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Benefits of a Morning Workout, UF Edition

Training

Getting up before the sun is hard. I get it! Every morning when my alarm goes off at 4:15am, I briefly want to smash it dramatically into the wall and crawl right back into my warm, cozy bed. And, as if waking up in and of itself wasn’t hard enough, actually garnering the energy to workout is even harder. So, why should you?

 

Look, I know you can perform a google search and have a million-different people give you a million different reasons why it’s good for you like boosted metabolism, improved productivity, improved focus, fewer scheduling conflicts, lower blood pressure, decreased stress, etc, etc. (For real, there are a TON of benefits!)

 

Yes, all of those things are benefits and are totally important. But I’m here to share with you my definitive list of reasons why you should get out of bed in the morning and get your booty to Union Fitness.

 

1. The most important benefit of a morning workout is, of course, getting to see my smiling face first thing.

I’m armed with a pot of fresh coffee and I know how to use it.

 

2. Fatbells, Barbells & Yoga, oh my!
Our morning classes here start at 6:30am. Whether it’s fatbells, barbells, yoga or spin, pick your poison and reap the benefits (see above) all day long.

3. Less laundry at home.
Our shower & towel service here at the gym means less towels to wash at home. As much as we all know doing laundry is so much fun, something tells us that you’ll love saving all that time for something else more important like, uh, burpees!

 

4. No rush hour traffic.
It’s no secret that Pittsburgh rush hour traffic is pretty brutal. Forget the honking horns & the slow crawl towards the city. When you get to the gym early, the days of a long, torturous commute are over. Just like all that laundry, we’re sure you won’t miss this either!

 

5. Make some new friends!
There’s something special in the morning air at UF. Maybe it’s the fact that no one had to sit in traffic to get here but we really do have quite the amazing, friendly & welcoming group of morning gym goers. We’ve seen people who were strangers previously become training partners and there’s nothing more beautiful than a gym friendship.

 

6. Getting to see me in the mornings.
Oh wait, this was already discussed. It’s so important though, it warrants being said twice.

 

Alright, alright so it turns out there are mmmmmaybe more benefits to a morning workout than just seeing me. That increased productivity benefit may mean that you’re more successful at work or more present at home in the evenings with your family. Your boosted metabolism may mean that you’re hitting your goals faster or making healthier choices throughout the day. Lower blood pressure and decreased stress are some pretty fine benefits too. So yeah, this particular list may have ended up being just some added perks but there’s nothing wrong with a couple perks! See you bright and early soon! I’ll be armed with a coffee and a smile just for you.

Are Your Eating Habits Affecting Your Training?

Alcohol, Clean Eating, Diet, Meal Prep, Nutrition

 

There are not too many times that an answer to a fitness related question is simple or straightforward. Most of the time there are multiple solutions to a problem, a million different ways to look at or treat the same thing and even sometimes the exact same exercise/movement is called something different depending on whom you ask. So when we start to look at something quite complex, like eating habits, nutrition and if it affects your training, you can expect a complicated answer, right?

I’m going to make this VERY simple. YES. Yes, your eating habits are absolutely affecting your training!

 

Ok great, but how? Now isn’t that the million-dollar question! In fact, there’s a multi-billion dollar industry out there trying to answer that question. “Try this protein shake”, they say, “it’ll make your muscles HUGE without even lifting a weight!” They want to sell your pre-workout powders, post-workout powders, during workout powders and ten weeks before working out powders (ok, I’m exaggerating a little bit here but you get the idea). There are so many different philosophies on eating & training: intermittent fasting, eating before bedtime, carb cycling, large meals vs. small frequent meals, gluten free diets, dairy free diets, vegan diets, the list goes on & on. One-day fats are the enemy then the very next day a professional tells you that no, actually carbs are the enemy and to avoid them at all costs. There are scores of literature about every single nutrition & training theory out there. So how DO you navigate how your eating habits are affecting your training?

 

Go old school and keep a journal. Begin to track your food and your workouts. Write down how you felt before/during/after your training and throughout the day. Then begin to piece together the puzzle. If you need help figuring it all out, get a professional to take a second look to find out what works best for you, your training and your lifestyle.

 

Try not to get too caught up in the all gimmicks. Eat when you’re hungry. Make smart choices. Drink tons of water. Be consistent. But most importantly, do what works for you— and just YOU. It’s great that Sally across the street lost 20lbs in one month by drinking blue algae shakes that she harvested in her aquarium. Will that work for you? Maybe, maybe not. Ultimately the best guide to figuring out how your eating affects your training is YOU.

Good Fat vs. Bad Fat

Clean Eating, Diet, Meal Prep, Nutrition

 

High fat diets have become much more popular in recent years but it is important to note that this kind of diet may not be the best fit for everyone. Eliminating or significantly reducing entire food groups can be detrimental to your health and limit access to essential vitamins and minerals.

 

That said, fats in moderation are incredibly important to our health and have many benefits, including:

1. Provide energy- the most energy dense macronutrient
2. Help manufacture and balance hormones
3. Form cell membranes
4. Form our brain and nervous system
5. Help transport fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K
6. Provide essential fatty acids that the body can’t make (omega 3 & omega 6)

 

Dietary fats do not inherently make us fat. Excess calorie intake is the culprit of unwanted fat gain.

 

The caloric density of fat is high. More than 2x as high as that of a carbohydrate! One gram of fat contains 9 calories whereas one gram of a carbohydrate contains 4 calories allowing you to consume much more volume with much fewer calories.

 

Not all fat types are the same. Take a tablespoon of olive oil and half of an avocado for example. Both have about 125 calories, BUT half an avocado weighs about 75 grams, contains 5 grams of fiber and 12 grams of fat. A tablespoon of olive oil weighs about 14 grams, contains 0 grams of fiber and 14 grams of fat. It’s a no-brainer that with the fiber and volume of the avocado, this is a more satiating choice.

 

Balance of fats. Saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats should be consumed in balance with the exception of trans fats which should be eliminated from the diet completely and are found in many processed foods.

 

Foods can contain all three types of fat. For example, eggs (thought to be rich in saturated fat) are 43% monounsaturated, 39% saturated, and 13% polyunsaturated. Some foods are considered one or another because they contain mostly one of the fat types.

 

Foods rich in the following fats:

1. Saturated Fat
• Beef, pork, lamb, chicken (with skin), butter, cheese, milk, tropical oils (coconut oil, palm oil)

2. Unsaturated Fat
• (Mono)unsaturated Fat & (Poly)unsaturated Fat
• Fish (tuna, trout, salmon, sardines), plant based oils (canola, olive, peanut, safflower, sesame), seeds (flaxseed, sunflower, sesame), nuts (peanuts, pe-cans, almonds, walnuts), avocado, olives
• Omega 6 Fatty Acids- (consume less) corn oil, safflower oil, meat
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids- (consume more) flax, walnuts, hemp, fish

3. Trans Fat
• Partially hydrogenated oils, margarine, fried foods, some baked goods

Five Fatbell Exercises That Will Improve Your Routine

Fitness, Training

 

We’ve been having a lot of fun in our Fatbell Revolution class lately. So much fun, in fact, that we just had to share some of our favorite Fatbell movements with you so you can join in on all the good times!

I have to admit, it’s difficult to pick only five! There’s just so much you can do with a Fatbell and once you pick it up, the possibilities are endless. Here’s our, in no particular order, current favorite five:

 

1. Lateral Walking Swing
Legs, Booty, Arms, Repeat. Side step and swing your way to a new & improved fitness routine. This movement can be deceivingly hard as you coordinate a lateral walk with a Russian swing but it’s well worth it! Trust us when we say your legs, booty & arms will thank you.

2. Figure 8 Swing
This swing is guaranteed to make you feel like a fabulously coordinated fitness superstar! It incorporates a one arm swing with a loop around & in between each leg. Want to get even more superstar-ish? Grab a partner and try smoothly handing off the Fatbell in between swings. In the very least, it’ll be good for a friendly laugh (and hopefully no black eyes. Be careful, friends)!

 

3. Kneeling Windmill
This movement is part mobility, part stability, part strength and a whole lotta badass. Combining hip hinge movement and spinal rotation creates a tough exercise that will challenge the whole body.

 

4. Single Straight Arm Sit Up
Can we say core burner?? Weighted sit ups can be difficult on their own, but add in some unilateral movement and that’s where things get spicy! This movement has the added bonus, of not just core work, but also shoulder stability & strength.

 

5. Split Lunge Swing
Just when you thought lunges couldn’t get any more fun, add a Fatbell! This variation is basically a jumping lunge and swing combined. Your heart rate will go up, your legs will burn and you’ll smile through the sweat because this movement is just plain ole fun!

 

Can’t get enough of these movements? Join us for Fatbell Revolution to practice these exercises and even more!
Monday: 6:30am & 5:30pm
Tuesday: 4:30pm & 6:30pm
Wednesday: 4:30pm
Thursday: 6:30am & 5:30pm

Make the Most of Your Lunch Workout

Diet, Fitness, Meal Prep, Nutrition, Training

 

If you’re lucky enough to be working on the North Side (or even better, right here at Nova Place), we probably see you primarily during our lunch time rush from 11am-1pm. We love our lunch crowd, doing everything from squeezing a few miles in on the treadmill to Olympic lifting to HIIT workouts. It can be a real challenge working out on the lunch hour: you have just about 60 minutes to travel to the gym, change, work out, shower, and get back to work. That’s not a ton of time! You’ll need to plan ahead a little bit to get the most effective workout you can. Here are a few tips to put you on the right track:

 

1. Meal prep!
You might think it’s odd that we’re starting off this list of tips with (more) meal prepping advice, but in this instance, it’s really vital! If you don’t have a lunch prepared for you to eat when you get back from your workout, it’s likely you’ll skip the gym to wait in line at the food truck instead. Spend an hour on Sunday getting your delicious meals together and you’ll have one less excuse when it gets to be noon on Wednesday. Plus, you’ll have the perfect post-workout fuel waiting for you when you get back to the office.

 

2. Have a workout gameplan
The worst thing you could do when trying to get an efficient workout done in less than an hour is to show up to the gym with no plan. It’s really easy to spend 30 minutes stretching and “warming up” when you have no idea what you plan on doing next. There are tons of tools and cardio/strength training programs available online, but here at Union Fitness you also have access to great coaches. Strength Lab+ members get customized programs built just for them and their schedule. We’ll set you up with workouts you can complete in 50 minutes or less, so you can really maximize your results.

 

3. Pack your bags
Here’s another one aimed at giving you less excuses. Make sure you pack your gym bag before you head out to work, preferably the night before so you don’t even have to think about it that morning. The last thing you want is to get to the gym, get your workout in, and then not have any clean underwear to change back into for work! Lay out your clothes and any toiletries you need (that we don’t provide) the night before, and don’t forget your shoes! Since you’re a member at Union Fitness, you already get towel and shampoo service, so this process is even easier.

 

4. Mix up your workout with intervals and supersets

If you’re really struggling to get a challenging workout in during lunch, look into adding some intervals and supersets to your workouts. We use interval training frequently in our U.Fit Bootcamp class because it’s an effective way to burn lots of calories in a short period of time while keeping things fresh and interesting. My favorite from earlier today: 40 seconds of V-ups for your core, 20 seconds of rest, followed by 40 seconds of medball burpees, 20 seconds of rest, and repeat up to 4 times. It’s a brutal finisher that will only take you 8 minutes. If you focus more on the strength training side of working out, try pairing your accessory movements as supersets. Try to switch the body parts being worked so you’re fresh each time. A really challenging superset for endurance athletes and lifters alike pairs single-leg squats (to a box or pad to start) with single-leg Romanian deadlifts. This works your quads, glutes, and hamstrings unilaterally and quickly!

 

5. Make it a habit
My final piece of advice is to be consistent. That goes for everything related to health and wellness, but is especially important when you’re trying to take time to do something for yourself during the workday. Schedule your lunch workout like a meeting, and don’t cancel on yourself unless you’re in really dire circumstances. You are worth it, and it’ll get easier with time. We are always here to help, be it through custom programming or general words of encouragement.

Yoga: Your Friday Detox

Fitness, Training

Yoga: Your Friday Detox

Feeling like you need a long break after this week? Yoga is the secret to a great Friday detox routine. Many have discovered this, but have you?
Over 5,000 years ago, yoga was developed by the Indus-Sarasvati culture. The original purpose of this practice was to develop a habit of meditating. This way people could create physical strength and stamina that allowed the mind to remain calm in many situations. This powerful method of relaxation is what led to what we use today to exercise the body. The history of yoga makes it more than a meditation outlet. It makes it a way of releasing tension not only from our bodies but also from our spiritual lives.
However, the great thing about yoga is that if you are not into the spiritual benefits of it, there is a long list of benefits that can help your overall health and performance.
One of this benefits is improving your flexibility. Flexibility is extremely important because it lowers the chance of injuries and increases physical performance. Stretching can also increase the blood flow in the body and overall nutrients absorbed by your muscles. This type of coordination can improve reaction times, memory and IQ scores. This is due to the action of clearing your mind during a long period.
Through the different yoga motions and sequences, your heart rate tends to increase. This type of reaction is beneficial to your endurance and resting heart rate. As your body adjusts to the movements, these workouts can increase muscle strength on your back. This is important to ensure that you maintain good posture during your workout, especially when lifting heavy weights.
Other studies made by the University of Wisconsin have shown that the prefrontal cortex showed more activity during a yoga session, which can lead to a better mood. These types of reactions your body has can also help you sleep, which leads to being less tiered and stressed.
Now that you know what yoga can do for you, don’t miss out on all the benefits this practice has to offer not only for your physical endurance but also for a better healthy lifestyle.
We hope to see you during our Happy Hour Yoga Fridays at 5:30 p.m.

How to Break a Plateau

Diet, Fitness, Training

 

Plateaus happen when the body begins to adjust to the demands your exercise routine requires of it. Once your body adapts to a fitness routine, you’re not likely to see many benefits until you make adjustments that force your body to move and work in new and exciting ways. Here’s some reasons you may be stuck in a plateau and how to break the pattern:

 

  1. You’re unsure of what changes to make to your fitness routine
    • Follow a program that is progressive
    • Where should you make adjustments? Try changing your sets, reps, weight, the type of exercise you’re doing, your intensity, or the length of your workout
  2. Training Too Hard
    • Are you trying to push yourself from beginning to end during every workout? Your body has probably adapted to this same intensity even if it still challenging
    • If you’re feeling unmotivated or exhausted, it may be time to take a few days off
  3. You need to pump up your workout
    • On the flip side, an activity that isn’t challenging you probably isn’t going to give desired results. Sweat sessions like HIIT or a circuit training class can be a valuable departure from your typical workout
  4. It’s time to work with a trainer
    • If you’ve tried everything to bust through your exercise plateau without success,a personal training is another valuable tool. Even if you can’t afford a trainer on a consistent basis, periodically scheduling a session with an expert can give you fresh ideas, improve your form, help you strategize to achieve your fitness goals, and hold you accountable to your workout schedule
  5. You’re not keeping tabs of your nutrition
    • The kinds of foods you eat could be halting your momentum. Try using a food diary to record how you feel after eating certain meals. A few sessions with a nutritionist can also help you find the right blend of protein, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, and carbs to create energy-packed meals and snacks to support your fitness goals
  6. You don’t get enough sleep
    • Sleep and fitness go hand-in-hand, so losing sleep can sabotage your diet. To keep the hormones that signal hunger in check. Poor sleep also means you’re less likely to have energy to make it to the gym or the necessary rest needed for your muscles to adequately recover. Bottom line: Your sleep schedule should be as important for seeing workout results as your actual fitness plan
  7. Your goals aren’t realistic
    • Keep things in perspective. Find activities that fit your lifestyle and that you enjoy doing. If you hate running, that’s probably not going to be the exercise that promotes positive change in your life
    • Before you push yourself too hard at a workout you’ve never tried before, start with a beginner class and learn the basics. Don’t hesitate to ask for help or modifications if something doesn’t feel right to you.

 

Remember: your goal is to overcome a plateau and enhance your fitness, not injure yourself or reach a state of burnout!

Why You Should Take Rest Days

Fitness

 

Rest Days. Take a moment to ask yourself how many days off you take each week. I don’t mean doing cardio for 30 minutes, I mean completely off. You may be the ambitious type who’s in the gym every day, sometimes more than once. If you’re feeling burned out, unmotivated, or are not performing well, consider adding more rest to your schedule.
Here’s a few reasons why:

 

● Your muscles grow when you rest. Lifting creates micro tears in muscle fibers that repair during rest. This is when your muscles become stronger. Yes, it’s important to work your muscles hard but it’s equally as important to give your body enough time to recover.
● More free time. Hitting the gym for lengthy workouts every day is a big time commitment. It’s important to make time for other quality-of-life boosters too, such as hanging out with friends and family, learning something new, and having “me” time.
● Less moodiness. Exercise can be a potent anti-depressant but too much can have the opposite effect, causing anxiety over demanding workout schedules and feeling run down.
● More energy throughout the day. If you’re crashing in the afternoon or dragging during the day because you’re so tired and sore you can barely move, you’re doing too much.
● Better quality of sleep. If you need excessive sleep to fuel your workouts or are unable to sleep even when you’re very tired, both are indicators that something is wrong.
● Avoiding burnout. We all have limited resources: time, energy, money, physical reserves. Spending too much of them on exercise can lead to burnout. Exercise is a lifelong pursuit, and it should make you happy. Find a balance that works for you and your life.

 

If you’re worried about losing strength or gaining fat during rest periods, consider this: If you spend 11.5 months out of the year getting in shape, how much fitness can you honestly lose in 5-14 days? Very very little. In fact, you’ll probably come back stronger than before. Even in terms of fat loss, you can still get lean when taking a break from training if you keep an eye on your caloric intake.

 

Strategically training around rest periods:
Deload. Almost all athletes take periods in their training to reduce one or all of the following factors: volume, intensity, and frequency. Typically, you’ll want to train intensely for 3-6 weeks then take a deload week. In addition to deloading, it is recommended to take a full week off from training after every 3 cycles (18-24 weeks) of continuous training. Longer cycles of 16-18 weeks are often followed by periods of 5-10 days completely off from training.

 

During this time, make it a priority to do something completely different. Stay out of the weight room, do bodyweight circuits in the park, hike, or swim. Don’t be afraid to do some easy training every 3-4 months to give your body and mind a break, you won’t lose anything and you may find that you gain a lot (both physically and psychologically) when you come back to the gym.

GNC Live Well Liberty Mile

Uncategorized

Running marathons can seem like an impossible feat, but for some, running a 5K can also be terrifying. The long distances can sometimes prevent you from signing up for a race. But, if you’re ready to dip your toes in the water and sign up for a race, the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile is the perfect option.

This one-mile course occurs in the heart of the Cultural District. The race starts on Penn Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Street and finishes near Triangle Park.

 

This race is designed as an activity to do with friends and family – even the young runners in training!

 

If you are still feeling nervous, even after training hard, the Steel City Road Runners are hosting Liberty Mile Time Trials. This way you can assure yourself you’re ready to go when the big day comes.

 

If you still don’t feel comfortable, you can sign-up as a volunteer, or swing by to watch 2016 defending champions Heather Kampf and Ben Blankenship.

 

After all races are complete, awards will be given based on chip time per age categories. Starting with 13-years-old and under through 80-years-old and over.

 

The event takes place July 28 and the schedule is:

  • 7:00 PM – One for Fun presented by Fleet Feet; Pup Trot presented by Humane Animal Rescue
  • 7:25 PM – Kids of STEEL
  • 7:50 PM – Masters presented by UPMC Health Plan
  • 8:00 PM – Unstoppable presented by Fleet Feet Sports
  • 8:10 PM – Pro Women presented by GNC Live Well
  • 8:20 PM – Pro Men presented by GNC Live Well

 

Don’t forget to stick around after to enjoy free beer and celebrate your accomplishments. All you have to do is show your race bib tear off at the participating restaurants. These include Harris Grill Downtown and BRGR Downtown.

 

For more information, check out their website: http://libertymile.org/

Workout Wednesday – Mini AMRAP

Diet, Fitness, Uncategorized

 

We’ve gotten a lot of requests for workouts you can do from anywhere now that summer is here. Whether you’re vacationing by the lake with family or traveling to the desert for work, you’ll want to keep getting your workouts in and might not have access to a lot of equipment. We’re here to help! Here’s an all bodyweight workout you can do, with some special stipulations to make it as challenging as you need it to be as you go!

 

You’ll be doing a total of four mini AMRAP workouts. AMRAPs mean “as many rounds as possible,” so you’ll want to keep a pen and paper nearby to keep track of your progress. The only other thing you’ll need is a stopwatch!

 

Each AMRAP round will last 5 minutes, and you’ll take a 2-minute break between each one. The workout looks like this:

5 Reverse Lunges (per leg)
10 Squat Jacks
20 Mountain Climbers
30 Jumping Jacks

 

You’ll get as many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes, then rest. For each successive round, you’ll try to add 5 reps to each movement. So round 2 would look like this:

10 Reverse Lunges (per leg)
15 Squat Jacks
25 Mountain Climbers
35 Jumping Jacks

And so on! This will get very difficult by the end, so try to pace yourself a bit and keep water nearby!

We love to see how you get your workouts in when you’re not at the gym, so tag @UnionFitnessPGH on Instagram with your workout videos!