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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.
Friday Thoughts 115
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind this week. Let’s get into it.
Big Sports Weekend
I know the Super Bowl is this weekend—but so are the Winter Olympics.
I used to be a hardcore sports fan, but I’ve been mostly out on sports spectating for over a decade. The Olympics a couple summers ago reignited my interest, especially because of the unique events we don’t get to see very often. I’m excited to tune in over the next couple of weeks, and I’m especially fired up to watch some hockey.
As for the Super Bowl—our kindergartner is all-in on the Patriots because they’ve been talking about them at school. So we’ll be tuning in, at least for a bit. It’s been a nice reminder of how sports can bring us together.
Sound the Lunk Alarm
I heard a rumor about a year ago, and a recent video confirmed it: Planet Fitness appears to be walking back their old “lunkhead” messaging—you know, the whole idea that they’re “not a gym,” and that gyms are full of mindless meatheads.
They no longer seem interested in bad-mouthing free weights—heavy ones included. And that makes sense. The benefits of lifting weights are hard to argue with. Strength training is no longer niche; it’s mainstream.
Planet Fitness appears to be adapting, outfitting their spaces with more barbells, bumper plates, squat racks, and platforms. In other words, they’re starting to look a little more like GAIN.
February Challenge
This month’s challenge is an endurance test on the Concept2 BikeErg.
Every 2 minutes:
Complete 16 calories
Add +2 calories each round
It starts off very manageable, with plenty of time to finish the work and rest in the remaining window. But as the calories climb, the rest shrinks. You’re doing more work with less recovery each round—and that’s what makes it beautiful.
We ran this exact structure on the rower back in November 2022. The longer you last, the more your heart rate creeps up as recovery disappears. See my HR graph below.
I made it through the 34-calorie round back then. I’m expecting to push a little further on the bike.
Give this one a try anytime this month—especially as a swap for an interval day.
AirBike 2 Mile Test Data
Check out the data Mike Boyle and Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning have collected on the 2-mile AirBike test—one that many of us took on back in November.
The results are age-adjusted, based on times from their client population, and the takeaway is simple:
Some of you are pretty freaking fast.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
—Justin Miner
January By the Numbers
Welcome to this month’s edition of By The Numbers, where I break down data from my watch and training log to reflect on the past month.
Each month, I track a few simple metrics—average sleep, daily steps, and total workouts. I’ve been doing this consistently for over two years, and it’s become one of the most useful tools I have for spotting trends, holding myself accountable, and fine-tuning habits. I highly recommend building a practice like this into your own routine.
Let’s get into it.
STEPS
Total: 320,718
Daily Average: 10,346
This was the most steps I’ve taken in the month of January since 2020—which is a pretty random stat, but one that caught my attention. Over 300,000 steps in January isn’t typical for me, so I looked back over the past several years, and sure enough, this stands out.
It’s nice to see that I’m getting in more movement than usual right now, especially in the dead of winter.
SLEEP
Average Sleep Duration: 6 hours 53 minutes
Average Sleep Score: 80
I improved my average sleep score! I logged a couple nights in the 90s, including my new high score, a 95 on the night of January 17th. I’m doing all the same things I have been doing; trying to go to bed earlier than I want, reading before bed and being considerate of my caffeine intake.
Even though my sleep scores are climbing, my nightly magnesium habit has been slacking.
Despite that, my REM numbers have been improving too.
HRV has been balanced, though starting to trend downward now.
WORKOUTS
Total Workouts: 18
Run: 12
Lift: 6
I started the year off like I have been every year recently, with a summit of Parker Mountain. I managed to have a bit of a routine and lift on Monday and Thursday, but after I got into the VT100k, I spent a week neglecting my lifting and only ran. I thought, wow that’s a really far race, better start soon! When in reality, it’s too soon to start. After that I had a cold and kind of did nothing for 6 or 7 days—which is very rare.
Coming off those rest days I was feeling stiff and unmotivated. I’m trying for an epic comeback week, I just want a normal week.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks for reading along. As always, I encourage you to build a monthly reflection practice like this into your routine. It’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your health, fitness, and daily habits moving in the right direction over the long haul.
— Justin Miner
Interval BReakdown
If you regularly do intervals at GAIN, the following interval may be in your program soon. I use something like this while building my running base, and I’ve found it to be a sweet spot to get a nice training effort to improve your endurance. The intervals break up the session nicely and make it more tolerable and more effective than your standard 20-minute ride.
I want to break down this interval, go over its intent and provide context to you so you can get the most from your workout.
5 sets:
3 min @ moderate pace
1 min @ recovery pace
First, let’s add up the total working time; 20-minutes.
That tells us that it’s an endurance-focus workout.
The work interval is 3 minutes long. The rest, or specifically in this case, active recovery, is 1 minute. Active recovery means you’re going to keep moving, as slow as needed during the “off” interval.
Work duration is 3 times a long as the recovery period. Now we can contextualize our pace.
We want to see you use a sustainable pace. Something you can repeat round after round, after round.
The trick here is avoiding coming out too fast in the earlier intervals, then getting slower and slower. That’s something we see often with endurance training and specifically what we’re trying to avoid - getting slower. The active recovery plays into that, if you’re starting to slow down, maybe you’re not going slow enough during the recovery interval.
The goal with a sustainable pace workout is to improve your endurance by staying at the right intensity. This will elevate your heart rate, but not spike it really high. You should be able to talk, though it should be slightly labored. You’ll be able to answer a question I ask, but if you took a phone call your friend on the line would know you’re exercising.
So how fast do you go?
You should complete the same amount of work (meters or calories) in each set. Knowing a specific pace, like per 500m splits on the rower would require having other knowledge, like from a test or other recent workout. Some of you recently did a 5 minutes for max distance finisher. If we start there, we know that was a maximum effort, not a sustainable one. So to start, it’ll be slower than that.
We can also assume your pace will be faster than if you did 16-20 minutes straight. The recovery interval, while you’re still working, makes it easier to hold a slightly faster pace compared to a straight effort. Going a bit faster lets us increase the intensity to get a better training effect by staying in that sweet spot zone of ‘easy,’ but not too easy.
TL;DR
It’s takes some practice to get into the sweet spot of an endurance interval. Each time you’re on a machine however, is an opportunity to take a look at your paces/rpms/watts to build more context and gather information. Keep in mind the goal is sustainable paces, and matching the total work (meters or calories) done in each on interval. Spending time here will build endurance and stamina, will feel good on your muscles and joints and promotes longevity and heart health. Get to work!
Justin Miner
Gym Lingo: AMRAP
AMRAP stands for As Many Rounds and/or Reps As Possible within a set time limit.
This is a style of density training—how much work can you complete in a given amount of time?
Let’s look at a simple example.
AMRAP 6 minutes
Deadlift @ 135 lbs
Max reps
You complete 50 reps.
Beyond total reps, we can also look at total work performed, or as we like to say, the total poundage.
135 pounds × 50 reps = 6,750 pounds moved.
To progress this workout in week two, you have a few options:
Complete more than 50 reps
Add load to the bar
Complete the same 50 reps in less time
All three increase the workout’s density, meaning you’re doing more work.
Here’s a more complex example:
AMRAP 8 minutes
50 ft sled march
10 med ball slams
10-breath high plank hold
Now we’re dealing with multiple movements inside the same time window.
The sled will light up your legs and drive your heart rate up.
The slams will spike it even higher.
The plank breaths become much harder when you’re already gasping for air.
In a workout like this, pacing matters a lot.
If you start too fast and finish 3 rounds in the first 3 minutes, the remaining 5 minutes can turn into a suffer fest. After completing this workout once, you’d track your performance by total rounds plus any partial rounds completed.
The following week, your performance may improve simply because you’ve learned how to pace it better—one of the biggest lessons AMRAPs teach.
AMRAPs are a way to cram as much work as possible into a set time period. They build conditioning, teach pacing, and reveal a lot about how you approach effort.
When doing an AMRAP, find a sustainable pace, commit to it, and get to work.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check In
Happy Monday.
Happy February.
Happy Midwinter—seriously, we’re halfway through.
Last week was hectic. Mega snowstorm, a cold tore through our house, my truck broke down and I didn’t workout once.
It happens.
I’m not going to make up for it this week. Even though it feels like I should.
I’ll go easier than I want, and that will probably feel harder than it should.
But, this is normal. Life happens. Training gets interrupted.
I don’t know if the first workout after a break ever gets easier.
I do know that once I get some movement in today, I’ll be glad I did.
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 114
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind this week. Let’s get into it.
ISO: A NEW COACH
We’re searching for someone to join our small, established coaching team. This role is ideal for someone who loves coaching people, values long-term development over quick fixes, and wants meaningful responsibility in a semi-private training environment.
This is a salaried position with consistent hours, autonomy, opportunities for private training income, and room to grow. If you—or someone you know—might be a good fit, reach out to me directly at justin@gainsc.com.
WALK & COFFEE
Dress warm tomorrow. It’s going to be a chilly morning for our first GAIN Group Walk, followed by a catered coffee hangout at Brass Tacks Photography Studio.
The original plan was a ~2-mile, 45-minute walk. Given the weather—and the fact that many of us will have little ones tagging along—we’re going to shorten the walk to about 20 minutes.
All the details are below, and you can still sign up HERE if you need to.
I went back and forth on whether to cancel or postpone the event, but I kept coming back to this: it’s part of the Daily Walking Challenge. Many people have been getting out there every day all month, and this is a chance to do it together and make it feel a little easier—even if it’s going to be in the single digits.
JAMES CLEAR’S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
I hate almost all marketing emails. I unsubscribe, mute, and block whatever I have to just to keep my inbox under control.
For some reason, though, I’ve never unsubscribed from the author of Atomic Habits, James Clear. Most weeks I skim through and end up reading a quote or idea that actually makes me stop and think.
This week’s newsletter focused on finite things in life, and it immediately reminded me of Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse. Carse describes two types of games:
Finite games are played to win within fixed rules—think sports or business.
Infinite games are played to continue the play itself, with evolving rules and boundaries—things like culture, relationships, and life.
The goal of an infinite game isn’t winning. It’s staying in the game.
Here’s the quote from James Clear that stuck with me this week:
GARMIN BY THE NUMBERS 2025
I saw that Garmin release a bunch of data about the users of their watches. Stuff like average run duration (30 minutes), most growth in an activity in the past year: strength training and more. Here are a few screenshots of the data.
As for the strength training: I know both me and Hannah started logging “strength training” on our Garmin this year. We’re both long time users, and I never even once consider using the strength mode because honestly, what is it going to even tell me? I don’t want to tinker around with muscles and body parts and sets and reps.
What changed for me over the summer was trying to tally my total hours spent training in a week. In order to do that, I started making sure to log all my gym sessions with either Strength or Cardio, purely to get the elapsed time. This was helpful, and I also noticed that the Garmin Algo liked it, and my training would be more productive.
That’s a wrap, see you in the gym!
—Justin Miner
Do this to get stronger
If you’re doing your program at GAIN and stuff is starting to feel hard, or maybe harder than it usually does, there is one simple thing you can do to get more out of your workouts, strength and fitness.
Rest more.
When people see 4 rounds, or 5 rounds, they think, I need to complete these rounds quickly without any rest - and there is a time and a place for that. If we’re trying to get stronger though, a 90-second break can make the difference on a heavier weight feeling too hard or just right. As you work through the rounds, you accumulate fatigue. Your muscles get tired, your heart rate increases, blood is pumping to where it needs to go. Eventually things will feel harder than they should and your form could get sloppy.
Slow down!
Taking a minute, or two, or even sometimes up to 3 minutes is completely appropriate, especially for the big compound lifts typically completed at the start of the workout. Movements like squats, bench press, deadlifts, strict press, db snatch and the like.
To be clear, I’m not advocating for you to rest all the time. There’s a time and place to move quickly without rest, and there’s a time to slow down and let the body recover. If your main goal is to gain strength, slow down, rest a little more between rounds and you’ll be surprised at how much more weight you can add to the bar.
—Justin Miner
How to start at gain
At GAIN, new members don’t just jump into random workouts. We start everyone with a 3-Session Trial. It’s your chance to meet our coaches, experience the GAIN vibe, and see how our individualized approach works. We’re not a group class, but we’re not one-on-one personal training either—we’re something different, and unlike any gym you’ve been to.
SESSION 1: THE INTRO WORKOUT
Work closely with a coach on our basic movements: squat, push up, ring row, and our foundational core exercises
Talk through your injury history, training background, and goals.
Leave feeling like you could do more—we ease you in so you can build a habit that lasts.
SESSION 2: BUILDING ON IT
Add more movements and get your first taste of conditioning (cardio).
Learn our favorite cool-down mobility drills.
Focus on pressing, like the bench press, plus intro to single-leg training.
SESSION 3: THE HINGE & MORE
Learn the hinge pattern—a cornerstone movement for strength and longevity.
Revisit and reinforce previous skills.
Expect a slightly bigger workout as your body adapts.
WHY IT MATTERS
Over three sessions, you’ll get a crash course in all things GAIN:
Learn our favorite exercises.
Get real coaching and movement breakdowns.
Leave with a plan that’s unique to your needs and goals.
It’s more than just a trial—it’s the start of moving better, feeling stronger, and getting connected to your training.
Ready to get started? Come see what GAIN is all about HERE.
—Justin MIner
GAIN EVENT: WALK & COFFEE - SATURDAY
We’re in the thick of our walking challenge, and with the winter weather sticking around, a little extra motivation never hurts. To help get everyone out the door, we’re hosting a GAIN group walk—followed by coffee. All the details are below. Hope you can join us.
What:
A 45-minute, about 2-mile walk around downtown Portsmouth with your gym friends, followed by catered coffee, espresso, and hot chocolate from Espresso Dave.
When:
Saturday, January 31, 8–10am
Meet at the studio at 8:00am (plan ahead for parking). We’ll head out for our loop at 8:15am—rain or shine—then come back for coffee and hangs inside Andrea’s photo studio.
Where:
Brass Tacks Photography Studio
78 Fleet Street, Portsmouth, NH
Who:
You, family, friends, kids—everyone’s welcome. Bring them along and let’s have a good time.
How:
SIGN UP HERE so we can get a head count. You can also sign up on the PushPress App under “Events.”
Looking forward to it!
—Justin Miner
MOnday check in
Happy Monday. GAIN is closed today for the snow. I can’t remember the last time we had a full-on snow day, several years at least.
We’ll be digging out, eating tortellini soup, sneaking in workouts in the cold garage, and of course playing the snow the boys.
I also want to stretch my hips, foam roll my upper back and dig into my glutes with a lacrosse ball. It’s been far too long and I’m feeling stiff.
Walkers—good luck today. Although, after this weekend, I don’t think it will be quite as challenging.
Enjoy the snow today and we’ll you in the gym tomorrow.
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 113
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind this week. Let’s get into it.
Daily Walking Challenge Check In
Day 18 of the walking challenge. Frigid temps and snow will challenge everyone in the coming days. Dress in layers, and remember the old hiking adage; be bold, start cold, or you’ll be sweating profusely in 10 minutes.
Walk & Coffee
Mark your calendars! Saturday January 31st at 8am—45 minute group walk followed by coffee, espresso and hot chocolate catered by Espresso Dave!
Speaking of walking streaks
Earlier this week Hannah hit 600 days in a row of 10k daily steps. In 2025, she averaged more daily steps than me—the only person I know who beat my 4.1 million steps! She accumulated in at 4.7 million, or about 13k daily. And yes, I’ve tried to get her to quit multiple times. When it was causing stress or I felt like she needed a total rest day. She just keeps chugging along though, in one of the most impressive feats of consistency I’ve ever seen.
Kettlebell Growth
My instagram flash back earlier this week was a picture of our original 3 kettlebells. A 25, 35 and 45 that I bought at Dick’s Sporting Goods. We’re up to 52—I counted last night. Including one of my prized possessions, the 203 pounder that costs more in shipping fees than the kettlebell itself is worth. And yes, some people occasionally use it, here’s a video of me swinging it a couple years ago.
Eight-Unders
Chris Poulin, I expect you to be able to this by next winter.
Stay warm out there and see you in the gym!
—Justin Miner
Mainstream protein
Everybody knows that protein is good for you. Most people understand that it plays important roles, like building muscle and helping your body recover from exercise. Over the past year, though, protein has become the new “gluten-free” label.
Remember when things like peanut butter, eggs, and oatmeal—all of which never had gluten—started proudly advertising gluten free on the package? We’re doing the same thing with protein now.
There’s high-protein pizza, pasta, bagels, bread, and yes… even water.
But being surrounded by protein-rich foods doesn’t automatically make you better at eating protein. And that’s why I don’t think protein’s trending status is actually helping most people get more of it.
The most effective way to eat more protein is much less exciting: figure out what you’re already eating in a normal day.
To do that, you have to track it using an app, ChatGPT, or, like I had to do in my college nutrition classes, by reading nutrition labels and doing the math.
Once you know that number, then “I need to eat more protein” becomes a real, actionable goal.
Because if you Google how much protein you should be eating, you’ll find recommendations anywhere from 0.6 to 1.1 grams per pound of bodyweight. Without knowing your current intake, that range is meaningless. There’s no context.
Instead, set a target that’s close to what you’re already averaging. Don’t try to jump from 75 grams straight to 150. Meet it in the middle and build up gradually.
When you consistently get protein at every meal, healthy eating gets easier and easier. But before you chase the latest high-protein product, you need to do a little homework and figure out how much protein you’re actually eating each day.
—Justin Miner
GAIN EVENT: WALK & COFFEE feat. brass tacks and espresso dave
We’re in the thick of our walking challenge, and with the cold temps sticking around, a little extra motivation never hurts. To help get everyone out the door, we’re hosting a GAIN group walk—followed by coffee. All the details are below. Hope you can join us.
What:
A 45-minute, about 2-mile walk around downtown Portsmouth with your gym friends, followed by catered coffee, espresso, and hot chocolate from Espresso Dave.
When:
Saturday, January 31, 8–10am
Meet at the studio at 8:00am (plan ahead for parking). We’ll head out for our loop at 8:15am—rain or shine—then come back for coffee and hangs inside Andrea’s photo studio.
Where:
Brass Tacks Photography Studio
78 Fleet Street, Portsmouth, NH
Who:
You, family, friends, kids—everyone’s welcome. Bring them along and let’s have a good time.
How:
SIGN UP HERE so we can get a head count. You can also sign up on the PushPress App under “Events.”
Looking forward to it!
—Justin Miner
Maximum Stimulation Required
Right before starting a workout the other day, a friend teased me and asked if we were going to put music on. I’ve written before about how I love running with no music, and I’ll sometimes train in the gym with nothing on the speakers. Everyone assumes I hate music, or that I don’t realize listening to music while lifting can have performance-enhancing benefits.
In 2012, I was working at a gym and commuting an hour to school to finish my final college credits. I would head to school early in the morning, hustle back to the gym to coach for a few hours, and then try to squeeze in my own workout.
Back then, I took a scoop of pre-workout powder before every session. Even with the caffeine, these workouts often went poorly. Eventually, I had a realization: why did I need to get so amped up just to train? What was the point? Why couldn’t I just lift without extra caffeine and loud music that I was constantly fiddling with?
The same thing happened when I started running. AirPods didn’t exist yet. I had wired earbuds, shorts with a very specific pocket and zipper, and the cord was always getting tangled. I spent most of the run wanting to change the song or skip tracks altogether. The entire run became preoccupied with finding the “perfect” song.
I had created barriers to entry. I needed maximum stimulation. I needed loud music and a heroic dose of caffeine just to get through a few sets of bench press. Instead of simply starting, I relied on external hype.
Over time, training in a highly stimulated environment did produce results, and that became the norm. But prolonged exposure dulled the effect. Before I knew it, one scoop of Jack3d wasn’t enough, and neither was a decent playlist. I needed more of everything.
I’ve stayed away from pre-workout powders since that realization, and I stopped listening to music while running long ago. My goal is not to train without these things just to be stubborn. My goal is to train a lot. To train for a long time.
Relying on cranked-up music and caffeine just to get moving had become a crutch rather than a training aid. I wanted to reach a place where the environment didn’t matter, where I was in control.
You won’t always get to choose the music or have your ideal pre-workout routine. Sometimes you just need to get the workout done and move on with your day. That becomes very difficult when maximum stimulation is required.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check In
Happy Monday!
Sunset is at 4:39pm today.
It’s about 30 minutes more daylight than we had on the Winter Solstice.
I know it’s been slowly happening, but it felt sudden. One day it was dark at the start of the 4pm class and the next the sun was still hanging in the sky.
The gym is open normal hours today and it’s day 15 of the Walking Challenge!
—Justin Miner
friday thoughts 112
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind this week. Let’s get into it.
GAIN Group Walk
As part of the Daily Walking Challenge, we’re doing a GAIN group walk with a post-walk coffee hangout — Saturday, January 31. Mark your calendars.
Lottery Winner
For the first time, I put my name into the Vermont 100 entry lottery and got selected for the 100k. I’ll be running 62 miles on July 18 and it will be my longest run ever.
Vermont is a rolling course with lots of ups and downs, but nothing too technical. It’s very runnable, and that’s part of the appeal. Training for this will be different than other ultras I’ve done because the course is mostly gravel roads and fields, versus steep, technical climbs.
The VT 100 is also unique in that it’s the only 100-mile race that still has an equine category. The older 100s, like Vermont (started in 1989), have their roots in horse racing. Everyone I know who has run it says the horses are one of the best parts of the race.
Speaking of 100k
The difference between these two shoes is crazy. You may call me crazy, but I’m only interested in running in something closer to the old shoe. Sure, we’re faster than ever before, but I can’t help but think these types of running shoes are moving us in the wrong direction — away from being better runners who are connected to their bodies and understand how to move.
1 Rep Every 7 Seconds × 24 Hours
I talk about this idea all the time: how many total pounds you move in a session. Expanding that idea out to 24 hours is insane.
Lifting 155 pounds one rep every seven seconds for 24 hours adds up to 1.8 million pounds.
For some perspective, deadlifting 225 pounds for 8 sets of 3 is only 5,400 pounds.
Even 30 reps at 315 pounds comes in just shy of 10,000 pounds.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the gym.
— Justin Miner
Movement Patterns and programs
The fundamental movement patterns are a collection of shapes and positions that our bodies can make.
When creating a training program, I use these fundamental movement patterns to guide exercise selection.
Fundamental Movement Patterns:
Squat
Hinge
Push (horizontal / vertical)
Pull (horizontal / vertical)
Single Leg (hip dominant / knee dominant)
Core / Carry / Throw
As a general framework, I aim for clients to hit each movement pattern every workout. This ensures we are exposing our bodies to the appropriate ranges of motion and properly working all the major muscles.
This classification makes it easy for us to individualize training plans. We can work around an injury or customize a program for a specific goal.
Pressing aggravates your shoulder? Let’s dial that knob back. Maybe once per week is enough with the right variation, or maybe we cut it altogether for a period of time.
Lunges bug your knee? We can focus on more hip-dominant single-leg movements instead and revisit quad-dominant work in a month or two.
Want a bigger bench press? We can turn up the volume and press more frequently.
Keep in mind, these are not exercises themselves. They are classifications of movement. Specific exercises are derived from these patterns and shapes.
—Justin Miner
Streaks and Starting anew
This inevitably happens during the Daily Walking Challenge or any streak based habit you’re trying to do everyday.
You miss a day.
Now what?
Keep going!
While you’ve lost your streak, starting again is the more important aspect of this. It’s the real challenge.
Someone once told me this in regard to their meditation practice. They had a 91 day streak, missed a day and then a 149 day streak.
People call me overly optimistic sometimes, but these numbers don’t lie. What’s more impressive? A 91 day streak and stopping all together or 239 out of 240 days?
The walking streak is cool, but starting again after missing a day or two is even more important. The goal isn’t to walk perfectly, it’s to walk more and build a lasting habit. Stick with it!
—Justin Miner
IMprove your Push ups
Push ups are frustrating. On one hand, they are a simple exercise, require no equipment, and are something most people in the world are familiar with. Because of that, many people assume they should be able to do them easily. However, push ups require a lot of strength, technique, and practice.
Eventually, poor technique will halt your progress. Whether your shoulders start to feel achy or you have plateaued and cannot add more reps, it is likely that both strength and technique are the issue.
Here is a checklist to make sure you are doing everything possible to build the strength and technique required for big sets of perfect push ups.
They should be hard, but not too hard
Reaching failure is a sure way to stall progress. We want you to use a variation that is challenging enough to complete the prescribed reps, but not so difficult that it leads to frequent misses or sloppy technique. When you train to failure, your body does not adapt as well. Whatever the target reps are, always try to leave one or two reps in the tank. This concept is called reps in reserve, and knowing your RIR is a high-level gym skill.
Frequency
If push ups are really on your mind, talk to your coach about adding an additional day to get more reps in. One day should be hard, with grinder reps focused on increasing difficulty and building strength. The other day should be an easy, volume-building day where you complete 40 to 50 reps using a variation that feels comfortable.
Place a premium on accessory movements
A push up is essentially a plank where you bend your arms. Seriously, think about that. Lock in your plank technique, grip the ground, engage your glutes, use your upper back, breathe with intention, and recognize that the more robust you are here, the better your push ups will be.
Mobilize your wrists
If your wrists are stiff, they can place extra stress on your shoulders during push ups. Stretching them before your sets can make a significant difference. Sometimes this alone is enough to unlock better technique.
Even if you never achieve a push up on the floor, pursuing one is still a worthwhile training goal. It builds total body strength, awareness, and control.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check In
Happy Monday!
We made an official ruling at the gym on Friday: It’s now too late to say Happy New Year. Once January climbs to double digits it’s time to say farewell to the new year’s greeting.
Leaving the grocery store last night I was pleased to see the sun still lingering in the sky after 4pm.
I know we’re in the thick of winter, but a couple warmer days and more sunlight was really nice.
It’s the start of week 2 on the daily walking challenge and the weather is looking great for some walking this week now that most of the slippy stuff from last week is melted.
Second full week of the year, keep the momentum going!
—Justin Miner