Before or After

Some people like to foam roll before training. Some like it after.

Personally, doing it before a workout, makes me want to take a nap. Laying on the floor is comfortable.

I lost many training sessions to naps learning this about myself.

But, if you like to do it before you train, do it.

We could argue about the most effective time to do it. Rather than worry about that though, consider, when are you most likely to actually get it done.

For me, I do it at right, in preparation of the next day’s training.

Tinker around and find out what works for you.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Need a Consistency Reset?

A key to long-term fitness success is consistency.

Consistency requires doing the same thing over and over again, which makes it difficult to persevere.

Here are some helpful ideas to bust out of a training rut.

Shake it up - Train at a different time of day. Normally an evening person? Squeeze in a noon during your lunch break just to stop the monotony of hitting the gym at the same time every day.

Seek Context - Not sure why you're doing what you're doing? Ask your coach and they should give you some good insights to the inner working of your training program. A little bit of direction goes a long way.

Train with a Friend - Schedule a workout with a buddy and have them jump in on your workout or vise versa.

Time off - Maybe you need a week to hit the reset button. This one is a slippery slope, for sure. However, a little time away from the gym can be just what you need to get back on track. Especially if you've been working towards a goal and it’s time to shift gears.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Why It's Confusing

Joel Jamison, whom I referenced in a post last week, stating that his book was a staple on most strength coach’s bookshelf made this post earlier this week, and it’s everything about why the fitness industry is confusing, and why headlines are always making us rethink what we thought we knew.

To be clear, this isn’t specifically a dig at him. I don’t think he did anything wrong, but it shows how citing research studies doesn’t always translate to real life as fluidly as we would like to believe.

Here’s the post:

“If the main reason you’re lifting weights is to live a long and health life, research suggests the benefits max out at only 40-60 minutes per week. After that, more lifting is likely NOT any better.”

A few questions popped in my head, and the first comment on this post I saw was from Rob Wilson. I’ve been to his gym in Virginia Beach and met Andrew Huberman there, but that’s for another day.

Rob asks:

“Is that time the ACTUAL working time lifting weights or total session time including rest periods, warm up time, and other non-lifting specific activities that are engaged in during exercise time. That's a big differentiation. A very hard set of 5 deadlifts is 30 seconds and that's at a tempo of 1 rep/6 sec. Pretty slow. So three sets heavy is only 90 sec of work but there might be 2-3 minutes of rest.”

Jamison’s response to the comment:

“The paper is a meta analysis that look at several different papers, each with its own methodology, but in general it is self reported time doing strength training.”

That was such a great question! To Rob’s point, there is a big difference between spending 30-40 minutes in the gym, and actually lifting for 30-40 minutes, and this meta analysis cited is unable to answer that question because all the data is self reported. Meaning, each person could be counting their self reported strength training time differently.

Obviously I agree, time in the gym is beneficial. But the claims from the data are misleading, or confusing at best. As always, the best thing to do is get to the gym and figure out what works on you.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Technical vs. Adaptive

We all know change is hard because we, all the time, try to change things only to fail after a while. Maybe we even make a seemingly perfect habit or lifestyle change, eventually slipping back into our old ways.

Our challenge to change, according to Ronald Heifetz, fall into two categories. Technical change problems and adaptive change problems.

Technical challenge:

There is known information out there for this. Someone has a protocol or a checklist or the solution can be found on Google. How to perform appendix surgery or land a plane are technical challenges. Regardless difficulty, there are precise know solutions and experts who know the information intimately.

Adaptive challenges:

Require adjusting your mindset or perspective. They require you to see things differently and understand the challenge at a more complex level. They’re more ambiguous and open to interpretation. There isn’t a clear procedure to follow readily available.

How many people say they need to lose 20 pounds but never do? There is no shortage of technical information available to them. They have access to Keto diets, paleo diets, vegan diets, intermittent fasting, gluten free, low carb, you name it. All the information is available, even for free. But they can’t change or change for a while and revert back.

This is an example of trying to solve an adaptive problem, I need to become healthier/lose weight, with a technical solution, a diet.

Some may have success with the technical solution too. So don’t think it can’t work that way. My challenge to you, is to see where in your life you are trying to use technical answers to adaptive challenges. Maybe think of a time that you did successfully change something, how did you solve it? Was the solution technical or adaptive?

For more, check out Immunity to Change by Kegan and Lahey and Leadership without Easy Answers by Hiefetz.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Stress Can Be Enhancing

According to a new post by Andrew Huberman, a growth mindset is the best mindset to apply to improve at anything.

Of course, if you’ve been following along for a while, you already knew that. It’s one of our core value at GAIN, and has been for me personally since I ready Carol Dweck’s Mindset while in college. It shifted my perspective on, well, everything.

Cultivating a growth mindset wasn’t easy, and one thing that made it stick was a new perspective that hard things are valuable teaching tools.

Back to Huberman’s post.

He states, “If you do something for the sheer effort required to participate, over time you’ll likely perform very well at it too… Recent data show that growth mindset is most effective when combined with factual understanding that stress can enhance mental and/or physical performance by mobilizing our energy and focus.”

To summarize, don’t just cultivate a growth mindset, you also should to embrace the idea that, “Stress Can Be Enhancing,” to compliment it.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Push Up Praise

Push ups are underrated for two reasons. First, they’re not flashy, new or all that exciting compared to other gym moves. Often, their success is measured by quantity, not the quality, or how well you can do them.

On the surface, they’re a chest exercise. That’s what a muscle poster in a commercial gym would tell you. But in reality, they’re so much more. 

They challenge your hip and core stability, wrist mobility, and you ability to stay stable and connected as you move and breathe.

The key to a perfect push up is properly using your upper back, or moving you shoulder blades as you lower yourself to the floor.

The next time they come up on your program, don’t write them off. Try to make them challenging and engage your whole body. Move slow. Be purposeful.

You’ll be surprised at how hard that can be! 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

By the Numbers

It was great to have a week away, a change of pace and be in a new environment. We don’t do it often, so it was a nice reminder that getting out of your routine can be refreshing.

Here, in no particular order, are some stats I pull from my brain and/or watch.

Average daily steps: 14,405

Average sleep: 7 hours 23 minutes

Podcasts listened to: 0

Books competed: 3

Screen time: down 37%

Lifting workouts: 0

Caffeine intake: down significantly

Runs: 9

Miles: 31

Clem Balls Lost: 5

See you at the gym!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Goose Egg

We’re winding down on our final days of vacation at the lake.

When we left, I carefully packed the truck with 5 kettlebells, a weight vest, two foam rollers, 5 bands and 3 different types of mobility balls.

I didn’t use any of it. Not once.

I had visions of myself doing kettlebell swings in the sun after an early morning run. The runs happened, but never the kettlebell workouts.

You might have had a similar experience. Planning to hit the hotel gym, packing kettlebells that don’t get used. Whatever it is. It happens, and isn’t a big deal. What is important is getting back to your routine once vacation is over.

A week off from weights won’t disrupt the grand scheme of your training. But a week slipping into a month is where trouble arises.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

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

Comfortable or Uncomfortable

More than ever this summer I have been forgetting about all the differently ways I can label a conditioning workout, like the 9 different detailed (complicated) protocols listed in Joel Jamison’s Ultimate MMA Conditioning, a classic on every strength coach’s bookshelf.

Instead, I start warming up, and think, do I want to feel really uncomfortable, kind of uncomfortable for a little bit, or nice and chill?

Usually, based on my immediate reaction, I create a workout according to what my body is craving.

While sticking to a rigid plan is helpful for many, getting more intuitive with your training can help you age into an experienced athlete.

Of course, the catch is, you can’t always want to take it easy and take it easy. You still need to be willing to do the stuff you don’t want.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

The Ultimate Game

There is no winning fitness.

There will be no moment of arrival.

There won't be a point you can stop.

You need to keep playing.

Chess, hockey and football are all finite games. They have rules. A start and an end. Clear winners and losers.

In fitness, business and life, however, there are no rules. There is no clear finish line.

You can keep playing though. And that's how you win; staying in the game.

But what about the races I train for? What about my goal to lose 10 pounds? What about my Whole 30?

"Finite games can be played within an infinite game, but an infinite game cannot be played within a finite game. Infinite players regard their wins and losses in whatever finite games they play as but moments in continuing play."

- James P. Carse, Finite and Infinite Games

You've got to play the long game. It's the only way to be successful and keep playing. Maybe it looks different over time, or you have different goals [finite games] that motivate you and get you in the door. But the game is always there. There's no destination.

I hope this perspective doesn't overwhelm you. Instead, I hope it brings you relief. There is no rush. No need to hurry to the finish line. To end on a cliche, it's the journey not the destination. Keep yourself in play.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Ride the Wave

Being a coach or a trainer, sometimes you’re hit with something so unexpected, and so awesome. A long-time GAIN client, who wouldn’t be upset with me if I shared, was terrified of getting up and down from the floor.

So much so, that if we created a workout pairing like:

3 rounds

10 barbell push ups

10 glute bridges

They would do all 3 sets of glute bridges in a row. This way, they wouldn’t have to get up and down. Of course, this defeated the purpose of my well-crafted pairing, creating 3 opportunities to get up from the floor in a short period of time.

Anyway, that was many years ago, and just the other day this person showed me of a video of them boogie boarding. Boogie boarding! Riding the wave into the sand and popping off the earth to catch another. It was awesome.

Although training was initially intimidating, and way out of their comfort zone, they stuck with it over the years. And through consistency, persistence, and recreating their relationship with training and the gym, they’ve far surpassed any goals they used to think possible.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Discipline Reps

Motivation isn't the secret sauce. It's finite, fragile and never reliable.

Discipline, the ability to make yourself do what you should when you don't want to, is where the real magic happens.

Some of my best ever runs and lifting sessions have been when I didn't feel like starting.

Each time you pull off a rep of discipline, making yourself go to the gym, go for a run, mobilize at night, skip the ice cream, writing the daily blog post - whatever it is. It gets a little easier.

It's never easy. But through practice it can become easier.

Don't wait for motivation. Instead, try to get some reps of discipline in every day.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Protein

You know by now that keeping a food log is the best way to up your nutritional awareness.

If you're ready to level up again, the next piece to figure out is how much protein you're eating.

Many people are surprised at how little protein they eat once they see it quantified.

Instead of using an online calculator or doing some equation like 1g of protein for every pound of bodyweight, aim for a number slightly higher than what you're currently at. If you're only consuming 75g of protein a day, and want to be eating 125g, don't jump straight there. Hit 100g first and see how it goes.

Use these tips to make sure you're setting yourself up for protein success each day.

- Protein at every meal. No matter what.

- More eggs

- Find protein rich snacks

- If you still need more, consider adding protein shake

If possible with protein powder, try a couple different kinds to see what you like and how your body reacts. You can also add it to something like oatmeal to to turn it into a meal of mostly carbs to a meal of protein and carbs.

Once you figure out a good level of protein, you can start using that as a way to create boundaries and guide your food choices.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Desire to Train

The most reliable way to track my readiness, or recovery, isn’t listening to my fancy Garmin watch, with its HRV, Body Battery and stress score. It’s by taking note of how much I feel like training.

What's my desire to get after it like? It's not a perfect system, because as I'm sure you know, there are days you need to push through and train when you don't want to.

But since I like to train, and try to do something physical everyday, it's easy to notice those days when it's just not there. More importantly, when I do notice my desire isn't there, I'll pay close attention to when it comes back, because when it does, it's go time.

If I feel unmotivated to train, I'll take a look at some other factors that could be influencing my training itch. Am I sleeping enough? Fueling with the right foods? Staying hydrated? Managing stress?

Listening to your body is a skill that strength training can teach you, if you're paying attention.

Take note of how you're feeling, and what your desire train is. If you never feel like it, it's time to take a look at the rest of the day and see how you can turn up the readiness meter.

Justin Miner

@justinminergainA

Your Decathlon

I’ve written before about Peter Attia’s idea of training for the Centenarian Olympics - specifically designing your training plan and goals to hedge your bet on having physical capabilities for the last decade of your life.

Peter now is referring to this as the Centenarian Decathlon and I think it’s a better name, which is more descriptive of this idea. You can learn more about this and the specific items on hIs list on this recent podcast. The idea is to have a list of physical tasks that you want to be able to do, or specific gym tasks that you want to continue doing for the years to come.

Included on Peter’s list are things like, being able to pick up and goblet squat a 35 pound kettlebell, so he would know he has the strength and mobility to pick a baby out of a crib.

How about covering 3 miles on foot within 3 hours. If you’re reading this, chances are a 20 minute mile is palpable for you right now. What about when you’re 80? And that’s the point, even if it feels silly now, it’s helpful to spend some time thinking, what do I want to be able to do?

Other items on Peter’s list include performing a one minute farmers carry with body weight, a sit to rise standard, and a couple of physical tasks involving stairs.

Even if your terminal decade is off in the distance, start thinking now about how you can train to maintain your physical capabilities in the future.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Strong Side

Will my [insert non dominant hand] ever be as strong as my other side?

I don’t think so. I also don’t think it’s an issue of strength, rather, it’s an issue of coordination and control.

Consider all the daily tasks you can do with finesse. Whisking eggs and throwing a frisbee, smoothly dragging butter across your toast and the classic example, bushing your teeth. These are all skills that rely heavily on our dominant hand.

Through years of practice these skills feel easy. Our nervous system has these fine movements tightly wired for precision and accuracy.

Sure, getting stronger will help. Lifting teaches you how to create tension and stability, you need it to in order to move the weight. Simultaneously, the nerves engrain the movements and you become more skilled as your motor control improves.

So as we grease the groove and feed our bodies good movement stimulus in the gym, hopefully our non dominant side's reliance improves. If we’re going to keep living in our modern world though, it’ll be tough to balance out all the potential imbalances we encounter in daily life.

Through my experience in the gym, It’s better to understand it, accept it, and continue to focus on moving well and building strength, stability and control.

Your off side may always feel different when one arm pressing, but I’m not convinced that means it’s weaker.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Progress Without Numbers

Quantifying gains can be a little frustrating. Seeing a scale number go down, or weight on the bar go up isn't the only way you can track your fitness progress though. Some markers of progress are difficult to quantify, and therefore often go unnoticed by gym-goers everywhere.

1. Energy

What's your energy level like first thing in the morning? Notice yourself jumping out of bed or feeling a little less groggy? Don't chalk it up to coincidence, exercise will help you feel more ready to take on each day.

2. Sleep

Many newbies are surprised to find themselves crashing hard at night after starting a new strength and conditioning routine. Through training, you're burning up more of your daily life battery, which leads to better, more restful Z's.

3. Confidence

When you realize you weren't intimidated by the heavy grocery bags, the spontaneous hiking trip invite or casually moved a dozen awkward shaped boxes into the basement. Thank your new found physical confidence.

4. Less Creaky

Several years ago I was playing ping pong with a friend. I ran after a stray ball and quickly bent over to grab it before it rolled under a table. I realized then and there that my mobility work had been paying off. Normally, a rapid duck and reach would seize my lower back up for 4 days. That time, the only thing I noticed was the lack of pain. You'll notice the same thing, but it will take a while. Getting out of the car, going up stairs and other daily tasks become easier as you get stronger.

5. Snowball Effect

Your exercise routine can be a keystone habit - a habit that encourages other more positive choices. By exercising on the regular, you're more likely to walk more, make more conscious food choices, drink more water and appreciate your physical self.

Playing the long game is tough, especially when you feel like you're not making any progress. If you ever find yourself in that boat, which you will, remember, there are other progress markers that are difficult to quantify. And just because we can't assign a number to it shouldn't erase its importance.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

How to Make Weight Jumps for a PR

Nothing is worse than planning to hit a big PR in the gym, and instead you fry yourself on the build up to the goal weight. There is a fine line between doing enough work to actually get warmed up, and managing fatigue so you feel fresh when you get there.

Here are some basic rules to follow when trying to ring the PR bell.

• Do the minimum amount of work to get there, i.e., don’t do all sets of 10 working up to a 3 rep max.

• When in doubt, spend more time with just the bar. I’ll typically do AT LEAST 50 empty bar reps when warming up for a heavy back squat.

• Keep the weight jumps the same, or smaller, as you get heavier Even if this makes plate math more difficult.

• Minimize attempts over 90% of your best to just 3 lifts. Managing CNS fatigue is just as important as having strong muscles to hit a big lift.

• Rest 3-4 minutes between all sets. Seriously.

Here’s an example of someone’s build up to hit a 200 pound squat.

2x10 @ 45 LBS

1x8 @ 95

1x6 @ 115

1x4 @ 135

1x3 @ 155

1x3 @ 175

1x1 @ 185

1x1 @ 195

1x1 @ 200

1x1 @ 205*

*adding in a fourth single above 90% is usually a sign that you’re having a good day.

While these aren’t hard, fast rules that will apply to all of you, for all of your PR attempts. I hope they can be used as guardrail to help guide your weight selection. The ability to plan out a big lift attempt is an important skill for all seasoned lifters.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Back On

The holiday weekend has my brain feeling hazy. What day is it? Is it still raining? What am I doing today?

It’s easy to go haywire when our routines and schedules are thrown off. We like routines and simplicity and to know what’s coming next, at least I do.

When there’s a holiday, and kid schedule changes, and work schedule changes and all of those types of things happening all at once, I fall back on a few principles and habits to get the most from a non-typical day. These things are simple, but they set me up for success on days when I need it.

Water and electrolytes. I make sure to get these first thing in the morning.

Prepare my food. All of my meals are accounted for today, already. That way there’s no decisions that need to be made.

Steps. Nothing makes a day better than hitting a good step number.

Move with intention. I want to workout today, but on busy days it can’t always happen. What I will find time to do is move with intention. I’ll roll or stretch or mobilize or practice something, at least.

If you’re getting back to business today, or you’ve got a few more days of a summer break, find a handful of things that can help ground you, and point you in the right direction when you need a nudge.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain