Strength or Endurance?

I used to think you had to pick between the two. It’s what I learned in school.

You couldn’t have both. Developing one would only take away from the other.

Endurance to run far but have no muscle and be weak.

Strength and muscle but no work capacity.

Then I stared tinkering with my training.

I trained for ultramarathons and got really strong, at the same time.

It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t supposed to be possible.

You don’t have to choose between endurance and strength, you can have both, and with the right training structure, they don’t take away from one another, they compliment each other.

That’s strength and conditioning.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Final Mobility Class - Sunday at 8:30am

We’re coming to the end of our 5-Week Mobility Course. You can still get involved this week for a total body mobility session to unwind, create space and prepare for the upcoming week.

You’ll have a chance to dedicate time to the stiff areas of your body that need the most attention, and learn how to mobilize other body parts as well.

Members can reserve their spot through the PushPress App, under “Plans.” All others can get a drop in HERE.

Get involved!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Complicated Optimization

Here’s a perfect example of more information complicating things more than they need to be. In a sense, this is a follow up on the idea of yesterday’s post. More information for the sake of optimization is not always more beneficial, of course depending on context, goals, etc.

I was listening to the Huberman Lab Podcast about supplements and nutrition. They discussed how taking 5 grams of creatine monohydrate is the general recommendation. They went on to discuss that someone like me, who is over 200 pounds, could be taking more than that because of the increased bodyweight.

One scoop from my tub is 5 grams. One scoop from most all creatine monohydrate tubs is 5 grams. I’m not precise when I measure it. Careless even. For me, the exact dosing doesn’t matter. This creatine will provide incremental gains for me over time. The longer and more consistently I take it, the more likely it is to provide some benefits.

Whether it’s 5 grams, 7 grams or 10 grams, it doesn’t matter if I don’t take it. Taking a scoop isn’t complicated. Taking more would be complicated. I’m going to keep doing the same thing so I can more easily stick with it and be consistent.

I’m all about small incremental changes that have a big pay off, but small changes with incremental pay off are often more headache than it’s worth. If I’m getting most of the way there, I’ll keep it simple.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Optimized and Unrealistic

Exercise physiology is complicated. Distilling out proper training methods from philology is difficult to do well and can lead to clunky, unrealistic training programs.

Coaching is a blend of art and science. You need to know the science, however, the art is in the delivery. In making it flow, making it able to fit into someone’s real life. I first had this realization after writing up a workout in an exercise science class in college. The workout followed all the rules I learned, and since it was a power and strength focused workout I had the imaginary person I was writing the program for resting for a total of 40-something minutes, because optimization.

It was completely unrealistic and since I had done some interning over the summer, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get 15 middle school kids all resting 3 minutes between efforts. There was just no way.

The great coach figures out what gets you most of the way there. You’re probably not going to the Olympics, so there is a point where optimizing the rest periods and rep schemes is majoring in minutia.

Lift heavy stuff, move with intention, use the most range of motion possible, lift light stuff fast and get out of breath frequently. It doesn’t need to be more complicated that that.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Fit & Strong

When I was coming up in the strength and conditioning world there was this believe that you could either be really strong or really aerobically fit. Doing too much conditioning would wash away all your strength gains and leave you feeling weak. Everyone cites the skinny, elite marathoner, who looks like as strong wind could crumple them to the ground.

When I started running it was something I considered. Will I lose my strength? I did, but it turns out what was due to improper fueling and chronically under eating as my training volume spiked.

Today I’m much stronger and quite aerobically fit. I saw this research study and others are starting to look deeper into this question, can you be fit aerobically and strong at the same time?

The study, Long-Term Aerobic Exercise Is Associated With Greater Muscle Strength Throughout Life Span takes a look at this exact question.

The authors gathered participants ranging from 26-83 both aerobically active and sedentary. They tested the participants VO2 max and two basic strength tests. In all the age ranges, the aerobically active group tested higher VO2 max, grip strength test and the leg extension test.

As always, further research will need to be looked into this. Would someone who resistance trains smash the aerobically fit individuals? How would their VO2 max compare? What if someone is aerobically fit and really strong from years of moving weights in the gym?

For a long time I thought it was all about just being strong. Being strong will get you most of the way there, but if you want to live a long, fulfilling life, improving your aerobic capacity, while building strength, seems like a safe bet to get there.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Gym Lingo: Sustainable Pace

Complete the intervals at a pace that you can repeat each set. In other words, don’t come out too fast and continually get slower and slower.

This is endurance training in a nutshell. And a mistake even experienced athletes frequently make.

I see it in races all the time. On the first couple miles it’s easy to get thrown off your plan since every out else comes out sprinting. If you get caught up in that, you’ll fizzle out too. If you run your race, you’ll pass all those people in a couple more miles.

Ease in, feel it out, and on your first interval, consider how you’re going to feel on the 8th round.

Avoid the trap and find that sustainable, repeatable pace. Just by doing that, your endurance will improve.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Maximum Stimulation Required

Right before starting a tough workout the other day, a friend teased me, and asked if we were allowed to put music on. I’ve written before about how I love running with no music, and even will do training sessions in the gym in silence. And the point everyone misses is that they think I hate music, or don’t realize that there are performance enhancing benefits to listening to it while training, which I’m well aware of.

The point I make of training without music, or just not caring what is playing, is because it’s skill set I’ve sharpened. In 2012 I was working at a strength and conditioning gym and commuting to college to finish up my final few credits. I headed to school early in the morning, hustled back to the gym to coach 3-7pm and then would get my training session in.

Even though I was in a new routine,  I carried on all my usual pre-training rituals like taking a scoop of pre-workout powder. After a while, I realized, why do I need to get so amped up just to workout? What’s the point of this? Can’t I get going without this pre workout drink and loud music that I’m constantly changing and tinkering with?

The same thing happened when I started running. When I started, AirPods weren’t so common. I had a strange configuration of wired ear buds, shorts with a specific pocket and a zipper, and the wire was always getting tangled up on me. Besides, I spent the whole time wanting to change the song or skip all of them all together.

With both the music and the pre workout, I realized that I had trained myself to need maximum stimulation to workout. I created barriers to entry. I needed loud music and a heroic dose of caffeine to get some bench press sets in. Instead of just being able to start. Through my high school and college years, training in a hyped up environment yielded results for me, and getting hyped up became the new daily baseline.

Prolonged exposure to the same stimulus dulled the effect, and before I knew it I needed two scoops of Jack3d 3D, or even louder music or needed to create the most perfect playlist.

I still have caffeine before I train. But I’ve stayed away for pre workout powder since this realization, and stopped listening to music while running, long ago. My point about being able to train without those things that I want to train a lot. I want to train for a long time. I want to train to be the best version of my self, and relying on specific, cranked up music and caffeine just to get moving was becoming a crutch, not a training aid. I wanted to get to a place where the environment didn’t matter, I wanted to be in control.

It’s not that I hate music, or think that training with it is bad. It’s just sometimes we use things as a crutch, or we need to get too hyped up. Once that happens, our baseline is thrown off and we start to require these amplified things get to a regular task done. You’re not always going to be able to pick the music, or have a normal pre workout routine. Sometimes you just need to be able to get the workout done and get on with your day, and that’s tough to do when maximum stimulation is required.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

3 Rounds, 4 Rounds, 5 Rounds...

The perfect training program doesn’t exist. Even the most experienced coaches can’t predict future when writing a program. How is someone going to feel? Are they’re going to be late? Do they have to hustle back to work for a meeting after the training session? Those things will all impact their workout and none of it is something we can plan for when writing a program.

These cases are the perfect opportunity to modify your plan. Going forward, I want you to take a look at your workout, and if you’re on a time crunch, or are always getting time capped, look at the program and decide what is going to have the biggest positive impact on you and contribute towards you goals.

Maybe that means cutting back a round or two of the accessory work so you can get to your conditioning finisher. Maybe it’s adding a round of your heavy movement since it look a while to get the form down. Maybe you need to prioritize doing a mobility cool down rather than some intervals or vise versa.

Our job as coaches is to help you make these designs and modify the plan if needed. Don’t ever feel like what’s written down is set in stone. Great coaches can modify on the fly, trim a workout down to the most important chunks, or make it more manageable to move through all the tasks with better efficiency.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Six Reasons to Squat Heavy

1. Build muscle

Muscle is cool because it promotes good physiological responses in your body, like better hormone production. Not to mention, it allows you to be strong, confident and independent.

2. Get strong

Strength is more about adaptations to your nervous system than your muscles. Through training, your nervous system will adapt to the load and you’ll get stronger. You’ll also improve your movement quality as your nervous system develops efficiency in sending signals, you’ll become more stable and in better control, and therefore, once again, stronger.

3. The original core exercise

Managing difficult weights requires good bracing. All your torso muscles work overdrive to stabilize your spine as your squat. Initially difficult, once this skill is developed, it will drastically improve understanding of force production.

4. It’s hard

Effort expends energy. It burns calories and makes you sleep better.

5. Bone Density

You need to load your skeleton to promote bone growth. This is crucial as you age, and equally important if you’re not old yet. Lay the foundation for strong bones now in your 20s and 30s so you’re not playing catch up in your 60s.

6. Mobility

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.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Weekly Podcast Recommendation

Andrew Huberman and Andy Galpin are at it again. This time covering all things nutrition and supplementation. They cover a lot of common topics we hear come up at the gym. Buckle up for a deep dive.

Huberman Lab Guest Series: Dr Andy Galpin - Optimal Nutrition & Supplementation for Fitness

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

My Great Invention

In 2012 I always had some kind of tightness around my shoulder blades and upper back. Laying on the ground I couldn’t quite get to the right spot. In order get the right angle, and dig in exactly where I wanted, I usually leaned up again the wall. The ball was pinned between my back and the wall. As you can imagine, I would drop the ball frequently.

One day, I had an idea. The mobility sock. I took one of the long socks I used to wear playing hockey. It would cover my whole shin and go up to my knee. I put a small, slightly squishy, baseball in there and the mobility sock was created. I was now able to hang on to the sock while leaning up against the wall and never drop the ball. This made it easier to manipulate the ball and hit all the right spots.

It was genius. Well, I thought it was at least. So much so that I felt like I needed to make this product and I needed someone to sell it because peopled needed it. Unfortunately for me, no one knew what mobility was back in 2012. Foam rolling wasn’t en vouge. You couldn’t walk into Walmart or TJ Max and find a section entirely dedicated to foam rollers, massage balls, stretching bands and the like. The massage gun was still years away from being invented!

In other words, the mobility sock was far ahead of its time. Had I known its time was coming, maybe I would have pursued product development a little harder. But it was hard and I was young, so I didn’t. I used the mobility sock for a couple years and got a lot of relief out of it. Since then, we’ve learned a lot better ways to mobilize soft tissues, and the mobility sock has been retired.

I’m telling you this story today because this weekend’s Mobility Class is all about the shoulders and thoracic spine, or upper back. If you work on a computer, text with your phone or ever get behind the wheel of a car, you need this class. Get involved HERE.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Recovery Game

Did you know that none of the strength and fitness gains you make happen while you’re at the gym?

Lifting weights and conditioning is actually a stressful on your body. You build strength and adapt when you’re away from the gym.

We stress the body in the gym, and in the couple of days after that, our body has physiological responses to the stress, and then it makes change, and adapts once it’s recovered.

Strength and conditioning is basically a game of recovery. Can you recover and come back stronger or are you just adding more and more stress to the system?

Using this logic, if the gym is stress, it’s in your best interest to do all the things that help your body recharge and recovery between bouts in the gym. Providing it enough calories with nutritious foods, getting adequate sleep, staying hydrated, mobilizing and getting enough movement in through non-exercise physical activity.

All the magic doesn’t happen in the gym, but while you’re recovering from the gym too.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

10 Workouts Under 10 Minutes

Coach Taylor just released his 10 Workouts Under 10 minutes in ebook.

This free resource is perfect for sneaking in an extra workout, or taking with you on the road when you won’t have access to a full gym.

The ebook is complete with full descriptions of workouts, a make your own warm up and even has video links to all the moves if you need a refresher.

You can download your own copy HERE.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Impossible

When was the last time you did something you didn’t think was possible?

Spending time in the gym gives us opportunities to do something we never thought we could.

Maybe it’s lifting a heavy weight, learning a new skill or carrying your paddle board off the roof rack and to the water all by your self. Maybe it’s a pain-free push up, getting off the floor smoothly and unassisted or the first time you deadlift the heaviest kettlebell in the gym.

Whatever it is, you’re capable of so much more than you ever thought. All it takes is a some consistent training and you too can shatter your former beliefs and do the impossible. Get to work.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Gym Lingo: EMOM

Every Minute On the Minute.

This style of workout requires focus on the clock. When doing an EMOM, you start your exercises on the top of the minute, and after completing the prescribed work, rest all the remaining time in the minute before starting the process over.

EMOM 10: 5 push ups

This means you’ll complete 5 push ups at the top of each minute, rest all the remaining time and start again at the top of the next minute. The way this is written, you would do this for 10 rounds, or 10 minutes. This is a nice way to challenges technique, build volume and sprinkle in some cardio while lifting.

Another variation of and EMOM can be with multiple exercises, with each movement getting their own minute.

EMOM 21:

Minute 1: 50 second machine

Minute 2: 10 kb swings

Minute 3: 50ft sled march

In this scenario, you would complete 7 rounds of the 3 movements equalling 21 minutes total. This style of workout builds work capacity and gets more difficult as minutes on the clock tick by. It’s a great way to be time efficient and cram a lot of work in while keeping yourself on a strict pace.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

My Big Mobility Fail

In the summer of 2013 I was starting to learn about mobility and taking it very seriously.  I was spending far more time on the floor rolling and stretching than actually training. I had a full schedule of clients too, and I would be sure to sneak some mobility work in any chance I could.

Back then I was relentlessly attacking my adductor muscles. These are commonly know as the groin muscles. Many hockey players experience tight adductors due to the position of your feet when skating. A well-known stretch is call a straddle stretch, and you can do it while laying on the floor and your legs in a V position on the wall.

My straddle game was pathetic, and like I preach to you all, I knew I needed to spend more time in that position to unlock all the stiffness. I decided for 15 minutes between clients I was going to lay on the floor, get my legs up on the wall and push through the pain to see if I could get them to unlock. I had the great idea to throw a band around one foot, across my lower back and around the other foot to help pull my legs wider.

After a few minutes I was relived to find I could move my heels closer to the floor. After several more minutes I thought I was crushing it. I was winning mobility! There was this worsening pull on the inside of my left knee, but I figured it was all part of the process. I got up, coached the rest of the evening and didn’t think much of it.

That night I had a men’s league hockey game. My hips felt nice out on the ice and there wasn’t any of the usual back pain I had while skating. In the final minute of the last period I had the puck around center ice and when I crossed the blue line I cut hard to the right to get past a defender. When I pushed off my left foot my knee collapsed inward , leaving on my back and in a lot of pain.

It was obvious something was wrong. I found out a couple days later I strained the MCL ligament in my knee. It wasn’t serious enough to need surgery of anything like that, but I spent a few weeks hobbling around and a couple of months being cautious of it.

While I had the right idea with mobilizing my hips, I made some critical mistakes. I was too passive, and not in control of that range of motion. I wasn’t turning on, or squeezing, other muscle groups to help keep the stretch in the right spot and the pulling in the knee was my signal to move into a different position but I ignored it. The length of time I was holding was quite aggressive and all of that combined with playing hockey was the perfect storm for something bad to happen.

Luckily for you, you don’t need to make all the mobility mistakes I did. And you can learn all about how to properly mobilize your hip this weekend. On Sunday at 8:30, we’re going to take you on a deep dive into all things hips. You’re not going to want to miss this one. Get involved HERE.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

What's Conditioning?

I saw a post on Instagram recently and it really stuck with me. It was from strength and conditioning coach Joel Jamieson. Here’s what it said:

Conditioning is another word for the amount of strength you can use over time in the world outside of the gym. Life isn’t a 1 rep max. It’s why everyone needs both strength and conditioning.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Training or Working Out?

Someone cried out during a session at the gym, “doesn’t this ever get easier?”

Their sentiment was, just when they figure something out, they get a new program, with new exercise variations, new rep ranges, new lingo to decode and a whole new routine to get into the rhythm of. Just when everything settles in and gets comfortable, you start over.

My reply was, “that’s the difference between training and working out.”

When I was in high school, my first strength coach didn’t allow us to say we were working out. We were training. He was very serious about it. He told us that athletes train, and working out is what most other people do when they go to the gym, going through the motions. Riding the elliptical while watching the news was one of his favorite examples.

We were training because we had a specific intent. We wanted to get better at our sports. We wanted to become better athletes.

These days I frequently use ‘work out’ to describe a training session, although the delineation between the two has stuck with me, and it might be helpful for you to think the same.

The way that client was feeling is a common, especially when people are coming up on 6 months or a year of training at GAIN. They get hit with a hard workout on a new program and have this thought, “wait, isn’t this supposed to get easier the longer I do it?”

That’s the big trick. It never gets easier. Since we’re training, we continually push you, challenge you and reach beyond your current limits. We’re training to improve and in order to do that, we need to challenge and stress the body. If it were to get easier, it would just mean you got better at doing the same exact thing, not more difficult things.

This can be frustrating, because it can feel like you’re spinning your wheels in the mud. Once you realize that never goes away, the smoother this journey is.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Kurt Vonnegut Raves About Goblet Squats

ChatGPT is taking over the internet. Surely you’ve heard of it by now. If haven’t, it’s an artificial intelligence bot you can chat with and have complete any number of tasks. On Friday I was showing Taylor how impressive and freaky it can be. I had ChatGPT write a blog post about goblet squats using a few bullet points I provided, along with any other relevant information it knew or could find.

After it spit out a essay, I had it rewrite it in the style of author Kurt Vonnegut. Enjoy.

"The Art of Lower Body Strength with Goblet Squats"

My dear friends, allow me to extol the virtues of strength training. A crucial aspect of fitness, it helps build lean muscle mass, increase bone density, and enhance overall athletic performance. And in this grand adventure, there's one exercise that stands out like a beacon of hope in the darkness - goblet squats.

Goblet squats, you see, are an excellent exercise for anyone looking to improve their lower body strength and conditioning. By holding a weight close to the chest while performing a squat, you engage the muscles of hips, legs, and core, making it a comprehensive exercise that targets multiple areas of the body at once.

But there's more! Goblet squats can also help improve hip range of motion. The deep squat stretches the hips and allows for a greater range of motion, which is particularly helpful for those of us who spend a lot of time sitting and are looking to counteract the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

And then there's the matter of strong ankles. The deep squat requires the ankles to support the body weight, strengthening the muscles and tendons of the ankle and reducing the risk of injury. This is important for athletes and individuals who participate in sports, as strong ankles are crucial for balance and stability.

Goblet squats can also promote resilient knees. By engaging the muscles of the legs and hips, the exercise reduces the load on the knees, making them stronger and more capable of handling stress. This is particularly important for individuals who are recovering from knee injuries or are looking to prevent future injuries.

Finally, let us not forget the robust core. By holding the weight close to the chest, you are forced to engage your core muscles to maintain balance and stability throughout the movement. This not only strengthens the core, but also improves posture, which can reduce the risk of injury and enhance overall athletic performance.

In conclusion, my friends, goblet squats are a highly effective exercise for anyone looking to improve their lower body strength and conditioning. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned fitness enthusiast, incorporating goblet squats into your routine is a great way to enhance your overall fitness and reach your strength training goals. So, my dear friends, give it a try. Who knows, you may just find yourself pleasantly surprised at the results.

How to Wake Up Early

I went to my first professional seminar in 2011. It was the Perform Better Summit in Providence Rhode Island. I was in college and couldn’t afford it so I snuck in. I had to go. They brought all the big names in the industry in for a 3 day seminar covering all aspects of the fitness industry from what is fascia, business, training athletes and how to write more effective training programs. A lot of what I learned that weekend, and the people whom I heard speak, drastically influenced my career.

Nothing stuck with me as much as Mike Boyle’s talk. He’s been in the game (created it?) for over 40 years and his talk had nothing to with with the ins and outs of training young athletes like I expected. Instead he gave a piece of advice I still think about all the time.

I’ve always been an early riser. Always the first one up at the sleepover as a kid and was never able to sleep in till 10am like other teenagers. That summer I had started a new 5:00am boot camp at the gym I was working at. This turned out to be early even for me. I had a hard time waking up for it, and would yawn the whole way there sucking down a cup of coffee trying to bring the energy.

At the time I had an alarm clock habit that many people employ. The old double alarm with a snooze trick. I would set my first alarm for 4:00am, snooze it for 10 minutes and after snoozing the 4:15 am alarm I would finally get up at 4:30am.

Boyle’s advice was, when the alarm clock goes off, your feet hit the floor.

Fortunately I don’t have to wake up with an alarm clock very often any more. I’ve trained myself out of it over the years. I love my early morning alone time. I’m productive, I mobilize, I move or train and it’s without a doubt my favorite part of the day.

On those days that I wake up, and don’t feel like getting out of bed though because it’s cold and I’m comfortable, I remind myself of that quote and get my feet on the floor.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain