All posts by rnagy

New Staff Spotlight – Jen

State of the Union

Hi Everyone! My name is Jen Norton, and I am the newest addition to the team here at Union Fitness. Although I was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, I spent much of my childhood bouncing around between different parts of the country. By the time I was starting kindergarten, my family and I had lived in 4 different cities across 3 states. I spent most of my elementary school years growing up under the Arizona sun in the suburbs of Phoenix before my family relocated for a final time. This time to the sprawling suburbia of of North Texas where I graduated from high school alongside over 800 of my fellow classmates – a class so large I remember asking myself “who the heck is that?” on more than one occasion as names were read out at our graduation ceremony. After graduating high school, I moved across the country to attend the University of Pittsburgh. A Class of Covid graduate, I earned my B.A. in political science in 2020 and have been a proud resident of Pittsburgh’s North Side and member of Union Fitness ever since.

 

Growing up, my parents put my older brother and I in just about every sport under the sun. From soccer to gymnastics to ballet to swimming to karate, I tried pretty much anything I saw my brother doing. I fell in love with gymnastics and ended up dedicating 15 years of my life to the sport before an onslaught of poorly timed injuries ended my dreams of college gymnastics at age 18. As it would turn out, coming up short of my goal would be just the stroke of luck I needed to fall in love with a new sport. I discovered powerlifting during my freshman year in college, and now 6 years later, I am still proudly obsessed with picking up heavy circles.

 

Since competing in my first meet back in January of 2018, powerlifting has introduced me to a whole plethora of kind people from all over the country and even from around the world. It has helped me form a unique connection with my body and allowed me to cultivate a passion for inclusivity in fitness spaces. I truly can’t wait to meet even more friendly community members as a staff member here at Union Fitness!

 

Here are a few random fun facts about me that I couldn’t figure out how to neatly fit into this bio:

  • I am obsessed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • I am an avid home baker and like to spend what little free time I have developing new recipes
  • I love to travel and have been to 5 countries and 32 different states. My favorite place I have ever visited is Iceland!

 

Stick to the Plan

Uncategorized

Do you ever get bored in the gym? Hit a plateau? Show up with no plan?

 

Far too often, we find ourselves scrolling social media and getting caught up in influencers workouts on Instagram and tiktok. This makes us want to get up and go to the gym, which is a good thing, but it can lead to a lot of confusion. The result is you show up to the gym with no plan, just some stuff you saw on Instagram which is specific to someone else’s plan. You end up doing their workout , then the next day you do another different one, then another, the cycle continues. This leads to no linear progress in the gym and constant novelty. How can we solve this problem? How can we break strength plateaus?

 

Set a goal, one that is specific. An example would be: I want to increase my bench press by about 20lbs by the end of the month. 

 

The proper approach to this would be to set up a training block of about 4 weeks, the idea is you do the same movements for 4 weeks and get better both physically and mentally. 

 

  • Bench Press 5,3,2,1 (Set of 5, set of 3, set of 2, set of 1) (Increasing the weight every time)
  • DB incline Press 3 x 8-10  (Secondary bench)
  • BB Row 3 x 6-10 (Heavy Rows)
  • Chest fly 3 x 10-15 
  • Heavy tricep Ext. 3 x 6-10
  • Rear delts 3 x 10-15

Pick a day of the week to be your bench press day, and execute this plan for 4 weeks straight increasing the weight a small amount (5 to 10 lbs) each session! 

 

Give this a try for your bench day for at least a month, let me know if you get stronger! The same method can be applied to anything. 

 

Come to the gym prepared. Stick to the plan.

 

  • Michael Dowling 4.13.23

Love At First Box Squat

Fitness, Training

Unioners, sing with me the classic box squat song!

 

Box Squats are rad, box squats are fun, remember that time you squatted a ton! All you do is find a box, bench, or a couple mats, then go ahead and slowly sit your buttocks back. You can use your bodyweight, kettlebells and even a barbell would be great. Go ahead and ask your friend to a box squat date. Box squatting with a friend is always so nice, with them at your back, go ahead and hit that weight twice. Beware the dreaded box squat plop, if you do this too long, you will feel like slop. Box Squats teach you to keep your position big and proud, so when you gently sit on that box, you’re floating on clouds. With the box beneath you you’ll always hit the depth mark. Keep on box squatting and you’ll have bigger glutes and hams than a shark. Set the box higher if you can’t go too low, then overtime your technique will grow. For all my Bill Nye science folks the box squat breaks the eccentric concentric chain which helps us have a giant jolt from the stop to start position. From beginner to professional everyone should try the box squat. So now come on over to Union and let’s rock.  Remember, I love the box squat and so should you, but please make sure you tie your shoe.

 

To learn more about the box squat, its variations, and the benefits, please swing down to Union and let’s get bumpy.

 

-CeJ

“Sun’s Out Guns Out”

Life Health, Training

With the warm weather basically already here, I’m going to share with you my favorite “sun’s out guns out” training session!

1 1/2 Close grip bench press:

Set yourself up how you would do on a regular bench press but in this instance you’re going to place your hands close to the smooth part of the bar. Now you don’t want to have your hand very close because you’ll lose force output and it’s going to create unnecessary discomfort within your wrist. Once you’re all set up, you’ll go down all the way, come back up 1/2 way, come back down then come up all the way, that will be one rep for a total of 6 reps.

 

Spider Curls:

For this you’ll bring a bench up to an incline, you’ll put your chest on the bench with your arms dangling the side of the bench. From that chest supported position, you’ll curl your arms up and turn your wrist out as you curl then bring them down for total of 12 reps

 

Lateral raise super set:

Many of you have probably done this movement but this time you’ll do 1/2 lateral raise for 10 reps, then full lateral raise for 10 reps, and finally raise the weight to the top and you’ll do pulses for 10 reps. Make sure you take a little bit of a break after each set because these are a burner.

 

Rear Delt super set:

On this movement you’ll hinge at your hip, and with your palms facing your body you’ll raise the weight to the side then control on the way down do this for 15 reps. After that, you’ll grab a band raise it to chest

level and you’ll pull the band part like you want to rip it apart, do this for 30 reps.

 

Hanging Leg raises:

You have probably done this movement before but for this one you’ll hang on pull up bar like normally do for this movement and raise your legs for legs for as many reps as you can then on the last rep you’ll hold legs at the top for as long as you can.

 

For sets make them 3-4 sets, turn the burners on and let’s cookin!!!

 

-Dahveed Jorge

New Staff Spotlight – Justin

State of the Union

Hi Everyone! My name is Justin Zak and while I just started working here at Union, I’ve been a member since 2017. I’ve lived most of my life in Pittsburgh, going to Allderdice High School and then Washington & Jefferson College. Growing up I played almost every sport imaginable, but decided to focus solely on baseball when I started high school. Working out usually goes hand in hand with sports once you reach a certain age, and I started my freshman year after breaking my leg in the second game of the season. I would awkwardly crutch down to the small weight room in our neighborhood community center and my dad would run through simple workouts with me, teaching me the proper form, rep schemes, and different exercises…I’ve been hooked ever since.

 

I solely worked out to hone my craft and become the best baseball player I could be. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that my training started to become more powerlifting focused and it’s been that way to this day. I’m so thankful to have found Union Fitness right after I graduated from college in 2017. I was welcomed with open arms and everyone was so helpful right away. I finally found the lifting community I was looking for. I’ve done three meets so far, met a ton of amazing people, and formed great friendships. I’ve learned so much about training, both the physical and the mental aspects. I’m excited to now be working here with an incredible staff and looking forward to meeting even more awesome people!

 

A couple of fun facts about me:

  • I love to travel and have been to over 20 countries
  • I lived in Australia for two years
  • I’m a twin, but we look nothing alike
  • I’m getting married to my amazing fiancé Stephanie (who is also a twin!!) in September this year

 

Justin

Push/Pull Meet Commands and Rules

Fitness, Training

Hello everyone! We have our annual Push/Pull meet approaching on April 23rd at 10am. Here are the rules if you are unfamiliar with how a meet is typically ran.

 

Bench Press Rules-

  1. Feet must remain in contact with the floor during the bench press.
  2. Butt must remain on the bench during the bench press.
  3. Lifter will receive 3 commands. The first command will be the “start” command where the lifter will start the descent of the lift and pause on their chest to wait for the 2nd Then the lifter will receive the 2ndcommand of “press” where the lifter will then press the weight off their chest and lockout their elbows. Lastly, the lifter will receive their 3rd command of “rack” where the lifter will then rack the weight back into the bench hooks.

 

Deadlift Rules-

  1. Lifter will assume deadlift position of conventional or sumo.
  2. Lifter will then lift the weight off the floor until they lock their knees at the top with their shoulders back. The lifter will then receive the “down” command where the lifter will then lower the weight back to the floor safely.

After each lift is done, 3 referees will give you a good lift or a bad lift. A bad lift will signify the color red and a good lift will signify the color white. If the lifter receives 2/3 good lifts from the referees then the lifter has a good lift and the weight will count towards their total. A lifter will receive a bad lift if they do not follow any of the rules stated above or does not complete the lift.

 

We hope to see you all there!

 

Team UF

Spice Up Your Training

Fitness, Training

I’ve recently been brainstorming new ways to keep my time in the gym and my training interesting. One of my current goals is to improve my exercise capacity (the maximum amount of physical exertion that a person can sustain) and be able to train harder and longer without quickly fatiguing. So, I’ve personally been thinking of ways to do this without becoming instantly bored. However, these are some generic ways that can also be applied to other goals and might even relate to your own personal goals:

 

  • Add variations to your typical routine – change up your resistance by substituting exercises using kettlebells, medicine balls, your own body weight, etc. Other variations might include increasing the number of sets and reps that you do, decreasing rest times in between sets, using paused or faster reps, etc. Check out a HIIT session a few times a week just to see what it’s like. Trying to do at least one thing different is a good way to start and maybe find a new exercise variation you enjoy.

 

  • Find a group fitness class to help inspire you to get to the gym and start moving. Sometimes training on your own just isn’t enough. Having that strong and supportive community is such a great way to increase motivation to come to the gym instead of dreading it. Check out one of our awesome group fitness classes here at UF. The first class is always on us, and we know you’ll love it! If classes aren’t your thing, finding a training partner and someone to help hold you accountable would also be beneficial.

 

  • Compete with yourself. Try to get to the gym one more day than you did last week. Hit that lift that didn’t feel so great last week and challenge yourself to make it better. Maybe spend a little extra time warming up/cooling down or add a little bit of cardio to your session.

 

  • Create a brand-new playlist. I was talking with April recently about what type of music that we listen to when we train, and the topic of becoming bored with listening to the same songs came up. Step away from your typical music taste and check out some new genres. It may take some time but creating a new playlist might get you hyped up for your next workout and help to keep it interesting.

 

  • Go outdoors and take a hike, find, and climb some stairs, ride a bike or anything that might get your heart rate up and endorphins running.

 

Please let me know if you have any other ideas to add to the list, or if you get to try any of them out! I am always looking for ways to stay motivated and have fun while in the gym.

 

Toria

State of the Union

State of the Union

A few times a year I want to give each of you an update on all that is going on here at the U. Here is my state of the union address, and hopefully it will give you some insight into what is happening here at the U.

 

Spring is now upon us and we have some exciting events coming up as the weather warms.

  1. Northside’s Strongest Bench Press/Deadlift Competition. This is our yearly in-house push pull competition. This year the competition will take place on Sunday, April 23rd. Weigh ins will be from 8:30-9:30. Rules clinic at 9:45 with lifting beginning at 10 AM. To sign up, go to our website and scroll to April 23rd. The cost is 25 dollars for this event and we will be donating to a local nonprofit. Our intern Eddie is working hard on finding the right local nonprofit as we speak.
  2. Vote for the U. We are a finalist for Best of the Burgh inPittsburgh Magazine. If you think we are the best, then please go vote for us. To vote, just click on the link and scroll down to health and fitness. Union Fitness is the last gym on the list.
  3. WRPF Iron City Open. Powerlifting is back this summer at the U. This meet is sold out for competitors, but we will have tons of room for you to come watch the lifting and visit our vendors.
  4. CJ’s bootcamp series. CJ is working on setting up his bootcamps around the city. Once again he will be teaming up with some of the finest breweries, bars, and any other place that will have him. Dates to be released soon.
  5. Two final events we are working on without having final details yet are, UF Pride Night and our UF Suicide Prevention Night. We have done a Pride night for 3 years and are happy to be planning one again this year. The Suicide Prevention Night is still in the works and will be late summer. We are working with a local nonprofit on this and are hopefully to make this a yearly event as well.

 

Thanks for following along with a run down of happenings here at the U.

 

Hamer

New Ryde Instructor Spotlight – Marlee

State of the Union, Uncategorized

Hi, I’m Marlee Musico! My interest in indoor cycling classes started about 15 years ago when I was a student at Slippery Rock University. However, I became a more avid indoor/outdoor cyclist when I signed up for my first triathlon in 2018 and heavily relied on attending classes several times per week to supplement my training. When Union Fitness added the Ryder bikes last year, it was perfect timing for me to quit my big box gym membership, join UF, and incorporate Ryde classes into tri training. 

 

The Ryde instructors quickly captivated me with their high energy and creative class structure. I’m humbled to join their team! After having an indoor cycling instructor certification go unused for four years, I decided I would give it a go when a new instructor position became available. I’m having a lot of fun creating playlists, planning the choreography, and meeting so many new faces. You can catch me on Sunday mornings at 9am. I hope to see you in class!

 

Marlee

How You Can Support Women’s Sports

Life Health, Training

In honor of Women’s Month, I thought I would give you all some ways you can actively support women’s sports. One of the most important ways is to actively work on changing the conversation. This includes thinking about how we speak on the world of sports with others. For example, with it being March Madness time, when somebody asks you about your bracket just by saying “men’s or women’s bracket?” we can change the conversation and build awareness. Here is the link to fill out your own bracket for the Women’s NCAA tournament, 2023 Division I Women’s Basketball Official Bracket | NCAA.com .

 

Another very easy way we can support is by sharing posts on social media. Instagram and Twitter are a great way to market. Just by sharing a female athlete’s post, game schedule, or highlight reel, you can help them reach an even larger audience. Using your platform to openly support women’s sports can make a much bigger difference than you may think.

 

Another active way you can support women’s sports is by attending games or watching them on tv. Look up your local women’s sports team schedules at all levels, you may have a professional women’s team in your city and never have realized it! There is also a TV network called Women’s Sports Network. The Women’s Sports Network is a free, ad-supported, 24/7 streaming destination available on Amazon Freevee, FuboTV, LG Channels on LG Smart TVs, Local Now, Plex, Sports.tv, Tubi and Xumo that spotlight women’s sports content. To find out more visit The Wait is Over, The Women’s Sports Network Has Arrived (prnewswire.com) .

 

You can also volunteer as a coach for teams like girls flag football at your local school, volunteer as a line judge for volleyball tournaments, or even help set up for their home sporting events. A good resource to find these opportunities can be found at Get Involved with SportsPITTSBURGH – Visit Pittsburgh. Or reach out to your local schools to see where you can be of help. One of the biggest ways you can help out women’s sports is also by supporting their fundraisers, or becoming a sponsor, whether it is you personally or if you are a business owner. This can benefit both parties, it is a great marketing opportunity for the sponsors and can help fund a women’s sports team’s travel and other expenses.

 

If you ever have any questions about how you can get more involved and support women in sports, feel free to ask me the next time you see me at Union Fitness!

 

Maria