All posts by rnagy

Importance of Mobility

Fitness, Life Health, Training

What is mobility and why is it important? When it comes to a definition, mobility can be defined as potential for movement or the ability to get from one place to another. In other words, the ability to move with purpose. However, in the fitness world, mobility is commonly thought of as a person’s range of motion or flexibility. Words like external rotation, internal rotation, sit and reach, abduction, adduction or other fitness related terms are commonly thrown around to describe a person’s mobility. But what is the obsession with mobility and how does it impact us as humans?

 

In short, without mobility, we cannot move our bodies the way they were intended to move. For example, if a powerlifter has poor ankle mobility, then they may be unable to squat to proper depth. This lack of mobility in the ankle can lead to a compensation in other parts of the body that can lead to larger problems. In a worst-case scenario, it can lead to a severe injury or possibly a major setback in a person’s training.

 

At the end of the day, if you do not use it then you lose it. Staying active, exercising, stretching, and moving our bodies the way they were intended to move leads to a more pain-free joyful life. So if you have spare time during the day, take the time to do some mobility exercises that will keep you moving through your older years. Down below are some of the stretches and exercises that I have begun to incorporate more into my daily life if you want to give them a shot!

 

  1. Deep Squat- Sitting into a deep body weight squat
  2. 90/90s with a reach
  3. Scapular Wall Slides (aka Wall Angels)
  4. Knee Dips from a Deep Squat Position
  5. Shoulder CAR’s
  6. Hip CAR’s
  7. Thread the Needle
  8. T-Spine Wall Rotation
  9. Childs Pose
  10. Cat Cow
  11. Prone Press-Up

 

Zain

Busy Weekend and Updates at UF

Uncategorized

This weekend we are happy to be hosting two great events. First we will have the WRPF here for the Iron City Open. This event will take place all day Saturday. Then on Sunday we will be hosting our Gay 4 Good Yoga fundraiser. Below I will answer any questions about this week for both our members as well as visitors to UF.

 

 

  1. Where do I park? Street parking is always a good option. We also have a parking garage that you can pay for under UF. Either way there should be ample parking, even with a Pirate game and arts fest happening.
  2. Will the gym be open for members? Yes. The gym will have normal business hours. There will be some disruption to class schedules. Check MindBody for class changes. There will be some equipment from the strength lab that will be used for the meet.
  3. What are these events? The Iron City Open is a powerlifting meet that sold out months ago. You can still come have fun and watch the competition. The Yoga is a fundraiser for Gay 4 Good. There is still time to register and participate with this fun event.
  4. Are these events free? The meet is a ten dollar entry fee. CJ is currently working to find an animal rights group to make a donation to with some of the money. The Yoga event is free, yet they ask you to bring a donation the list of items on the their website. 
  5. Who are these events open to? You and all your friends! Both of these events will have fun for everyone. The meet will have a coffee truck, vendors with food, music and many weights will be moved by the competitors.  The Yoga is for all levels.

 

Any other questions you have? Just ask us. We are here to serve you and to make this weekend one of the best in the history of the U.

 

Todd Hamer

Hamer’s B Day Trip

Fitness, Life Health

We each celebrate our birthdays in our own unique ways. Some people party, some people eat cake, I ride my bike. Today, I hope you will take a trip with me on my bike (figuratively and maybe one day literally). This year my good friend Nick Showman decided to jump in on the ride with me.

 

I began riding multi-day rides in 2010 when my father and I decided to ride from my house in Pittsburgh to his house in DC. I have basically done this ride or a similar ride every year since. Every year I consider not doing it and then someone calls and asks if I’ll ride with them and then I am back. This year I decided to do something different. The plan was to ride from my house in Sewickley to the Montour Trail, ride all the mountain biking trails off the Montour Trail. Finally, ending in West Newtown, PA off the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). I could not do this ride because a tunnel on the Montour Trail is closed.

 

The new route I picked was to take the T from the North Side to South Park. Ride the fun trails of South Park, take the connector trail from the park to the Montour Trail. From there I would follow the GAP to West Newton. This reduced my trip from 80+ miles to 50ish miles. The next day I planned to ride to Ohiopyle, spend Saturday hanging out there. Sunday I was to wake up and ride the 80 back to the Northside.

 

This ride would be different as it involved both mountain biking and trail riding. The highlights of the ride were the awesome camp site at the GAP Trail Campground. I highly recommend this spot! West Newton also has a great bike shop that did a great job fixing up Nick’s bike. Ohiopyle was the same beautiful place it always is. The only negative thing was service for our food was not good (to be fair it was Memorial Day weekend). Sunday was a lovely 80 mile cruise back to Pgh. It was great to get in and see the city alive with the beginning of summer. The beer at Federal Galley was also a perfect way to end this adventure.

 

I write this blog to remind you that challenges are all around us. We can go do things or we become shells of humans. My advice is take the ride, read the book, and do something, anything! I am also inviting you to ride with me next year. Toria has already said she is in for next year.

 

Hamer

 

Progressive Overload

Fitness, Training

If you do any kind of strength training, you’ve probably heard the term “progressive overload” before. The simple definition of progressive overload is increasing the intensity of your workouts gradually over time to challenge your body to work harder than what it’s used to.

 

You might ask yourself how do I know when I’m ready to increase the intensity of my training sessions? A good rule of thumb is that when you complete a set of an exercise and you feel like you have some left in the tank, you know you’re ready to up the intensity a bit. Increasing the intensity of your workout can mean several different things, but below are the most common:

 

  1. Increase number of reps
  • Instead of 10 reps, try 11, and so on.
  • If you’re looking to focus more on strength, don’t worry so much about this. You’ll want to focus more on increasing the weight (#3).

 

  1. Increase number of sets
  • Instead of 3 sets, try 4, and so on.

 

  1. Increase the weight
  • Try not to jump in and add too much weight too quickly. Start light and easy and work your way up.
  • An example of this – I have been benching 75lbs with a chain on each side the past few weeks, and it started to move quicker and better. So, I decided to add 5lbs, making it 80lbs plus a chain and that was a solid way to start progressing to a more challenging weight for me.

 

  1. Increase the frequency of your sessions
  • Add another day or two into your typical schedule.

 

  1. Select harder variations (tempo (time under tension) or positioning)
  • An example might be doing tempo squats or pushups from the ground vs a bar/bench.

 

  1. Decrease rest time between sets
  • Challenge the body to work when it wants to rest. This can help increase endurance and also cardiovascular fitness.

 

You won’t want to utilize all 6 of these all during one training session. Try to focus on one of these variables at a time so you don’t confuse your body.

 

If you’re a beginner, you will notice that you can progressively overload at a faster rate. However, after a while when your body becomes more well adapted to exercise, your progress will become slower. You might even plateau, which is totally normal in training and there are ways to overcome it.

 

Without overloading and challenging the muscles to do more than what they’re used to, there are no adaptations. When we challenge the body, it responds over time.

 

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all method for using progressive overload. You will have to figure out what kind of training works best for you and your goals!

 

Toria

Meet the Interns – Sydney

State of the Union

Hello! My name is Sydney Libell. I started my internship with Union Fitness this month. I am from Cranberry Township, and I am a sophomore at Penn State. I’m studying for my bachelors in kinesiology and looking into multiple different career paths! I’ve been working out for about six years and lifting for three. My hobbies outside of lifting include being outside, spontaneous adventures, cooking, playing with my dog, and much more.

I found out about Union Fitness after Todd Hamer came to PSU. He came to a Kinesiology Club meeting and talked about UF. I knew I wanted to start interning this summer and I have had a couple gyms on my list. Once Todd came in, I knew I was pretty much set on wanting to come and learn more from the trainers at Union.

I grew up limited to a small community due to my parents sending me to a private school. Since being in college and having opportunities like my internship at Union Fitness allows me to see more into the real world. I appreciate so much about how different everyone can be. My favorite thing since my 2 weeks of being here is that our personal trainers get matched to their clients based off interest and goals and not just so someone can have a client. Working well with people is so important and shadowing different trainers allows for much more appreciation for Union.

My goal this summer is to learn as much as I can about programming, mobility, teaching, and more. I’m happy to be a part of this little community here at Union Fitness.

 

Sydney

Happenings at UF

State of the Union

Summer is closing in on us and here at UF we love to do outdoor events in the summer. Most of our great outdoor event ideas are led by Captain Bumps himself, CeJ. CeJ and Toria had a bootcamp with our friends at Allegheny City Brewery last weekend. We have many more fun things to come. Without further ado here is a short list of events that we will be having this summer, and I am sure this list will grow.

 

June 2nd join us for First FREITAG on East Ohio St. This is the Northside’s first Friday celebration. CeJ will be out there with with his new wheel of exercises.

 

June 10th powerlifting is back at the U. We will be hosting another meet all day on June 10th, this will be similar to the meets we have had in the past. We are happy to team with WRPF on this and hope you stop by to see some strong lifters.

 

June 11th we will be teaming up with Gay for Good, for a Yoga event. We will do some Yoga, raise money and awareness for LGBTQ causes, then maybe enjoy a libation at Federal Galley.

 

June 25th we will be on the streets as a sponsor for Open Streets with our friends from Bike  PGH. Open Streets is a must see summer event in PGH and we hope to see you there.

 

That is the June list, and I will add one more event as it will be bigger and better than ever. United Not Divided workout will return to the U on July 23rd with our friends from LEG1ON Training and Performance, as well as 6 other gyms. Keep an eye out for this one.

 

Hamer

Presence in the Gym

Fitness, Life Health, Training

I want to start off by stating that being in the gym in the first place is an accomplishment in itself. There are many people today that view exercise as a chore, unneeded, or a waste of time. However, the fact that you are showing up is half the battle and you should pat yourself on the back for doing so. Nevertheless, that brings me to my point about what you are doing with the other half of the battle. Often times, I see people exercising that are not fully present during their exercise regimen. They may be socializing for far too long, constantly checking their phone, or going through the motions. I am not naïve to the fact that there are days where going through motions may be all you can muster. Life throws curveballs at us all and may leave us drained for our workouts. Despite life’s obstacles, if you aren’t too strained, then I challenge you to try to be more present in the gym. Accomplishing your goals is one of the most rewarding things you can do in life and will ultimately provide you with more happiness. Down below are some of the things you could apply at the gym to remain more present.

 

  • Do not use your phone while you are at the gym. Consider investing in another form of music like an IPOD
  • If you need to use your phone, then avoid using all social media while you are at the gym. If you need to record your videos, then do so and put your phone down afterwards
  • If you socialize at the gym or have a large social life at the gym, then consider only socializing before or after you exercise. This will keep you concentrated at the task at hand
  • Time your rest periods. This will prevent you from resting too long and losing focus
  • Create a before workout ritual. This could be jamming to your favorite songs on the way to the gym or listening to motivational videos. For me, I just force myself to get moving by doing some dynamic mobility. Dynamic mobility isn’t too strenuous and I have noticed that it puts me in the best mood to exercise
  • Come with a plan. Whether it is doing cardio, yoga, weight training, or a program. Have a goal in mind for that session so that you have something to execute on

 

Next time you are in the gym, try some of these tips. You may leave the gym a little more satisfied or happier. As always, keep crushing your goals and moving on to the next one. If you do use any of these points and see me around at Union then please let me know how it went!

 

-Z Trainz

The Art of The Deadlift

Fitness, Training

What’s up UF! I hope your week has been off to a strong start.

 

Today I want to briefly talk about my personal favorite lift, the conventional deadlift. It seems that the deadlift has the reputation of being most people’s least favorite lift. However, I am one of those oddballs who loves it and how strong it makes me feel. To have a strong deadlift, you want to make sure that your form is correct, and that you leave little room for any error. Since I only use conventional form, I wanted to touch on the set up and the performance of this specific lifting form.

 

To start, when it comes to finding your stance on the platform, it is completely up to you. If you are unsure of where your feet should be placed, there are ways that you can test out what might feel right for you. One of these ways is the pullup bar test. This involves just hanging from the pullup bar and then dropping down from it to see where your feet land, and then using that measured distance as your deadlift stance.

 

Once you find that stance, you will need to find the correct starting position for the bar. Typically for me, I have the bar straight across the middle of my shoelaces. This seems to work out the best, because if you position the bar too far out in front of you, this will cause your hips to rise too quickly when you start, and you will fall out of your form immediately. If it is positioned too close to your shins, you will end up propelling the bar away from you when you reach down to start the pull. If the bar is positioned straight across the middle of your shoelaces, when you go to reach down for the bar, your shins should touch the bar, but they shouldn’t push it away from you.

 

When your stance and the bar are all set, next is finding out where to put your hands/arms and your head positioning. When it comes to the conventional deadlift, you want your hands/arms to stay close to your legs, but not directly up against them (right outside of the legs is a good spot and encourages you to keep your chest up throughout the lift). You will want to keep your head in a neutral position throughout the lift as well. You don’t want it facing down as that might cause you to round your shoulders and lose your positioning.

 

After your set-up is all good to go, it’s time to brace and pick that weight up off the ground. Once you brace, you will want to tuck your lats into your back pockets (in other words, pull the slack out of the bar and then think about pulling those lats together and down), keep that chest up, and your head position neutral. Push your feet down through the floor and pull yourself and that weight up while keeping that bar nice and close to you (my shins have bruises and scrapes on them from the many deadlifts I have done and that just means that I am keeping that bar close to my body throughout the entire lift). I like to think of my arms as hooks while deadlifting. You don’t want to bend them or move them throughout the lift, they are only there as hooks to hold onto the bar while you are lifting that weight off the ground.

 

And there you have it; this is a basic guideline for the setup to a conventional deadlift and how to execute it properly. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me directly or ask any of our other team members/trainers here at UF 🙂

 

Toria

Things You Should Know in the Gym

Life Health

For today’s blog I am going to review a few different things you should know. It is imperative that we review the basics in all aspects of our lives. Today I am going to give you a short list of some basics we should all know if we train.

 

  1. 3,500 Kcals is equal to one pound. What this means in practical terms is that if you wish to lose one pound you must find a 3,500 calorie deficit. If you wish to gain one pound you must have a 3,500 calorie surplus.
  2. Set point theory. The premise here is that your body is comfortable at it’s current weight, and doesn’t want to change. This ties closely to point one about calories. While in theory if you burn an additional 3,500 calories in a week you will lose a pound, we know this isn’t true. The body is adaptable and will make up small caloric changes with metabolism. The lesson here is to make sure you doing more than you think you need to, in order to make a positive change.
  3. You have three energy systems and they all need to be trained. First is ATP/PC, this energy system is for an all out sprint and lasts less than ten seconds. Your second is glycolytic and lasts about one minute of intense activity. Finally is aerobic, and this is the one we use when we are either not training or training at a low level intensity. Use each of these systems.
  4. Your core is made up of your entire body. I often hear people talk about training or needing to train their “core.” I am here to tell you that you are training your “core.” Core has become a word to mean abs, or anti-stability exercises. True core exercises are everything from squats, farmer walks, to ab exercises. Train your “core” appropriately.
  5. For the last one I am going to make you feel good. How you approach training matters to how your body responds to that training. All stress is not equal, and if you enjoy what you are doing you will be better and have better results. Find your feel good exercises and do those. This is not limited to the gym, go outside, run, hike, bike, climb, or just walk. If you exercise makes you unhappy there will be no success. Go enjoy your training!

 

I hope some of this helps you as we head into the warm summer months.

 

Hamer

ACB Bootcamp and Beers

Fitness, State of the Union, Training

What is rolling my good party people!

 

It’s that time of year again, where the Pittsburgh Sun is bright, the Allegheny City Beers are cold (and crisp as always), the bootcamps are bootin and we can all come together for the community. That’s right, you heard it here first, it’s Summer Bootcamp time! Go ahead take a few seconds to clean off your screen from spitting your drink of choice all over the place and expelling a celebratory victory screech of excitement, I’ll still be here.

 

Welcome back, folks. Let’s get you some juicy details about this glorious event. We are partnering with our good homies over at Allegheny City Brewery for a 1 hour FREE bootcamp for charity + a beer on Union & ACB. What’s not to like about that?! The free bootcamp will be held on Saturday, May 20th starting at 11am and going until Noon. After that we’ll hang-out at ACB and enjoy their handcrafted nectors of deliciousness while celebrating the good times. For this bootcamp we will be asking for clothing donations to help our Northside neighbors at Light of Life Rescue Mission. Get a head start on your wardrobe clean up and let’s give for good. A reminder that if you are nervous and a little bit hesitant about working out in front of others or that this may be too difficult for you. We are welcoming all levels from beginners to seasoned vets of exercisers and are skilled and educated coaches that can tailor and modify to your specific comfort level. We are all here to promote health, wellness and exercise while supporting our local community businesses and neighbors.

 

Please spread the word and let’s kick off this first summer bootcamp the only way we know how to, Big & Bumpy! You can sign up online on the Union Fitness website under classes or reach out to CJ for this all levels welcomed bootcamp.

 

What: ACB & Union Free Charity Bootcamp & Beers
When: Saturday, May 20th from 11a-Noon
Where: Allegheny City Brewing side parking lot
Why: To promote wellness, celebrate local business and support a good cause
Who: You, your friends, members, non-members, beginners, experts & all who want to have a blast with new & old friends.

 

P.S. If you know any local business or company that would be interested in Union holding a bootcamp at their local, please reach out and let’s get more parties started.

 

Cheers and I hope to see you all very soon.

 

CeJ