can lay flat, becoming easier to read. We jokingly call our home office the library. Besides the desk Hannah has set up, all there is for furniture are two book cases, stuffed full.

I like looking at them. Seeing what title captures my eye on any certain day. I’m trying to pick out the ones I enjoyed, or learned a lot from and even ones I didn’t particularly like the first time around. Dan John, legendary strength coach, who, I’ve brought up here many times, has this saying, which inspired me to focus on flipping through old books instead of ordering new ones.

"Make a difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude). Sleep soundly. Drink water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seatbelt. Don’t smoke. Floss. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread good books. Say thank you.”

There it is, reread great books, right at the end of a list of things we should all be doing or striving to do. As I’m rereading, I’m focusing on seeing if I can learn something different this time around. Watching to see if my perspective has shifted or if I understand anything differently. I encourage you to do the same.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Side Planks

For years, I’ve underestimated the power of side planks. I thought, I’m strong, I don’t need to do side planks, those are a beginner exercise. Truthfully, I just found out, the real reason I have been avoiding them is that they’re brutally hard!

The stability demands placed on the outside of your hips is, substantial, to say the least. They work shoulder and scapula stability, breathing mechanics and anti-rotation core strength.

At the gym, we lean on the anti-rotation press as a lateral stability/anti-rotation go-to. We’re always trying to find holes in our game and improve though. Since we’re not relying on people having a band, or a post to tie it to, which is more difficult to find than you would imagine. We’re doubling down efforts to build strength and stability in the side plank.

The key to improving them is to stay within your limits. Don’t push it too long, modify by placing knees on the ground if necessary and always be willing to cut it short if you need to. Use the prescribed breaths or seconds as a guideline, you don’t have to get to 10 breaths, just because that’s what it says.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Opportunities

Now, more than ever, we all have a chance to get better.

There isn’t a gym open on the planet. We all have access to more fitness, more time and more opportunities. You might need to change your own story to make it work.

Hate working out at home? Go to a park, but I can assure you, there isn’t a gym to head to. You may want to get over that. If you’re a wake up early and head to the gym before work person, maybe you should try training after work. Like I said, there isn’t a gym to go to, anywhere, so you might as well try shaking up your routine.

Maybe you’ll do 100 kb swings every night after dinner or take a long walk after coffee in the morning. 

However you grasp this opportunity,  it isn’t going to be spending 60 minutes in a gym, three times a week. We can eliminate that choice. You don’t need to change, drive to the gym, get gas on the way. All of those choices have been eliminated. The only thing left to decide for yourself: what are you going to do to seize this opportunity? 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

We're In This Together

Now, more than ever we should be making health a priority.

It’s easy to sit around the house, eat junk, watch too much news, not drink any water and have a couple glasses of wine a night. 

I don’t intend for this message to come with doom and gloom, but instead, a new perspective; an opportunity for growth and a chance to focus in on what matters.

How can I help you? Need a weekly FaceTime chat to keep you in line? Need certain stretches you should do on the daily? What about more customized workouts? Anything you need, Alex, Taylor and I are here for you.

We’re going to keep supporting you however we can. I hope you’ll continue to support us too, so when this is all over, we can get back to our normal routines and schedules in the gym. Until then, we’re going to keep up this massive effort and I hope you stay with us through it.

Thank you.

Justin Miner 

@justinminergain

Fundamental Movements and Training Principles

The beauty of strength and conditioning is that it’s simple. The principles used to create the most complicated, science-backed, high-level, detailed (complicated?) strength and conditioning programs can be scaled down and used by everyone using only bodyweight. 

The fundamental movement patterns are just that, foundational movements that humans should be able to do. They’re movements that look like sitting down, getting up from one knee, pushing things away from you, pulling stuff towards you and bending over to pick something up. We see these shapes in daily life and in high performance athletic events. It’s why we don’t have machines in the gym anyway, can you imagine trying to recreate those movements in the comfort of your living room? 

We define the functional movement patterns as follows:

• Squat

• Hinge

• Push

• Pull

• Single Leg

• Core/Carry

In our world, nothing else exists. These are the global movements that will cover our basis as humans, so long as we train with sound principles. Here are the principles we use to guide or programming, whether in a gym full of equipment or in a living room with no equipment at all.

• Work within a safe range of motion

• Scale movements and add variables as needed

• Build functional strength through skill development, practice and repetition

• Develop a robust core

• Develop your cardiovascular system at different intensities

• Improve mobility, flexibility and stability

As we head deeper into this quarantine, you may start to feel lost. Like you’ve lost direction in your training. That’s understandable, we’re in a unique situation and you’re out of your normal routine. It’s a chance to work on some new, different goals though. Instead of missing out on what you normally do, know that we’re still training you with these principles in mind. Will your deadlift max dwindle a little bit? Perhaps, but if you stay fit, move well and continue to follow these training principles, all your former strength is going to be within reach after just a few training sessions.

That’s what we’re doing with the workouts we sent you and the daily workouts we’re posting. We’re embodying these principles and movement patterns to make approachable workouts for you. Is it as hard as 5 down and backs with a heavy sled? No, but working on your forward lunge pattern is similar, and can have a similar training effect for your muscles, tendons and joints. Stick with the plan and not only will you maintain the strength and fitness you’ve built, you’ll continue to cultivate it so when we’re back in the gym, you’ll jump right back to normal.

Justin Miner

@justinminegain

It's Unreliable, Anyway

Motivation is pretty unreliable. We think it’s the magic sauce that’ll take us to the next level and carry us through to see our goals. Many of you have told me over the past several days that your motivation to workout at home is dwindling. The good news is that you don’t need it, you just need to shift your perspective.

Instead of needing motivation to workout, you need discipline.

The backwards part of this is that from discipline comes motivation.

Let’s back up and define these terms.

Discipline (verb): to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control.

Motivation (noun): the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.

Motivation can be our initial push to do something. The first time you walk in the gym or the first week you’re quarantined at home and forced to workout via Zoom. The issue arises when you think that motivation is going to stick around for you. It short-term, non-lasting and unreliable. It’s finite, we can always rely on it running out, eventually. 

Whether conscious of them or not, our daily lives are built on habits that we’ve created. When motivation dwindles, it becomes more and more difficult to stick with the new habit, like working out at home. That’s where discipline comes in, and we need to learn how to harness it. We can’t just wait for motivation to come back, you’re calling for it and it isn’t going to answer the phone.

Through discipline, we can set up new rules, which will turn into habits for us to stick to. Set a time for your daily workout. Set small goals to build momentum. Habits don’t need to be epic, they can be reasonable. The point I’m trying to make: don’t wait for motivation to come back, it’s not going to. Instead, shift your perspective, find some discipline and get to work. It won’t be easy, but it’s your only option if motivation is gone.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Set Small Goals

We’re all shifting focus, finding new routines and figuring out how to deal with this situation. Last week, I was all over the place. I stayed up really late, slept poorly, consumed too much news and had a hard time getting in a groove.

Yesterday, inspired by Taylor, I set 3 small daily goals. These mini-goals gave me some structure, something to fall back on yesterday when I wasn’t sure what I should be doing. 

My goals were:

1. Two walks a day

2. Read fiction 

3. Mobility and stretching after dinner 

I got them all in yesterday and it was a nice way to build momentum. So now I’m asking you, what are you goals for the week, or for the day? How are you going to improve, or make the most of this situation? What have you been neglecting that you can focus on?

We can’t control the situation but we sure can try to make the best of it. Set some small daily goals for yourself and you’ll be surprised at how good it can make you feel to have some direction.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Virtual Fitness Opportunities

Hey all, thanks for hanging in there. Last week, many of you stuck to your routine, got after it, and still were able to prioritize yourself, even if just for a moment, to get a training session in.

During this time, it’s important to keep routine and keep taking care of yourself. It’s too easy to fall off. To help you combat that, we’re hosting live workouts everyday this week on Zoom. It’s a chance for you to get coached, hang with your Gain buddies and feel normal, even if only for 45 minutes. 

Here’s the schedule for the week and links to the Zoom classes. For Instagram Live, there is no link to join, just sign on Instagram and see the @gain_sc Live Video on the top of your screen. If you can’t make the Instagram Live videos, scroll through your stories to find the replay which you can watch anytime up to 24 hours after it happens.

Along with the live workouts, we’ll be checking in, providing challenge workouts and educational content to keep you engaged and fit during this quarantine.

Monday 3/23

8am - Instagram Live workout with Justin

5:30pm - Zoom Workout with Taylor

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 5:30

Tuesday 3/24

7:30am - Zoom Workout with Justin

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 7:30am

12pm - Instagram Live Foam Rolling with Taylor

5:30pm- Zoom Workout with Alex

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS AT 5:30pm

Wednesday 3/25

7:30am - Zoom Workout with Taylor

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 7:30am

12pm - Instagram Live Mobility with Justin

5:30pm - Zoom Workout with Alex

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 5:30pm

Thursday 3/26

7:30am - Zoom Workout with Justin

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 7:30am

12pm - Instagram live mobility/stretch with Alex

5:30pm - Zoom Workout with Taylor

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 5:30pm

Friday 3/27

7:30am - Zoom Workout with Justin

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 7:30am

12pm - Zoom Workout with Taylor

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL CLASS at 12pm

Saturday 3/28

9am - Zoom Workout with Alex

CLICK TO JOIN VIRTUAL WORKOUT at 9am

Let’s do it! Be sure to let me know if you have any questions and let’s have a good week together!

Justin Miner

@justinminergian

Bodyweight Training and At-Home Workouts

Out of the gate, let’s be clear. It’s weird. We can’t go to the gym, we’re out of our regular routines and we’re worried that we’re going to lose all our fitness gain since we can’t touch barbells or sleds or our usual band set up for the time being. Let me reassure you, the workouts we’re sending out aren’t just random bodyweight workouts you’re seeing all over the Internet.

We thoughtfully crafted these workouts. They aren’t your usual customized workouts, but you’ll hit each of the fundamental movement patterns each session, taking your body through required range of motion. We’re progressing the workouts, meaning they’re building on one another, adding more reps, or more rounds or more work in less time. We’re challenging core stability and total body mobility.

Keep training hard, move with internet. Create tension, squeeze your butt and be deliberate. If you keep up with all those things, I have no doubt once we’re back in the gym you’ll have all your old strength gains back.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Training = Adaptation

Strength and conditioning is about adaptation. You stress the body, in specific ways, to create a change, or adaptation to a certain stimulus. Textbooks call this the SAID Principle, Specific Adaption to Imposed Demands. 

What the principle doesn’t account for, is that training one thing, makes you more prepared to train for another. For example, if you spend a lot of time getting stronger, you will have an easier time adapting to a challenge of endurance, like running a 10k or biking for 90 minutes. The strength, motor control, body awareness and the knowing what it takes to make changes and adapt leaves you better prepared than someone starting from scratch. 

To put it in less words, knowing how to train for one thing gives you the ability to train and adapt to a host of other things. You know how it works, how to “put the reps in.”

The point I’m getting to; you can adapt to the current situation. From strength and conditioning, you know a few things to be true. Adaptation takes patience, consistency, a growth mindset and willingness to forgive yourself of mistakes, ditching thoughts of perfectionism and most importantly, believing in yourself. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Three More Daily Challenges

Here are three things for you to try fitting into your day. We’re all off our regular schedule and routine, so I hope these provide a nice break or change of pace for you.

1. Spend 60 minutes outside 

Nothing complicated about this one. Try to get an hour of outside time, especially if you’ll be working on the computer all day.

2. Serving of Veggie at All Meals 

If you’re cooking for yourself today, be sure to include vegetables at every meal you have. It’s a good opportunity to focus in on nutrition and making healthy choices. More veggies are a gateway to better food choices.

3. Workout Twice 

A workout can be short. It can be simple. It doesn’t have to be complicated and last 60 minutes. Try getting in two shorter session today opposed to one big long one. Maybe some bodyweight movements or cardio in the morning followed by something with weights or a mobility session in the afternoon. 

If you’re in need of some rolling and stretching, join me live on Instagram at 9am, I’ll be leading a virtual mobility class.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Control What You Can

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big reader in stoic philosophy. I revisited this quote several times over the past week and it helped guide my decision to closed Gain’s doors. 

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own.”

- Epictetus, Discourses

Control what you can control, don’t attempt to control what you can’t.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Three Challenges for You

I have three challenges you can do while you’re at home. They aren’t workouts, per se, but instead physical challenges that will make you think about how you move and use your body. 

1. Single Foot Dish Washing 

While doing your dishes, you’re only allowed to stand on one foot. This includes taking dishes from the sink to the dish washer, but also reaching to put things in drawers or cabinets. This one is trickier than it sounds. 

2. One Show on the Floor 

When you queue up your favorite Netflix show today, sit on the floor the whole time. You can move and change position as much as you’d like, but you can’t get off the floor for the whole show. Some suggestions are cross legged, 90/90, kneeling and anything else you can think of. 

3. 60 Minutes Nasal Only 

Set a timer for 1 hour. During this hour, you’re only allowed to breathe through your nose. This is a good challenge to take on while working on the computer or folding laundry but not while you’re eating or needing to interact. Every time you lose your nose breathing and catch yourself mouth breathing (it will happen more frequently than you expect!) you do a 5 bodyweight squat penalty. Lowest number of squats at the end of the hour wins! 

If you give these a try, be sure to let me know how it goes. Good luck! 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Friday Quote

All I have for you today is this quote from James Clear’s newsletter:

“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.” 

Be safe out there people, wash your hands and eat your veggies! 

Justin Miner 

@justinminergain