All posts by rnagy

A Thank You For Being You

State of the Union

Hello to all my friends at Union Fitness.

 

The end of the year is upon us. Some months were good, some months were bad and some we can’t believe that we had. Obviously, this measurement of time is all arbitrary and specifically relative, what is “good” and “bad”? We all have times of great joy and days of being down in the dumps. Unfortunately, the down days get highlighted much more often than the good days. From that, we can continue to put ourselves in a bad headspace that creates more negative energy which in turn causes more negative situations. Personally, these last few months have been a challenge to say the least. Many days, I wanted to disappear, to a cabin in the woods, to the peak of the highest mountain or a remote deserted island.

 

Then, I thought to myself, what truly makes me happy? One of those answers is, you. The members and staff at this space we call our gym. The community that we’ve created in these walls is certainly unmatched and I would put that quote to the test. The people here unapologetically care about each other’s well-being, accomplishments, failures, and day to day life. Without you here with us, this place would be a lifeless cave, filled with exercise equipment. Your energy, may it only be an hour at a time charges my battery and reminds me why I do what I do and why I won’t stop doing this. Whether it be your 5- or 500-pound PR, to your 100th class or your 1st class, seeing the members and staff grow physically and mentally couldn’t be more rewarding to me. I couldn’t thank you more for being the special people that you are. Oddly enough, our diversity is our strength. That’s beautiful to see so many people come together through exercise and raise people up as they grow. With all that being said, all I can say is thank you for being you and I couldn’t be here without Yinz.

 

I wanted to leave you with this little blurb I stumbled upon on one of my down days. It is strange to me how energy works and some things just find you right when you need it most.

 

“You’re not where you want to be. You feel like you’re supposed to be somewhere else. Say you could snap your fingers and be wherever you wanted to be. I bet you’d still feel this way, not in the right place. Point is you can’t be so hung up on where you want to be that you forget how to make the most of where you are. Take a break from worrying about what you can’t control… live a little.”

 

Live a little,

 

-CEJ

2024 Strength Project

State of the Union

We have some very exciting news to share with all of you!

 

Starting January 8th, we are kicking off the 2024 Strength Project here at Union Fitness!

 

What is the “Strength Project” you ask? Here are the details below:

 

  • The Strength Project is a 12-week challenge for members who are looking to explore more of our classes. Entering this challenge will include your chance to win some awesome prizes.

 

  • This 12-week challenge will begin on January 8th and will run until March 29

 

  • During these 12 weeks, you will be tasked with taking at least 40 total classes here at UF
    • The stipulation is that you can take any of our Powerful classes, however we ask that you take at least – 5 RYDE classes, 5 Yoga classes, and 5 Cardio Lab/Cardio Blitz classes total – accounting for 15 of those 40 total classes.
    • We ask that you please be sure to both sign up and sign into each of the classes that you take, so that we can keep track of who was present in each class and make sure to give you the credit that you deserve. If you don’t sign in, we can’t tell whether you were taking the class or not so you will not receive the credit!

 

  • Everyone who completes the Strength Project will be given a Union Fitness T-Shirt.

 

  • Everyone who completes the Strength Project will also be entered to win one of three prizes:
    • 3 Free months of our Wellness Plus membership.
    • 1 Free month of our Wellness Plus membership.
    • $50 Gift Certificate.

 

  • Starting from now until January 8th, you can sign up for the Strength Project on MindBody. It will be set up just as if you’re signing up for one of our classes, and it will be a class sign up on the day of January 8th.
  • Bring a friend! If you have a non-member friend interested in joining us, they can buy in to the strength project for 250 dollars. This will give them 3 months of training. For each friend you bring you will get another entry to win our prizes.

 

We are looking forward to tracking all of your class progress over these 12 weeks and seeing how many you are able to complete! Please be sure to sign up on MindBody and to let us know if you have any additional questions, comments, or concerns. Good luck and happy almost new year!

 

Toria

Significance of Mentorship

Life Health

Hello everyone,

 

With Christmas and New Years right around the corner, I took the time to reflect on this past year on my own accomplishments. I got hired full time at Union Fitness as the head personal trainer, I finished my master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology, I have lost over 20 lbs this year, and I also found my passion and love for fitness again. After appreciating my own self growth, it also made it abundantly clear how important some people have been in my life over the past few years. Without them, I can honestly say that some of my success would not have been capable. So, in saying all of this, I wanted to give a brief story of some of these awesome people and highlight the importance of mentorship.

 

The first person I want to bring up is Dr. Sally Sherman. If you do not know her, she is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, an academic advisor at Pitt, a mother, a wife, and an ultra-endurance athlete. She was also my professor, my academic advisor during my bachelor’s degree in exercise science, and one of the professors who spoke on my behalf to get me into the Masters of Clinical Exercise Physiology program at Pitt. During my time in undergrad, I was at a point where I thought I may not graduate on time due to a lack of credits needed to graduate. As most people would understand, I immediately began to panic at the thought of not graduating with my peers. I instantly emailed Dr. Sherman to explain the situation and to see if she was available later in the week to discuss the issue at hand. Dr Sherman at the drop of a dime, emailed me back and told me to call her asap. Keep in mind that this was at 8pm after she was done with work and she was at home with her family. I called her at that instant and she helped me devise a plan to graduate on time. In that moment, I had a huge sense of relief and without her I would not have known what to do. I also realized after that phone call, that Dr Sherman was one of the kindest and best people I have ever met. She goes above and beyond in all her duties as a professor, as an academic advisor, a mother, a wife, and an ultra-endurance athlete. I am extremely thankful to have had the opportunity to engage and learn from her. I cannot emphasize how great of a person she is. Thank you Dr Sherman!!!!

 

The next person I want to talk about is Curtis Miller. Almost everyone knows who Curt is at Union Fitness. He was the previous head personal trainer at Union Fitness and I had to fill his giant shoes after he moved on to bigger and better things. He is a world class powerlifter, a great trainer, an awesome coach, extremely smart in all things fitness or car related, and a pretty cool guy as well (emphasis on pretty). All jokes aside, one of the best memories I have with him is when I was on the Pitt Powerlifting Club. As most people often experience, I was kind of nervous beginning my training in the strength lab at Union. There were a lot of extremely strong people and for some reason even though most of the people training in the back are the nicest people on the planet, I thought they would bite my head off because of how strong they were. I knew that in order for me to grow I had to be in that environment and try to learn from the strongest in Pittsburgh. The first person I asked for advice from was Curt. I asked him to take a look at my deadlift to see if there was anywhere I could improve to get stronger. One thing lead to another and he ended up spending 30+ minutes of his own time to help me. He did not get paid any extra for helping me but decided to teach me something anyway. I will never forget that and I think it truly exemplifies his character. He is willing to help anyone and everyone, he is willing to listen when you need someone to talk to, and he often puts other people before himself. He has taught me so much since I trained, interned, and worked at Union. I am extremely grateful for his guidance, knowledge, and wisdom. I can honestly say that has helped me become a better trainer, a better leader, and ultimately a better person. Thank you Curtis!!!

 

These are just two people over the past few years that have helped me. There are numerous others and if I left you out, then please don’t take an insult to it. These two were just the ones who stuck out most as of late.

 

I have always hated the term “self-made.” In my own opinion, not a single person on this planet is “self-made.” We all go through adversity or hard times and sometimes we rely on others to help us out. So, if you have time today, go thank someone who you have looked at as a mentor, find someone that can mentor you, or be a mentor to someone else. The act of each of us helping one another will make the world a better place for the next generations. You certainly will not regret mentorship when you find a good person to aid you or when you get to step in the mentorship role to help someone else. I think mentorship is pivotal to growth and success. If we are not seeking growth then what is the point?

 

Just some food for thought! If you read the whole blog then cheers to you!

 

Zain Trainz

Push Outside Of Your Comfort Zone

Life Health

Three weeks ago, I made a Motivation Monday post about challenging you all to push outside of your comfort zone and to strive for something you have always wanted to achieve.

 

After I made that post, I decided to go ahead and do something way outside of my comfort zone. I spent the evening browsing different local recreational sports teams and things to do to keep me busy during this upcoming Winter season. I decided that I wanted to sign up for something that I have always wanted to do, but never got around to trying it, which was to play hockey. Originally, I was going to sign up for a local Dek Hockey team, but there weren’t any with open sign ups currently. I was bummed, but then I decided to why not go even further out of my comfort zone? And as a result, I signed up to play Ice Hockey instead. I knew how to skate but had no idea how to properly stop and skate backwards and I had no protective gear that I needed to wear as well. So that weekend I went out and got everything that I needed and have been practicing my skating skills a few times a week. I’m proud to say that I finally learned how to stop (without just running into the boards) and am looking forward to my future in playing recreational Ice Hockey.

 

A cool addition to this story is that I inspired two of my friends to join me on this journey as well. My advice is to go out and try something new, push outside of your comfort zone, and maybe you will inspire someone else to do the same!

 

Toria

Important Membership Update

State of the Union

Hello UF Fam –

 

Union Fitness is raising the prices of the Unlimited membership and Wellness Plus membership by $25 a month. The initial price of the Unlimited membership was $100 a month and will now be $125 a month. The initial Wellness Plus membership was $150 a month but will now be $175 a month.

 

Unlimited membership will give you access to everything that Union Fitness has to offer and unlimited group classes that includes cardio lab, cardio blitz, #powerful, yoga, all ryde classes, and other classes that are going to be implemented in the future.

 

Our Wellness Plus membership gives you all the same benefits as the Unlimited membership but also gives you 1 60-minute massage a month as well.

 

All new incoming Unlimited and Wellness Plus members will start this new pricing on January 1st of 2024. If you are an existing Unlimited or Wellness Plus member, then this pricing will start on Monday April 1st of 2024. This allows you to have a 3-month grace period. Starting today we will be implementing new ideas and classes to accommodate for this increase in price. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to any of the Union Fitness staff members. We want to continue to make Union Fitness better every day. Our goal is to make Union Fitness the best it has ever been. Your input will help us accomplish this goal.

 

Lastly, we would like to announce that we are bringing back the unlimited yoga and cardio lab classes to the Strength Lab membership. This means that if you have the Strength lab membership you will be able to take cardio lab, cardio blitz and yoga classes in addition to having access to the Strength Lab and all of the equipment.

 

UF Staff

Thank You Union

State of the Union

For the past two years, I’ve had the incredible privilege of calling Pittsburgh my home. However, as the journey of life unfolds, it’s time for me to bid farewell. On Friday, December 15th, I’ll be leaving Pittsburgh and heading back to Maryland, at least for the time being.

 

In my final blog post, I want to take a moment to express my deep gratitude to everyone at Union Fitness. A special thanks goes out to Curtis, Zain, CJ, Toria, my 6 pm Powerful squad, and all the other coaches who have not only been mentors but have become friends along the way. Your guidance and support have been invaluable as I’ve grown as a young coach and trainer. While I know there’s still much more growth ahead, leaving Pittsburgh, I feel more confident in my abilities and am excited for what lies ahead.

 

A heartfelt thank you also goes out to all of my current and former clients. Your trust and commitment have played a significant role in my journey. It’s been an honor to work with each one of you, and I carry with me the lessons and memories of our time together.

 

As I embark on this new chapter, I leave Pittsburgh with a heart full of gratitude and a spirit eager for the adventures that await. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this incredible chapter in my life. Until we meet again!

 

Thank you Union!

-Dylan Kopp

The Great 8 Movement Patterns

Fitness, Life Health, Training

Gobble Gobble to all my November readers and a most crispy Fall to you all.

 

Have you ever carried all the groceries from your car to the house in one mighty attempt? Have you ever knelt down to tie your shoes? Have you ever lifted your pet in the air as Rafiki did to young Simba? If you said yay to any of these actions, then you’ve completed what the scientific meat-heads call functional movement patterns. Functional movements are real life biomechanical situations that we put our bodies through. Functional movement involves multiple joint movements across various planes of motion. During these complex planes of motion, we the people are utilising many muscles at once to complete these tasks. Many of these functional movements are daily tasks of living that we don’t even consider taxing, strenuous or exercising. Building in these movement patterns or portions of the movement into your exercise routine will help improve your quality of life and resilience.

 

Before we get to the movements, here are 4 big reasons to add the great 8 movement patterns into your exercise routine. First, we can improve movement efficiency by completing a wide range of motions that we perform every day. The more we train these movements and progress them, we can continue to perform these movements more easily. The second reason leads to increased coordination and balance. By performing these movements in the gym, you will improve overall; strength, balance, coordination and control over time. Thirdly, who wouldn’t want to be more flexible with better overall mobility? Putting our muscles through their full range of motion will help increase flexibility and mobility. This is something we could all use after those long days in the office or binging the holiday Lord of The Rings franchise marathon. Last but not least the addition of these movement patterns can help with the reduction and prevention of injuries. Training your body through movements that you complete every day can help us adapt to the applied stress and become stronger and more resilient. This will also give us more energy to do the same task with less energy or to do more overall work with the energy you have.

 

Now, brace for impact as I give you the Great 8 Movement Patterns and some exercises that can go along with them.

 

1) Squat: Front Squat, Fat Bar Zercher Squat, Belted PitShark Squat, Goblet Squat, Barbell Overhead Squat.

 

2) Hinge: Trap Bar Deadlift, Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift, Single Leg Glute Bridge, Stability Ball Hamstring Curl, Banded Good Morning.

 

3) Lunge: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Kettlebell Step-Ups, Safety Bar Reverse Lunges, Plate Walking Lunge, Body Weight Curtsy Lunge

 

4) Push: Push-Ups, Dumbbell Bench Press, Barbell Overhead Press, Kettlebell Z-Press, Medicine Ball Press.

 

5) Pull: Lat Pulldowns, Band Assisted Chin-Ups, T-Bar Rows, Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows, Banded Face Pulls.

 

6) Rotation: Medicine Ball Chops, Palloff Rotations, Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up, Cable Low to High Rotations, Plank Reach and Pull Through.

 

7) Carry & Brace: Farmer’s Handle Weighted Carry, Plate Overhead Marches, Kettlebell Off-set Carry, Weighted Plank, Hollow Hold, Banded Dead Bug.

 

8) Locomotion (Run, Jump, Throw): Stair Sprints, Box Jumps, Medicine Ball Toss, Prowler Push, Skips, Medicine Ball Slam.

 

Do your body a favor and add these movement patterns into your exercise routine, your future self will thank you. If you’d like to learn more about these movements or how to add them into your routine, I am always here to help.

 

Don’t forget to sign up for our Thanksgiving day Turkey burn #Powerful & Ryde Dynamic Bootcamp class.

 

As Always, get bumpy my friends.

CeJ

Happy Veterans Day

Uncategorized

With Veterans Day coming up I thought it would be a good time to share some of my experiences in the Navy. A lot of people at UF ask me about my experience in the Navy and where I have been in the world. However, I don’t always remember exactly everything I have done so I wanted to take the time to list all the countries I have visited during my service and rank them based on how much fun I had while visiting! 

 

  1. Manila, Philippines. This one was my favorite simply because I saw Nelly the rapper at 2am in a VIP club section inside a casino. Along with that I enjoyed trying to speak the native language of Tagalog and the food there was delicious. Adobo and Lumpia are my favorites!
  2. This place was one of the cleanest places I have ever seen in my entire life. I got to visit the infamous Marina Bay Sands and see the outlook over the city with the infinity pool.  
  3. South Korea. I enjoyed South Korea because I got to have authentic Korean BBQ and I got some of my favorite jerseys of sports icons for very cheap!
  4. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I enjoyed Brazil because of how tropical it was. Along with that, I got to see the culture of soccer or futbol. It was really cool seeing so many young children playing soccer all over the place!
  5. Although Vietnam is a communist country it was very beautiful and the people there were extremely nice. We had a taxi driver that showed us around and also gave us a historical perspective on the Vietnam war. He showed us where the United States had its own base and more.
  6. Valparaiso, Chile. This was probably the poorest country I visited. I really got to witness what a 3rd world country looked like and it made me appreciate what we have in the United States. I also enjoyed this port because although I was underage our commanding officer allowed all sailors to abide by Chiles drinking laws. Thus meaning I was allowed to buy whatever alcohol I wanted when I was 18. I do not really remember a whole lot after the drinking started but I do remember it was a good time!
  7. I was unsure if I should put Hawaii on this list or not because it is a state and not a country. However, the reason it is this low is because of that reason. Hawaii was very touristy but was still very beautiful. The hikes I did while we were there were some of the best hiking I have ever done!
  8. Guam is a territory that was also poor. Funny story, when I visited here, I did not have a phone while I was there because I broke it on the first day of my deployment. So, I had to use an iPod to take all my pictures and communicate with my family back home. This was extra difficult because the Wi-Fi in Guam at the time was very poor. None the less, Guam is also very pretty, and I got the worst sunburn of my life there. I thought it would be a good idea to not wear sunscreen after working night shift for weeks and not seeing the sun. I learned the hard way to always wear sunscreen when you are that close to the equator!
  9. I forget the exact city that we visited in Peru, but it was my very first port that I got to see. One memory that sticks out in my mind is clubbing with some of my friends there!
  10. Okinawa, Japan. The reason Japan is so low on this list was because I only spent one night there. And during that one-night span I got food poisoning and broke my phone for the second time. So, I didn’t really get the full experience with this one!

 

So, there it is! A list of every single country I went to during my time in the Navy. This ranking was purely based off my own experience and if I had more time or freedom then it could have been a lot different. Lastly, I wanted to take the time to say Happy Veterans Day to every single veteran and those who are currently serving. With everything that is going on in the world today I am especially thankful for these men and women. It is a scary time to be in the military and let’s hope that peace can remain with the United States but also peace can be made in other countries that are currently at war! 

 

Zain 

What Is Your Favorite Meal?

Fitness, Life Health, State of the Union

We all have a favorite food dish out there. Whether it is a “cheat day” meal, a “healthy” meal, a “fun” meal, etc. I am curious to know what is your favorite meal? What food gets you hyped up to eat? I asked some of our trainers here at UF to answer this question so that you all can see what they enjoy eating and maybe this will even give you some new ideas for your own meals:

 

Dylan Kopp – Thai red curry with chicken and rice

 

Ethan Raese – He has 3 favorite meals he would like to share with all of you – pizza, sushi, and Oakland’s street tacos

 

Zain Skalos – Greasy cheeseburger with extra salty fries

 

Dylan Heisey – Chicken parmesan hoagie

 

Dahveed Jorge – Chopped cheese or a philly cheesesteak sandwich

 

Miranda Gard – Chicken parmesan (did she copy Dylan’s answer??)

 

CJ Jasper –  Homemade pierogi with sauerkraut and kielbasa. Also currently on a big Thai kick, so fresh spring roll and Keemao spice level burn.

 

Toria Crispin – Steak hoagie with everything added on it (throw on some peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, etc.)

 

And there you have it! There’s a quick fun fact about some of our trainers and possibly some food ideas to add to your weekly eating list if you’re up for it. 🙂

 

Toria

Meet the Staff – Grayson

State of the Union

Hello,

 

My name is Grayson! I’m a Certified Personal Trainer and up and coming Certified Nutrition Coach. I love showing people the ropes in the gym and getting people moving and helping others achieve their goals. The gym has been my passion ever since sophomore year in highschool and I haven’t looked back since. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and lived in Morgantown, WV for a year in 2020 in pursuit of a degree in Dietetics before shifting gears and getting my certification in Personal Training from NPTI. I moved back to PA a year later and have been a trainer ever since! If you have any questions or need a spot around the gym don’t hesitate to ask!

 

Grayson