All posts by rnagy

Exercise When Life Knocks You Down

Life Health, Training,

This Saturday we are hosting the Kabuki Open and Union Fitness has a strong group of both men and women participating.  Cody and I also planned to compete in this meet together.  This would be my first powerlifting meet in two years and the first time competing in a lighter weight class.  Meet prep was going very well and I was very excited to see how my total compared to previous competitions.  

 

Once in the hospital, though, the thought of competing became so irrelevant.  Truthfully the thought of doing any kind of exercise scared me.  Now that I am home and recovering a little bit more each day Cody and I have started discussing a plan, but it still scares me.  The core controls everything, and right now, I have little to no strength in that area. I am also not allowed to lift more than 10lbs which knocks me down to one of our littlest fatbells.  

 

During this time, I am trying to remind myself that I am going back to the basics.  The VERY basics.  I don’t have a timeline and will more than likely progress as I feel it is time, but I do have a general plan.  Deep breathing causes me to cramp and hurts right now so first and foremost I will be starting with belly breathing.  This is going back to the very beginning and something I have not done in quite a while.  Isometrics like planks and band work will follow.  Walking is still very encouraged so I will continue to make that my main source of daily movement.  I may even start to play around with yoga (Cassie 😊).  This will be a time to regain strength and stability in my core but also a time to explore some avenues of fitness that I never have before.  The fear is turning to excitement and I look forward to what I may learn throughout the process.  

 

You may not find yourself knocked down to the very basics, but situations like this happen to all of us.  Whether a different life event takes over for you, vacation or holidays become the focus, or you simply fall out of routine, there will always be a bump within your training.  It may feel disheartening if you are doing what you love or confusing if you don’t know any other forms of exercise, but either way it will be a lesson that makes you better than before.  There are so many ways to move so I encourage you to play around with different methods when you find yourself in this type of situation.  First and foremost I believe exercise should be enjoyable because all of it will benefit in some way, so next time you find yourself here, make it fun and enjoy the process.     

Hospital Stay

Life Health

Hi everyone – I miss you all!! It has been two weeks since I have been at Union and I wanted to share an update from Cody and myself.  Lots of things in our lives were going very well and our wedding date (September 4th) was quickly approaching.  We were simply bound for a bump in the road.  The reasoning we may never know, but we are nothing short of thankful to be home together again.  

 

Two weeks ago I was driving home from work and had a stomach pain that felt like hunger pain.  I had a snack and prepped dinner for when Cody would come home a few hours later.  I didn’t make it long before I was feeling nauseous and curled up under all our blankets.  By the time Cody got home I was on the bathroom floor and got sick about every hour that night.  Morning came around and I wanted a shower, chicken broth, and a movie day to rest up before normalcy the following day.  By that evening though, my stomach had an awful pain.  We went to the ER where they did minimal tests but said a stomach virus is going around, gave me drugs, and sent me home.  

 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the pain worsened, and nothing made it feel any better.  I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t lay down, and I couldn’t stand up straight.  I slept upright with a fan a foot away from me, a cold rag on my forehead, and a heating pad on my stomach. The sharp pain would come in waves and I would wake up in excruciating pain squeezing Cody’s hand as hard as I could.  My mind kept going back and forth between thinking they missed something and thinking I was the biggest baby with a stomach virus.  

 

Saturday night the pain was the worst it had been and Sunday we decided to go to Urgent Care.  They recommended Pepcid and to call my PCP the following day.  Later that day I was so crippled, and Cody thankfully decided we needed to go back to the ER.  I would have never admitted it, but I knew that was what we needed to do.  

 

This time around we had two amazing doctors that palpated and did the tests we needed.  They came back with urgency in their eyes and said we need to perform an emergency appendectomy.  My appendix had been ruptured probably since the time we came in on Wednesday and my entire abdomen was full of the toxins.  This would be my first surgery and I was so nervous.  It was also 6 days prior to our wedding.  Cody held my hand and calmed me down by doing simple breath work.

 

Surgery was performed that evening and the doctor came out to tell Cody that my case was the worst he had ever seen and a lot would need to be done throughout the week.  I came out with a catheter, a nasogastric tube, and a stomach tube continuing to drain out the toxins.  I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything from Sunday to Friday but I could suck on ice chips and hard candies.  Walking was encouraged and I insisted on making my slow laps every two hours holding onto my multitude of tubes.  

 

It felt like no progress was being made for the first four days.  In fact, Wednesday was a bit of a negative spiral and the day we officially postponed the wedding.  However, things were looking brighter on Friday.  They removed the NG tube and allowed me clear liquids which never excited me more!  I graduated to soft foods on Saturday and a normal diet on Sunday.  

 

Sunday evening the doctor removed the stomach tube and said I would be discharged Monday morning.  It felt like this day would never come!  Cody picked me up at 10am on the beautiful Labor Day morning for my first time in fresh air.  We drove home and I took my first shower in 10 days.  By 1pm, Cody and I were married!!! Our families put together a small ceremony for us at the pond and then we celebrated with soup and bread.  It was everything we could have imagined.  I was alive and home and with the people that mean the very most to me.  

 

Cody sat with me every single day in the hospital.  He helped me walk around, he played cards with me, and he sat there while I napped.  He laughed with me when I needed adult diapers.  He bathed me with a washcloth and shaved my legs while I laid in bed.  He calmed me when the pain was really bad or the news really scary.  I have 22 staples down my abdomen now which I couldn’t look at for days, but he made me feel more loved and beautiful than ever before.  I am sorry this life event has taken Cody away from the gym as well, but he has been everything I needed.  We love each other more than we could have imagined.  I hope no one has to go through what we did, but I hope everyone finds a love that is even stronger on the harder days.  

 

The recovery is going to be long, but we look forward to returning to Union this Monday.  In the meantime, we are resting and just so happy and appreciative to be home together.  We will see you soon! 

Union Fitness End of The Summer Blog

Life Health

After being fortunate enough to work with the staff and members at Union Fitness over the last 4 months I would like to say that I have come out as a much more well rounded person. Coming into Union Fitness I was starting my third internship over five years, and I honestly was not sure how much more there was for me to learn. I could not have been more naïve with that mindset. Every trainer at Union Fitness had a unique skillset and way they went about training  individuals and classes which allowed me to have several different prospectives and skillsets to learn from. Not only was the staff very interactive and enjoyed passing on their knowledge of strength training and physiological processes, they were always seeking to improve themselves and Union Fitness by enhancing their own knowledge in these areas through curriculum, experience, and each other. 

 

Another unique quality of Union Fitness is the connection the members and the trainers share. The members at Union have a devotion for bettering themselves that becomes contagious to the trainers they are working with. This is something from my experience that you do not find at every gym or training facility. Even with their success in building these relationships Curtis and Todd try to improve these experience and relationships by sponsoring bootcamps and special events such as comedy shows and whisky yoga. At the end of the day  Union Fitness is built on community which is why it is a such a fun environment to be a part of and also why the trainers and the gym itself will see so much future growth.

Welcome April

Fitness, Life Health

Hi, I’m April, the latest and greatest addition to the Union Fitness team. I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and on track to complete my Nutrition Coach Certification in the next couple of weeks. My goal is to get exposed to as much as I can, as early on as I can. Fitness has been a passion of mine since I was 14, but I never thought it would turn into a career for me, and to be honest, I still don’t know if that’s the end all be all. This is what I do know: making goals for yourself and crushing them feels incredible, but you know what’s even better? Facilitating others in the process of changing their habits and crushing their goals. Fitness and healthy living have changed my life in such a positive way, and my goal is to show others it can do the same for them. I’m not going to lie, the process is challenging, but once you get going, everything turns into a habit. Before you know it, your lifestyle is changing, your mindset is changing, and you’re becoming the best version of yourself. 

 

As funny as it may sound, I was extremely unathletic growing up, or at least that’s what I told myself. I stopped playing sports in middle school because I convinced myself I wasn’t skilled enough for anything. STUPID RIGHT?? Well, that’s what happens when you start listening to all the nonsense in your head and comparing yourself to others. However, all of that changed when I picked up the weights. I felt like I had finally found something I was “good” at. It was the only thing I didn’t look at as a competition between me and everybody else, but rather a competition between me, myself, and I. Once I became consistent with my training and the right nutrition, I saw the results of my hard work and became addicted. 

 

If that wasn’t enough info about myself, let me tell you a little bit more. My favorite food is sushi, and my favorite dessert is ice cream. Fun fact, I worked at an ice cream store for 3 years in high school, and yes, I overindulged on ice cream every time I had a shift. I have a massive, sweet tooth! Ironic enough though, I’ve never had a cavity (knock on wood). My favorite lift at the moment is sumo deadlifts and my least favorite is back squats. Another extremely random fact, I have met and heard the stories of three Holocaust survivors. Shoutout to Mr. Haberman at Shaler Area Highschool for opening the eyes of so many young students and offering them a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet with survivors.

 

Anyways, to get back on track, I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I have only been at Union Fitness for a short time and have already learned so many things and met so many cool and genuine people. I can’t wait to continue learning and growing in such a positive and supportive environment. 

Gym Etiquette

Fitness

UF is very lucky as we have some of the best members and employees. Weights tend to be re-racked, the gym tends to be clean, and we have a group of people who all help one another. Now with that said here are some areas that we all need reminding at times. Let’s all be better with our gym etiquette.

  1. Respect other people while they are training. This is a broad rule, as it everyone has their own goals and reasons for training, yet this should cover most issues.
  2. Learn how to spot someone. If someone asks for a spot, then help them out. You should know how many reps they are doing, how hard the set will be and when if ever they need your assistance.
  3. Keep your space clean. This includes wiping down equipment, and also not carrying your entire suitcase to each piece of equipment.
  4. Personal hygiene. Enough said, just respect yourself and others.
  5. Allow others to focus. When someone is preparing for a big lift allow them space, and do not walk directly in front of them.
  6. Share. Try not to take up more equipment or space than is neccesary.
  7. Have fun! Realistically if all one wants to do is be healthy a gym is probably not necessary. We all do this for different reasons. Some want to set world records, some want to look better, and for others this may just be a mental break. So work to make your training (and those around you) a fun experience.

 

I hope as you can see from this short list that respecting yourself and respecting others.

Simplifying the Warm Up

Fitness, Training

Earlier this morning, I found myself sitting in the office with Todd and Dave having a discussion on what we believe to be the “best” warm-up routine for lifting. Before I dig deeper into our consensus, let’s touch on the most common types of warm-up routines that we see performed in the gym. 

 

1) Static stretching: I’d venture to say that this might be the most common warm-up routine that you will see. With static stretching, a position is held for a specific length of time in order to lengthen the muscle while simultaneously promoting blood flow into the muscle being stretched. Examples of this include hamstring and quad stretches, Pigeon stretch, doorway stretch, etc. 

 

2) Dynamic stretching: This consists of performing repetitive movements within a particular range of motion that are closely related to the main movement of that particular training session. As with static stretching, the goal is to promote blood flow throughout the body and specifically in the area of intended use for that training session. An example of this could be PVC around the world, walking knee hugs, Spiderman hip stretch, etc. 

 

3) Cardiovascular based warm-up: This includes 5-10 minutes of movement on machines such as treadmills, bikes, rowers, ellipticals, etc. The goal here is to increase heart rate in order to circulate blood flow throughout the entire body while raising the internal temperature of the muscles in preparation for performing movement. 

 

4) Getting under the bar and getting straight to work: I see this quite often, regardless of age or experience level. An individual will walk in, place the bar in the rack, throw some weight on, and start performing their main movement.

 

So which one did we decide on? Well, all of them can be beneficial in their own way, and when incorporated properly. However, too much of anything can be a bad thing, and too much emphasis on any of these can directly impact the overall success of your session. What we often see is too much time spent on stretching and warming up, and not enough time and focus being placed on the specificity of the main movements. At the same time, by walking into the gym and instantly jumping under a bar, you may be missing out on getting the body best prepared to perform to the best of it’s ability once your muscles are loaded with heavy weights. At the end of the day, the warm-up best suited for you is whatever is needed for you to be able to get into the positions needed to best perform your lifts. For example, performing shoulder movements that will allow you to get under a barbell in the best position to perform your squat, or hip drills that allow you to open up your hips & properly use your glutes in order to get into the bottom portion of the squat. Unless you are performing specific rehab movements, or are working around a very specific injury, the more time that is spent on performing a warm-up, the more time that you are taking away from the most important part of the training session.

 

So, keep your warm-ups limited to only the things that you feel are necessary. Get your heart rate up, get a sweat going, get your muscles loose and firing, and get to work. Spend as much of the time that you have available focused on getting better at your lifts, and you’ll end up right where you want to be.

Open Mic & Bootcamps with CeJ

Fitness

Team Union and friends, check out this weekend’s fun bootcamp events we have planned!

 

Friday August 27th at 6pm

 

Union Fitness & Federal Galley are hosting the very first bootcamp & open mic night. Meet us at Union at 6pm for a Friday night sweat session with your favorite Coaches and then jog on over to Federal Galley and let your talents shine. You heard that right, it’s Open Mic Night at Federal Galley. This is a free bootcamp that you can sign up for on Union Fitness’ website. We are excited ti see you and your talents!

 

Sunday August 29th at 10am

 

Wigle Whiskey’s great revenge with our 3rd bootcamp at the Strip district location. Sign up on Wigle’s website to grab your ticket that includes the bootcamp, first libation and donation to our little friend Danny (who is raising money for a kidney transplant). Danny & his parents might even stop down to say hello.

 

To sweeten this deal, I will include a free week of unlimited classes to any new or non-member of Union and to our current members, you can pick a time and date to train/workout alongside CJ. How freaking fun!

 

Let’s get together and party some more! To sign up for our next boot camp, go to Threadbare Cider’s website and grab your tickets on their event page. We can’t wait to raise a glass or two with YOU!

 

Wigle Events | Wigle Whiskey

Forgotten Training Ideas

Training

A few weeks ago I was speaking with one of our new rockstar employees (I won’t use Vickey’s name so she doesn’t get a big head). During this conversation I was reminded how long I have been in the iron game. When I began lifting few people had a “coach,” most people had a crew or training partners. I can’t tell you that one way of training is better than another. I also know that information for anyone training is much more readily available and instagram is great for lifting and lifters, even if at times it can bring out too much ego. Let me step back and return to the point of this blog.

 

Here is a short list of things that I do not see lifters using anymore and should revisit in their training.

  1. Escalating Density Training (EDT)- EDT is as simple as doing more work in less time. A simple explanation is pull ups. Let’s say you can do 6 strict pull ups. So maybe you can 3×4 for a total volume of 12 reps and this takes you 6 minutes to complete all the sets. Try this Do 12 sets of 1 with 10 seconds rest and you will have completed 12 reps in about 2 1/2 minutes. Now reduced the time until your rest period is 5 seconds. Once you can achieve this move to 6×2 with 10-12 seconds rest and again reduce rest period over time.
  2. Floor Press- Larsen press has seemed to replace floor press for most lifters. I tried the Larsen press and it is a fine lift. Yet, don’t forget about the floor press as an alternative to helping build a big bench.
  3. Timed Sets- Instead of doing 3×10 of an exercise do 3x30seconds and worry about your Time Under Tension (TUT) instead of just the reps.
  4. Generalist Training- When you do not have an upcoming competition just train to be a stronger human. Use some strongman, bodybuilding, and maybe even ideas from our olympic friends. Just become stronger and more resilient.
  5. Overhead Press- Stealing from my last point. Just be stronger.
  6. Going Off the Script- As I said at the beginning everyone used to have a training “crew.” Back then trash talking was the norm. With this trash talking often times we went off script and competed just to compete. There is a certain beauty in having fun with a group of people and trying to crush each other.

 

Well these are the rants of an old man lifter. As John Meadows would say, “old man cranking.” Keep evolving as a lifter and as a human and we will see what is old is new again… eventually.

 

Tempo Training; What, When, and How

Fitness, Training

In my most recent blog, I discussed the importance of performing paused reps and how to incorporate them into your training. Today, I’m going to go one step further and discuss tempo reps, and how you can use them within your training arsenal in order to continue progressing and knocking out your goals. The purpose of incorporating tempo work into your training is to emphasize your time in a particular portion of each lift in order to become more comfortable being in that portion, and therefore becoming stronger and more efficient within that given lift. First, let’s dive into the meaning of tempo in relation to the repetition.

 

In regards to performing a particular exercise, the tempo is the rate or pace that the exercise is being performed. Therefore, rep tempo is the rate at which you perform reps within a given set.

 

When written on paper, tempo is typically shown as a 3 digit code that looks something like this: (4-1-3). Each number portrays the amount of time in seconds to perform that specific portion of the exercise. The first digit (4) is always the eccentric (‘lowering’ or ‘negative’) portion of the lift. During a squat, that would consist of the descent into the bottom for a count of 4 seconds. The second digit (1) represents the mid-point of the lift. In the squat, this would be the bottom portion where you would typically transition from the descent to the ascent, except now you would hold for 1 second before ascending, just as we discussed in the last blog on paused reps. The third digit (3) would then be the concentric (‘lifting’ or ‘positive’) portion of the lift. This would be standing up with the bar for a count of 3 seconds.

 

Keep in mind, you can make the tempo whatever you want depending on where you think each lift needs the most emphasis. Let’s continue to use the squat as an example. If you have a problem with staying under control and in a good stable position on the descent of the squat, then you would want the greatest tempo to be applied to that part of the lift, with 4-5 seconds usually being the sweet spot. If you lose tension in the bottom of the squat, then you would want to add a pause around 1-3 seconds. If you are typically stable on the descent and in the bottom, but lose positioning on the way up, then, you guessed it, would want to add a tempo to the ascent. For this, 3-4 seconds is ideal.

 

When adding them into your training program, start with around 60% of your one rep max for anywhere from 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps. As you become more familiar, you can slowly increase the weight by 2.5-5% of your one rep max. This can be done weekly, but it doesn’t have to be. If you aren’t feeling ready to progress in weight, then stay at the same as the previous week with the goal of performing each rep more efficiently. Try this for 4-6 weeks and then go back to performing standard tempo repetitions and see the difference.

 

We are programmed to think that every lift should be performed as fast as possible in order to develop the most amount of force, recruit the most fast twitch muscle fibers, etc. The reality is, if we cannot move efficiently within each lift, then speed becomes irrelevant. So if you find yourself struggling to keep good form and tension within a given lift, or just want to change up your training program with a new challenge, try incorporating tempos and see the benefits for yourself.

 

– Curtis Miller

Last Chance Bootcamp

Alcohol, Fitness, Life Health,

Union Friends, Family and Fantastic Fans,

 

This is the last hurrah for our Summer Bootcamp Series with Threadbare Cider & Wigle Whiskey. Are you sad that you missed out on the previous two,  well well now, have no fear, here is your chance to sign-up & jump in on these boot camps. If you made it to 1 or 2 of the previous bootcamps, let’s go for that double or hat trick. I’d love to workout and party with you after.

 

Saturday August 21st at 10am 

 

We are coming back for our third and final bootcamp at Threadbare Cider House in Spring Garden. We are turning this one up to 11 with more adventures, challenges and games. This is a ticketed event that can be purchased on Threadbare’s website and will include the bootcamp, a first libation and 9.99% charitable donation to Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

 

Sunday August 29th at 10am

 

Wigle Whiskey’s great revenge with our 3rd bootcamp at the Strip district location. Sign up on Wigle’s website to grab your ticket that includes the bootcamp, first libation and donation to our little friend Danny (who is raising money for a kidney transplant). Danny & his parents might even stop down to say hello.

 

To sweeten this deal, I will include a free week of unlimited classes to any new or non-member of Union and to our current members, you can pick a time and date to train/workout alongside CJ. How freaking fun!

 

Let’s get together and party some more! To sign up for our next boot camp, go to Threadbare Cider’s website and grab your tickets on their event page. We can’t wait to raise a glass or two with YOU!

 

Summer Bootcamp with Union Fitness – 8/21 – Threadbare Cider and Mead

Wigle Events | Wigle Whiskey

 

Cheers,

CJ