Keep it Moving

I’ve run a lot of ultramarathons. Over the past 7 years of running these long distances, I've learned that the most important factor in my recovery is to keep moving. The more I move, the better I continue to feel in the hours and days post race. And while you might not have an ultramarathon on your mind, we can distill important lessons from these extreme events to help our everyday life.

Whether you've just raced, you're sore from your first workout in 10 years or your legs are beat up from a tough hike, it pays to keep moving in the following days to aid in recovery. The simplest way to get moving is go for a walk, but sometimes doing a ‘recovery’ focused workout can be exactly what the body needs.

Here are 4 examples of a recovery workout:

1.

3-5 rounds

Bike 1000m or row 500m @ easy pace

10 lateral squats

10 plank to downward dog

2.

3-5 rounds

Bike 60 seconds

10 goblet squats @ light weight

10 ring rows

3.

Bike 30 minutes @ all day pace

4.

3 rounds

10 bw squats

5/s reaching SLDL

10 plank shoulder taps

5/s cross behind reverse lunge

5.

Sled drags for 10-15 minutes

Start slow, listen to your body, and remember, the goal is to feel better than when you started. Moving around when your body is sore and beat up will support your recovery despite seeming counterintuitive. Contracting the muscles will help your blood flow and pump the junk of out of your system. Motion is lotion, keep it moving when you’re feeling banged up.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Random Reminders

Things you’ll forget frequently and might need a reminder of:

You always feel better when you leave the gym.

No matter what, something is better than nothing.

Stop waiting for motivation.

Build habits.

Be responsible for your goals.

There’s no such thing as a perfect workout.

Easy workouts are just as important as hard workouts.

Go medium sometimes.

A week off is great only if it doesn’t turn into a month.

A fixed mindset, opposed to a growth mindset, can stop you in your tracks.

Eat to fuel your body to perform.

Go for a walk. If you normally wear headphones, ditch them. If you never do, listen to a book.

Drink water.

There’s no secret, it all comes down to consistency.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Exercised: Good vs Bad Running Form

I stumbled into running. I wanted to know how to run efficiently like the people I was watching in the 2016 Olympics. Before that I read Born to Run and it just made sense to me, that there was a best, most efficient way for humans to run.

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. Over the course of a many years, and still today, running smoothly and efficiently is hard work.

Running form is a tricky subject. There is a dichotomy I tiptoe as a coach. I want to encourage 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 might catch up to you.

In his book Exercised, author Daniel 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.

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 have varying different strides.

He recommends 4 key points that differentiate good form and bad.

1. Avoid over striding. 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 technique sessions at the gym (BOOK HERE)

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 discussion on form, Lieberman offers sound advice for us all. 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. Muscles propel you forward, but they also absorb force and stabilize. Give your ankles and lower legs time to adapt when starting out.

At the end of this section Lieberman reminds us, we can look at our ancestors for their technique, but we need to remember, they also didn't train (or live) like us modern humans.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Basic Running Drills

Running drills are excellent ways to groove technique and become a more efficient runner.

Technique drills are often neglected for a host of reasons. Looking and feeling silly, not knowing exactly what to do or misunderstanding the purpose usually is the suspect.

Whenever I work with a runner on their form and technique, we always hit these basic drills you can add to your routine. Use these during a warm up, or during your run when you start of feel off or out of whack. Running drills can reset your form and get you back on track.

High knees:

Focus on staying light on your foot and feel the mid foot land softly and the heel kiss the floor. Keep your shoulders over your hips and don’t lean back! This teaches you to open your hips and not over extend from your back.

Butt kicks:

Don’t bend at the waist, stay tall and lean from your belt buckle. Keep those elbows tight and hands back. This reinforces a good fall or lean forward and promotes pulling with the hamstrings. The single leg version of this is another favorite.

Skipping:

Find a nice rhythm and move those arms. Skipping is a great coordination and low level plyometric that will help with springiness, and important running quality, and timing and coordination.

If you need a running tune up this Spring, you can email me justin@gainsc.com with the subject: running technique inquiry.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

How Many Steps I Get

Walking is always a big topic of conversation at GAIN but lately it’s been on peoples’ minds even more. Each time I feel like we’re talking about it too much, someone mentions to us that they learned something new or had never considered a perspective before.

I wear a Garmin running watch. It tracks my steps each day and I rarely take it off. The benefit of wearing something like this isn’t just the day to day step count, but more importantly the ability to look back and spot treads. The longer you wear it, the better information you’ll gather.

Below is my step count for the past 14 days and what I did that day. I try to build walking in throughout the day. Park far away, use it as a way to warm up for training, especially running or early in the morning, and most definitely as a way to get Elliot to burn some energy. If you don’t get this many steps, don’t feel discouraged. Instead of making you feel bad, I hope to show you what you can do by being deliberate.

If you want to up your step count, figure out what your average is and add a couple thousand more. You can get that done in just one short walk.

Tuesday April 11 - 13,228

A big day of steps, mostly due to my first trail run since September. I also parked a quarter mile away from the UPS store in downtown Dover to send a package.

Wednesday April 12 - 10,235

A work out with a lot of farmer’s carries and a 1.5 mile hike with Nolan.

Thursday April 13 - 13,382

A sprint workout on the treadmill consisting of 3000m, grocery shopping, lots of chores around the house and a walk with Nolan.

Friday April 14 - 6,677

Lots of computer work and driving, coached two classes and a 20 minute workout in the afternoon.

Saturday April 15 - 15,890

Beautiful weather Saturday and this was all just from chasing Elliot around. We went on a 1.7 mile hike, 3-4 small walks and stayed outside the whole day. I did some mobility work in the morning, otherwise no training.

Sunday April 16 - 11,044

Some walking and running on the treadmill as a warm up to a bench press workout. Another nice day outside running around with Elliot. We did a shorter 1.3 mile hike.

Monday April 17 - 7,830

Busy computer day with lots of sitting and driving. Training was a short session of back squats.

Tuesday April 18 - 12,333

3.5 mile trail run, coaching and Elliot was really into “chase me” that night.

Wednesday April 19 - 13,541

A big training day. Mobility and moving around in the morning, deadlifts later in the morning and a short sprint workout in on the treadmill with lots of walking and jogging to warm up and cool down.

Thursday April 20 - 11,159

Morning mobility session and a lift in the afternoon. Grocery shopping and some work around the house.

Friday April 21 - 21,840

An outlier day. A long trail run of around 8 miles, plus coaching, and Elliot chasing.

Saturday April 22 - 10,937

Not much training today but lots of moving around.

Sunday April 23 - 5,504

Gave the body some rest after a lot of moving around for two weeks.

Couple things to note when I look at this data. These 14 days coincided with the nicest weather we’ve had and with me getting back out of the trails, both which pad these stats a bit. My activity level is usually higher in the summer months though due to more time outside. If you need more walking and movement in your life, It’s a great time of year to start building a new habit and taking advantage of nicer weather.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

How Many Calories Do You Burn?

The other day, Briana, from New England Nutrition and Exercise,  measured my resting metabolic rate using an MedGem indirect calorimeter. I sat still with the small device in my mouth and had to stay calm for 10 minutes. Before starting the test I avoided caffeine and food for 4 hours to get the most accurate measurement.

The whole time my nose was plugged so I had to breathe into the device. While I’m breathing, the device is measuring my oxygen consumption. With that information it determines my resting metabolic rate, or how many calories I burn if I were to just sit on the couch and sleep all day.

Using that number, I can be accurate with how many total calories I should aim consume each day. Briana helped me calculate that by multiplying my resting metabolic rate by an activity factor. The activity factor considers your occupation, daily movement and exercise to determine the right amount of calories for your lifestyle.

If you’re trying to make some changes, getting your resting metabolic rate is a good way to set yourself in the right direction. There are online calculators to determine your resting metabolic rate. Actually getting tested is the most accurate though. I clocked in more than 200 calories over the online calculator’s estimate.

I’ll be using this information to make sure I’m properly fueling my body and getting in enough calories to recover from big days of training.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Compounding

I go grocery shopping on Thursday mornings. The vibe of my local Market Basket at 8am is perfect. It’s not crowded and there usually isn’t a checkout line. Most notable, and you know this is big deal if you’ve shopped at a Market Basket, the parking lot is completely empty.

Despite having my pick of front row parking spots amongst the shoppers who arrived earlier than me, I always secure a spot far away from the entrance. As I walked in last Thursday I counted each step. It look about 187 steps from parking spot to the front entrance.

Let’s do some math.

187x2 (walking in to and out of the store) = 374 steps.

374 additional steps each week, and I go every Thursday. There are 52 Thursdays in the year 2023.

347 steps x 52 = 19,448 additional yearly steps from parking far away at the store once a week.

But there’s more.

I also walked to return my cart, because who wouldn’t, and back to my parking space. An additional 100 steps.

The small stuff adds up.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Need a Workout?

On vacation this week and need a workout?

If you’re on a road trip, short on time or space, hit up one of these workouts, they only take 10 minutes and don’t require any equipment.

Click below to take a look at Taylor’s E book.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Cut it Short

I have a piece of advice for all runners who are getting out there more and more frequently this Spring in preparation for some summer events. This advice is served as a reminder for myself too.

Cut your run a little short and walk to cool down.

I know. You’ll cover less ground in your given running window, and it will take you 10 minutes longer to finish. Not to mention in wrecks your average pace on Strava, so everyone will think you’re slow.

It will, however, give your body time to readjust. Instead of ripping the emergency break and stopping, giving your physiology time to runs its course and kickstart the recovery process can make a big difference on the next run, and the next run and the next run.

What’s a proper cool down feel like? An easy way is to check is your breathing. Once cooled down, your breathing should feel regulated, you could take multiple inhales with long exhales, at least 5-6 seconds, in a row.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Pivot!

Originally posted 4/19/21

Having a plan in the gym is necessary.

However, the ability to deviate from that plan based on new information is imperative to long-term gym gains.

Things change day to day and week to week. Sticking to the plan no matter what is a sure fire way to burn out, or worse, get hurt.

Advanced gym-goers know that you've got to modify things based on how you're feeling.

That's why I was so excited when I saw Hannah’s workout from a couple weeks ago.

She was planning on deadlift day, but after warming up, a funky hamstring made her rethink those deadlifts with a barbell. She pivoted to using a kettlebell.

She was able to deadlift the kettlebell without bugging that hamstring and still got a workout in.

As her coach (and husband) I was so proud to see that she didn't push through the pain because that's what was planned, or equally as bad, skipped it all together.

Not sure what you can do? There's always something.

You might need to pivot the plan. Relentlessly aim to stick with the plan, unless you can't. And in that case, be okay with adjusting and calling audibles.

Remember: win the game by continuing to play.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Protein, Sleep, Steps

If you want to gather some information about your lifestyle, I would try recommend things; total protein grams consumed, hours of sleep and daily steps.

By knowing how many grams of protein you get we can set a realistic target. Focusing on protein can help better food choices fall into place.

Sleep gives a clear picture of how much rest and recovery you’re getting. Until you track it, it’s impossible to know. Getting more productive rest can boost your workout performance and leave you feeling recharged every morning.

Steps show how much NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) you’re getting and if you’re moving enough during the day. There’s nothing magic about ten thousand. Seriously. Instead, figure out where you’re at and focus on getting a couple thousand more consistently.

If you need some data for a clear lifestyle goal, start there.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Be Strategic, Not Heroic

We're all fans of intensity. Going all in. Giving it 110%. Leaving it on the field.

Intensity is great. It can take you places and get stuff done.

One of our Core Values is:

Consistency and moderation over intensity.

While intensity does have its place. We often skip the consistent part and go for intensity. This leads to burn out instead of trust in the process.

We want you to commit to being healthier for the long term. This isn't a quick fix.

Let's make consistency just as sexy as intensity.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Macro Talk

It’s been 9 days of tracking my macros.

Macros is short for macronutrients. They are the carbohydrates, fats and proteins that make up the calories in food.

Before 9 days ago, I would have sworn to you that I eat 3 meals a day. Once I measured it though, I can tell you I eat more than 3 meals a day.  It’s more like 5 or 6, if I hit proper calories.

Why would I want to weight and measure all the food I’m eating?

To get a clear idea of how much I’m eating and where those calories are coming from. Our own judgments about how much we’re eating probably aren’t accurate. I recently claimed to Taylor that I eat 4000 calories a day. He didn’t believe. I tracked for a random day to prove him wrong only to find that I had consumed only 2800.

You’ll estimates will be inaccurate until you look at the numbers.

How I started tracking and what I’m doing with the information.

For the first 3 days I just ate whatever I was going to. Except that I weighed it using a food scale. We’ve had ours for projects like this since 2015. I log the foods into MyFitnessPal. The next day I would repeat.

Despite thinking I was a consistent eater, my patterned seemed to be to under eat one day and then over eat the next. Missing a meal, or two would have a drastic effect on my overall intake and now I’m noticing how it can disrupt my planned training session in the afternoon.

I’m going to continue on for now and keep trying to have less fluctuations with my calorie consumption. This is a good yearly practice to get into. I did it for about 15 days last year in March and I gained some insights I’m still using. Specifically, I started drinking a daily protein shake and eating more oatmeal, both things I’m still doing.

If you’re looking to gain insights on how you’re eating, and need a clear health or performance focused goal, tracking your macros and calories may be beneficial.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Overload

I love podcasts. I love learning, being distracted and entertained. I’m always listening to something.

A couple times a year though, I take a break.

I realize I’m taking in too much information that I’m not actually doing anything with.

My brain gets overloaded and it’s overwhelming. There’s always something new out, something to keep up with.

So I took a 10 day break. No podcasts while driving, riding the c2 bike, raking the lawn or cleaning the basement.

It’s been nice.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Dichotomy

originally posted 4/13/21

I've been on a hot streak with my training. I just took my first two consecutive days off in months. I was upset when I told Hannah the news and she said, “Do you hear yourself right now?”

There are two perspectives I hold here. They are both true and they have a direct relationship with your ability to keep showing up and sticking with the habit of training.

The first being that I messed up. Something went awry that I should have anticipated and accounted for. If I were more disciplined, better with time management, or listened to my body, maybe I could have trained one of those days.

On the other hand, I know my body needs rest and recovery. It needs time off, a chance to recharge. Training is stressful and it’s thankful for the break. It was nice to get a little extra sleep on Sunday morning.

Both perspectives are true.

The internal battle of making the right choice keeps me in the game. That real goal should be to keep playing, to show back up when you don’t want to, or when your streak is over. Holding both perspectives at once helps me do that.

You can skip a workout because you're sore and be upset that you did, but also be thankful for the extra rest. It shouldn't be one or the other.

This isn't just about no days off, or about resting to take care of your body. It's about both. We need both perspectives to be productive and it's a dance on a fine line. Too much discipline and pushing, you'll burn out. Not enough time management and too much rest, you'll never hit your goals.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Most Important Human Skill?

I heard a coach talking about the importance of walking on a podcast. They had a perspective that really stuck with me.

They were making the case that walking is the ultimate human skill, what are we with out it?

In his book Exercised, Daniel Lieberman examines how natural selection gave us “ingenious features” that allow us walk efficiently and not topple over.  Specifically the shape of our pelvis, the curvature of our spine, our big heel bones, the arches in our feet, forward pointing big toes, along with stable ankles, and the way our hip and knee angle works. We never have to consider those things, but it what makes it possible for us to walk so smoothly.

Back to the podcast. The coach, in reference when comparing walking to the importance of strength and endurance training, said, “well, you still need to walk to the squat rack, walk to the bench press, walking to the swimming pool.”

Warm weather and long days are here. Embrace walking and get outside for some added daily movement.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Squat Skills and Running

Mastering a squat is one the best things you can do to improve your running ability. Consider learning to squat as a new skill that will have immediate transferability over to you on the road, trail or track. Besides, if you only run, you need to build in opportunities to take your hips, knees and ankles through full range of motion. Running alone won’t complete that task, but squatting will.

When running in a good position your trunk is braced and you’re stabilizing your spine, you get movement from certain areas and ideally not compensating through others, just like squatting.

You need to be able to do that over the entire duration of your run. Mile after mile no matter the distance or intensity. When you can no longer maintain the proper positions, you risk injury or develop compensatory patterns, that may lead to injury in the future. If that isn’t good enough reason for you, you will also lose power and speed. Resulting in slower times and harder runs.

Here’s where the ability to properly squat comes in. Doing box squats or goblet squats or even bodyweight squats will allow you to spot any mechanical breakdowns that may happen in your running technique. If you always turn your feet out on the last few reps of goblet squats, you can bet that you turn your feet out when running. Missing hip extension? We can see that at the top of your squat too.

As mentioned earlier, while running, you need proper spinal bracing. If you arch your back as you lower yourself to squat, you may be run in an over extended position. That also shows that you don’t know how to properly keep yourself in a strong, braced core position. Proper squatting, with guidance from a knowledgeable coach, requires you to brace your core to move your extremities, just like running.

We can spot potential breakdowns but we can also practice good positions. Let’s say your workout consists of 4 sets of 8 goblet box squats, you get 32 chances to practice proper alignment and form, that will have carryover to your run.

After you build up the basic movement knowledge to properly squat, whichever variation is best for you, we can challenge it in several different ways. This makes you aware of positions and helps maintain technique over a certain intensity or duration. It’s skill practice to make you a better runner.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Get Some Shut Eye

In the book Built to Move, Kelly and Juliet Starrett outline these 10 tips to get the best rest and recovery. You might know some of these, but hopefully you can learn a thing or two to help you get a refreshing night’s rest.

Go to sleep and wake up at the same time, even weekends.

We keep babies on toddlers on strict sleep schedules, why don’t we do that as adults?

Move more throughout the day.

More movement throughout the day is going to help you hit the hay. TL;DR: walk more.

Careful with caffeine

Caffeine takes time for our system to process. Even if you’re a high caffeine metabolizer like me (I got my DNA tested), it can still affect your sleep, wait for it…. Even if you fall asleep without issue - it’s likely disrupting the restfulness and quality of your sleep. Try out a couple different cut off times and see what works best for you.

No phones in the bed.

IN 2015 right after GAIN opened I bought an analog alarm clock. I was waking up and immediately checking my email. Not exactly an easy morning wake up. These days I still leave my phone on the kitchen counter after 8pm.

Cut the alcohol

Anyone who has worn a Garmin or a WHOOP strap for a consistent period of time will tell you that alcohol negatively impacts their sleep. Not to mention they likely hate hangovers and hate how much junk they eat while drinking…. It’s something too many people rally behind for not a lot of good reasons. Audit your consumption.

Cool down

A cool room is the best place to sleep. Try turning the thermostat down a bit before bed and see if it helps you unwind.

Night time wind down

I’m a sucker for a morning routine, but I haven’t created my perfect bed time routine yet. Having a systematic habit in place might be the key to getting in bed at consistent times throughout the week. I do my soft tissue work before I go to bed to promote a parasympathetic response and trigger my body to rest and digest. The Starretts recommend setting an alarm 60 minutes before bed to remind you to start your routine.

Dark and quiet

Blackout shades are amazing. Especially if you’re early to bed people like us in the coming summer months.

Overestimate the time you need in bed.

This one is hard to wrap your head around. They’re saying if you want 8 hours, you better plan to be in bed for 9 hours. It’ll take you a while to fall asleep, and if you wake up for the bathroom, or toss and turn, all those minutes don’t count toward you sleep total.

Mimic you bedtime when you travel.

Self explanatory. Stay consistent.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Strong Enough?

We ask this question a lot. To clients, while writing programs and as a discussion amongst us coaches.

We are a strength and conditioning gym after all. We're all here to get stronger, right? A some point, does the risk of more strength outweigh the reward?

If your deadlift is strong, can you showcase that perfect form after doing a heavy sled march? What about after 2000m on the AirBike? How are your goblet squats after running 400 meters?

Displaying your strength while you're huffing and puffing and your heart is pounding is impressive. It's the next step we can take when you're "strong enough." The best news about this: this builds strength too.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

The Rest of the Day

One hour is not enough. You have to optimize your in gym performance while you’re away from the gym.

Are you fueling your body for what you want to do?

Drinking enough water? Taking some electrolytes?

Are you recovering? How many hours of sleep do you get?

Feeling stressed out? How are you dealing with that stress?

Getting enough daily movement through walking? Have a mobility practice?

All these things factor in to how you body feels and performs. And they’re all things that happen away from the gym, the other 23 hours. If you want to upgrade your gym performance, the best place to start is what you’re doing when you’re not even at the gym.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain