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.
How Nighttime Dishes Led to Morning Workouts
I thought I had my mornings dialed in.
I’ve always like getting up early. I like the quiet. The alone time. Knowing I'm up before anyone else. I used to come downstairs, let the dog out, start making coffee, let the dog in and the start on the pile of dishes from the previous night.
I liked doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen first thing in the morning. It was a way to kick off productivity for the day.
I started getting cramped for time during my afternoon workouts though. I needed to use my early morning time better to get a training session in.
Getting up was easy. I already did that. I hated the idea of training so early though. I have so much stuff to do first thing in the morning I thought!
That's when I started doing the dishes at night.
Instead of letting dishes pile up, leading to a less predictable morning, I now clean, do the dishes and prep the coffee for the next day.
Now when I get up, there's nothing to do besides go train.
I still have to be disciplined to drag myself out into the cold, dark garage. But a simple habit shift made it possible.
This is something James Clear calls habit stacking. Completing a habit (nighttime dishes) that kickstarts another (morning workout). Other examples are putting your workout clothes out the night before or prepping a healthy lunch in hopes to guide a better decision for dinner.
Habit stacking allows you to create basic rules to help guide you make better choices. If you start creating your own habit stack, make sure you have a cue that reminds you complete the habit. For me, right after we finish eating, I go and do the dishes and get ready for the morning.
Can you think of any routines you have that are guided by habit stacking?
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Gain Nutrition Principles #2
A couple weeks back I posted my basic nutrition principles, and how we use them at my house to guide our eating decisions.
I've been reading Daniel Lieberman's new book about our ancestors, Exercised. This inspired me to flip back to a book called Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shanahan. Shanahan presents us with her Four Pillars of Nutrition through examining the similarities between different cultures who have a tendency to live for a long time.
One of the Pilars is to cook and eat meat off the bone. And we've been trying to do that lately, opting for a whole chicken opposed to just chicken breast, or boneless/skinless thighs.
By cooking on the bone, we're getting all sorts of collagen, bone marrow and other nutrients that are absent on the boneless cuts.
While I don't magically feel different, this logic just makes sense to me. Let's eat the whole thing instead of these select, prepackaged cuts. Not only are there health benefits, but it just plain tastes better. Not to mention is much more cost effective.
We'll be continuing to try and eat more bone-in cuts going forward.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Discipline > Motivation
As January winds down, people are starting to abandon their ambitions set at the first of the year.
Many lose their motivation and stop chasing their goals.
That's not a bad thing. In fact, you don't even need motivation.
It's too finicky and unreliable. Never there when you need it most.
What you need instead is discipline. You need to do stuff when you don't feel like doing it. Motivation won't get you there, but discipline will.
The funny thing is that after you get some reps of discipline in. Once you do some stuff that's good for you that you just don't feel like doing, you feel better and become motivated.
Don't wait for more motivation to appear. Create your own through discipline.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Running Form - Exercised
I stumbled into running. I wanted to know how to run efficiently like the people I was watching in the 2016 Olympics. My background in strength & conditioning and Olympic weightlifting allowed me to take on a skills based approach and slowly build up my abilities, efficiency and endurance.
Running form is a tricky subject. There is a dichotomy I tiptoe as a coach. I want people to get outside, run and have a good time. I also want them to do it safely, and for the long haul. In order to do that, your form needs to be good or it can catch up to you.
Luckily for us, Lieberman does an excellent job of breaking down the evolution of running, and dives into what good running form is and how to avoid injuries in Exercised. Lieberman studied modern barefoot runners to gather an understanding of how humans ran for millions of years before the invention of running sneakers in the 1970s.
Lieberman recalls when he was in Kenya studying runners that he was fascinated how they all look the same. A stark contrast from watching Americans train, who might all have different strides. He recommends 4 key points that differentiate good form and bad.
1. Avoid overstriding. Reaching too far causes a stiff landing.
2. Cadence. Experienced runners keep between 170-180 steps a minute. Regardless of speed.
3. Learn forward. I say fall from the waist during my running sessions at the gym (link in bio)
4. Land with your foot horizontal. Land on the ball of the foot, or slightly behind (mid foot in Gain lingo) and kiss the heel.
Along with form, Lieberman says to keep these things in mind. Start slow. Many running injuries are from novices increasing mileage too soon. It takes longer for bones, ligaments and tendons to adapt when compared to your muscles and aerobic system. Another thing to consider is strength. Not only do muscles propel you forward, but they absorb force and stabilize.
At the end of this section Lieberman gives us all the usual warnings about not starting too fast and giving your feet, ankles and lower legs time to adapt. He also reminds us, we can look at our ancestors for their technique, we need to remember, they also didn't train like us modern humans.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Controlling Variables
Let's breakdown my workout from this morning to take a look at the variables we can manipulate to create a desired training effect.
The first thing to do is define what I want to accomplish.
Today that was pull up strength. It was a chilly morning in the garage, so I wanted to do something that involved some moving and breathing to keep warm.
Complete 5 rounds / rest 30 sec
500m BikeErg
10 KB Swings
Max Pull ups
In order to get the desired effect, pull up strength and to get a little sweaty. I needed to define parameters to guide my effort and intensity. I could go all out on the bike, but by the time I finished the swings and jumped on the pull up bar, I'd be toast.
I established the first rule to hit the bike in around a minute. This guides my effort in the early rounds when I'm feeling fresh and creates a boundary to see if my intensity is dropping towards the end.
Why were the swings in there?
I have a 70 pound kettlebell and I can swing it 50 times in a row without issue. Because of my skill level and strength, it can be difficult to do challenging swings with it unless I do a high amount of them. I used the swing immediately after the bike because it makes the swings harder. I have to concentrate more, drive harder and focus more on how I'm breathing. It tests my skill.
To build strength, you need to do challenging sets that flirt with your limit. There are countless ways to do this, but today I wanted to try to force a few reps when I was a little gassed, hence the bike and swings.
Jumping up on the bar doing the maximum reps I could do was more challenging because of the cardiorespiratory demand. The variable I manipulated was making the pull ups about strength by way of getting my heart and lungs fatigued first by biking and swinging.
The pull ups felt like I was wearing a weight vest, even though I wasn't. Those movements created a total body, time efficient workout that helped me work on cardiovascular fitness, strength and skill at the same time. Strength and conditioning is the art of manipulating variables to create a desired adaptation.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
(precovid photo)
Barbell Rules
We love barbells at Gain. While they're not the only tool in the toolbox, they're a tried and true method for building strength, muscle and athleticism. On top of that, they bring a skill component to the table. In order to do a barbell movement, you've got to be engaged and willing to deal with the learning curve.
When dealing with a barbell in a gym, keep these rules in mind:
- Don't drop an empty bar. Dropping barbells with bumper plates is fun. Don't do it to an empty bar though, it could disrupt how the collars spin.
- 3 Step Rule. When taking a bar out of the rack for a squat, you're allowed 3 steps. Two steps back (one per foot). The third step if for adjusting width and making sure you're even. No need to walk back 10 feet. It creates too many opportunities to get out of position, and if you're gassed at the end of a set, you'll want that rack close by.
- Speaking of opportunities to get out of position. Practice taking an empty bar out of the rack like it weights 500 pounds. This will only benefit you when it gets hard. Don't be sloppy just because it's light.
- Always do an empty set. If you're taking a barbell out of the rack, always do a set with the empty bar. It's a no brainer to take the opportunity for more practice and a little more warming up.
- Smash and slide. When racking a bar, always hit the backstops of the j-cups and then slide the bar on to the shelves. Don't try to gently place it in, that's when you'll miss.
- Numbers face in. When using old-style metal places, put the numbers facing in. This makes it easier to grab the plate when you take it off the bar, which is how I was taught in my high school weight training class. Mostly though, it looks better, which is important too. Keep in mind, bumper plates have made this mostly irrelevant.
- Respect the bar. As Henry Rollins famously wrote, "The Iron never lies to you...The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver...Two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds."
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
The Lindy Effect
The Lindy Effect
Yesterday, a couple people sent me articles explaining President Biden wouldn't be able to bring his Peloton into the White House for security reasons. If you've been a reader for a while, you know I like picking on Peloton and Mirror because they're trying to do the impossible, replace the community, accountability and coaching that belonging to a gym provides. All cliches are rooted in truth, and the one about home exercise equipment becoming a clothes rack rings true for many. Therefore, I view it as a bad way to get fit, a good supplement to another routine, sure, but not an end all be all.
One friend's text said, "you can't hack a dumbbell."
That reminded me of something I first read about in Antifragile by Nassim Taleb. The Lindy Effect.
The Lindy Effect is a theory that states:
More Past Exposure = More Future Exposure
Said another way, the longer something has been around, the more likely it'll stick around. A book that's been in publication for 50 years, stands a better shot at sticking around for another 50 compared to a book that's just been printed. The longer it has stuck around, the longer its life expectancy.
This is true for fitness equipment and routines too. Kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells and yoga have been around forever. They've stood the test of time, which according to this theory, means they're unlikely to go anywhere. Step aerobics, P90X, 6-minute abs, Peloton, the Mirror haven't even scratched the life expectancy surface of good old fashioned weight training.
We can keep trying to make fitness novel and fun, but it would be more effective to look back and see what's stood the test of time, and what has years and years of results to show for itself. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it; strength and conditioning is a key to a long and healthy life. The sooner we realize that and get to work, the better.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Training Tip
There's a movement fault that we're always correcting at the gym. Both novice and advanced lifters do it, and I even catch myself doing it after 17 years of lifting. If you become aware of this, it will help out your fitness regiment and improve your movement.
Don't look at your feet.
Too often, during kettlebell swings, deadlifts, ring rows, step ups and even squats. People place their focus on the ground between their feet. This has implications down the chain, since everything is connected. Putting our head so our eyes are looking out ahead will upgrade the quality of whatever exercise you're doing.
It should be noted that cueing eyes to the ceiling is not a good correction for this. Instead, I like to see people find a spot that is comfortable, and has no effect on the position of their spine. Too much movement in either direction is not good.
Whether you're coming to the gym, training at home, or doing your own thing, make sure to frequently take note on where you're looking, and what your head is doing.
Exercised
Exercise is ironic. According to evolution, you shouldn't want to exercise. You shouldn't expend unnecessary energy doing unnecessary things. Daniel Lieberman explores this idea in his new book, Exercised.
When visiting the Hadza, a hunter-gather tribe in Africa, the author noted their physical activity, and was surprised they spend much of the day sitting around and hanging out at their camp doing light chores.
According to a study referenced by Lieberman, an average adult Hadza spends 3 hours and 40 minutes a day doing light physical activity and around 2 hours of moderate/vigorous activity. This ends up being 5 miles of walking per day for the women and 7-10 miles for the men. About 12 times as much as Americans/Europeans currently average.
Lieberman explains, "exercise was extremely rare until relatively recently." Over the years as our culture and lifestyle has changed, exercise has become more important. We no longer do hours of activity in the morning followed by sitting around recovering. We do more of the inactive part, and not nearly as much as the active part.
Your body would prefer to eat chips and sit on the couch, not go for a run. Why expend unnecessary energy when there's free calories right here? Whether we're built to run or to sit, one thing is for certain. Our bodies like movement and need it. Our bodies also like relaxing. And given a choice, relaxing can easily win. Knowing this about ourselves can let us plan against it.
Take a lesson from our ancestors and don't rely on just an hour in the gym. That hour alone cannot combat a day of inactivity. Set yourself up for success by doing more simple things; walking, sitting on the floor, getting outside, eating real food and being consistent with something. Exercise is weird, but it isn't going anywhere.
Justin MIner
@justinminergain
Six Reasons to Squat Challenging Loads
1. Build muscle.
Muscle is cool because it promotes good stuff in your body, like better hormone production. Not to mention, it allows you to be strong, useful and independent.
2. Get strong.
Not only will your muscles respond to the load, your nervous system will adapt to the load as well and you’ll get stronger and become more stable.
3. The original core exercise.
Managing difficult weights requires good bracing. All your torso muscles work overdrive to stabilize your spine as your squat. This carries over to all other movements.
4. It’s hard!
Effort expends energy. In other words, it burns calories and can make you sleep better.
5. Bone Density.
You need to load your skeleton to promote bone growth. This is necessary and crucial as you age.
6. Mobility!
First, if you don't squat, there's a chance you never take your ankles, knees and hips through a full range of motion. Squatting give us exposure to these positions, and squatting with a challenging load helps the body get into range of motion you otherwise wouldn't be able to. Over time, your range of motion will improve and your joints will be happy.
For clarification: I purposely did not use the word heavy.
Heavy is relative to each person. And without context, means nothing.
Challenging is more important. And I don't have to add load to make things more challenging, or to feel heavy. There are other variables to manipulate, like tempo, rest or cardiorespiratory demand (aka sprint on an airbike then squat).
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Functional
There are a few words in the fitness industry that have been used so much they've lost their meaning. Some that come to mind: core, HIIT, Tabata and perhaps the most offensive, and one that I use quite often; functional.
Today, I'm going to provide the definition of functional as we use it at Gain. And it has nothing to do with balance boards, bosu balls or complicated kettlebell flows that are choreographed.
Functional fitness is the ability to do a wide range of physical demands with ease.
The broad goal of all our programs is to help people feel confident and navigate life more easily. We use basic human shapes like squatting, hinging, pushing and pulling to create robust movement patterns that help outside the gym.
You may not jump on boxes, lift symmetrically loaded barbells over your head or climb a rope in real life. But you will need to move a couch, react quickly, move fast, get up from the floor and be generally useful.
Getting stronger and better at these movements have a direct carryover to your performance and function outside of the gym. Therefore, strength and conditioning is functional because it will help you do a wide variety of physical tasks with confidence and without hesitation.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Gain Nutrition Principles
As a professional coach I get asked all the time for recipes. People usually aren't looking for recipes, instead they're looking for new, novel ways to make healthy eating more enjoyable. For me, they complicate things. A recipe slows me down and requires too much measuring. And a recipe doesn't make it easier to stick with more nutritious eating for the long haul. Which, is what we're after here.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with new recipes. However, instead of always searching for something new, realize that healthy eating is about getting the reps in, maybe eating the same thing more often than you would like and the more simplified your cooking, the easier it'll be to stick with.
Instead of a new recipe, consider these nutrition principles we try to follow at my house:
•Protein at every meal.
•Protein and AT LEAST two veggies for dinner.
•Plan lunch for the following day during dinner.
•Get creative with cooking method, spices and sauces instead of recipes.
•Drink and absorb your water.
•No caffeine after 4pm. Noon if you're easily effected.
•Supplement with what you need. Adding something to your diet should be the priority. Blood work is the only way to know.
•Forget self control. Don't have it in the house.
•Don't be weird. Have a slice of pizza, a glass of wine or a couple cookies when the occasion calls for it.
Do you have any nutrition principles you try to follow? What are they?
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Fill the Tired Tank
When Elliot is up from a nap we have active play time. During that time we're trying to interact and engage as much as possible. As Hannah explained it to me, we're trying to fill up his tired tank so he'll take a good nap and not get overtired.
I immediately thought of the person who notices they sleep better when they start working out or crashes hard after a long day of walking. Us adults have tired tanks too, and if they aren't filled up, we enter the paradox of staying up late, eating worse foods and becoming less motivated to train.
It's important to do something physical everyday. I don't just mean formal exercise either. You should be making sure you're getting a good dose of non exercise physical activity too. Things like going for a walk, doing yard work, a casual bike ride that doesn't involve spandex or just making sure you park far away and always take the stairs.
We're built to move and be physical. When we check off that box, other stuff falls into place.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Yoga Mat Trap
I got rid of the yoga mats at the stations at the gym because people we letting the mat dictate their stance width when performing movements. If someone were standing on the mat while squatting for instance, they would line their feet up with the edge of the mat. This would sometimes cause an awkward looking squat with too much forward lean.
Of course for some, this stance width provided a comfortable, well-executed squat. And that's exactly my point. There's a sweet spot as to where you should stand, and everyone is a little different. Over the years I've pushed people's feet further apart more often than bring them closer together. Stance should be dictated by feel though, not imaginary boundaries created by a yoga mat on the floor.
It should be noted that our philosophy at the gym isn't to find the right squatting stance width and only use that. Instead, we want you to know where your sweet spot is. The stance that provides the most stability and therefore the best output (i.e., opportunity for strength and power and decreased risk of injury). But also we want to create opportunities to expose the body to different stances so it can handle a wide variety of inputs.
Put another way, know where your best stance for squats and deadlifts and presses, but occasionally, do it with a wider stance or a narrower stance depending on the context. There is no perfect stance, but there are principles of movement that can be applied to a wide variety of positions.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
You Are An Athlete
Your body can do amazing things, and in order to be able to do those amazing things for a long time, it pays to treat yourself like an athlete.
While you don't have to perform in a stadium in front of thousands of people to get paid, you do have to navigate the world. You have to move, pick up stuff up, handle long car rides, get up and down from the floor and you want to stay independent. In order to do that, you should train like an athlete.
Feeling confident and independent now? Make sure it stays that way by continuing to train. Far too many people neglect their physicality in their 20s and 30s and pay for it down the line. Be proactive.
How do you train like an athlete? First, it's your mindset. You need to train to get better, to improve. You can't just go through the motions. You need the mindset of an athlete to push yourself, stick with it and continue showing up. Secondly, you need to physically train like an athlete. Lift heavy stuff to get strong, move fast to be explosive, get out of breath and uncomfortable. Athletes train so they can rely on their bodies to perform when they need it. Your body should perform when you need it too. Just not for a specific sport, for life.
Whatever your reason to train, shift your mindset and realize that you too are an athlete.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Motivated? Do This
If the start of the year has you feeling motivated to take on a new fitness regimen, or has you thinking about goals like better eating, it would be in your best interest to do this one thing.
Start small.
Too often I see people bite off more than they can chew. To make a change, you need discipline. You need to make yourself do stuff when you don’t want to. To built that discipline, and eventually create a lasting habit, you need to start small. Make it manageable and build momentum. Once ready, you can add more.
If you’re feeling motivated now, take action on something small or simple. If you allow yourself to be consistent, it will build discipline and make motivation obsolete.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
