Since moving to Pittsburgh, I’ve been putting a good amount of effort towards establishing my new routine. This includes my work schedule, training schedule, time with my fiancé and friends, sleep, and of course, FOOD! For myself, as well as with many of the people whom I’ve worked with, I have found that one of the best ways to stay on track is through establishing a structured routine and sticking to it. One of the easiest ways is by developing a nutrition and food plan. Now, I understand that we all enjoy going out to eat occasionally, and eating the same things throughout the week can become mundane, but if you want to get the most out of your hard work in and out of the gym, routine and discipline are absolutely necessary. With that being said, my meal of the week is New York strip on the grill with potatoes and asparagus. This is something that I incorporate into my diet 2-3 times per week. It’s simple, easy to make, nutrient-dense, and delicious. Part of finding what foods are best for you is finding out what foods best agree with you. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you can eat a bucket of nails and come out unscathed. I, however, am not that lucky. So for me, this meal is very easy on the digestive system, and since it is very nutrient-dense, it is a great source of fuel for the body. 

 

Here’s a list of ingredients that you’ll need:

Koser salt

Ground pepper

Garlic powder

Garlic salt

Olive oil

Steak seasoning of your choice (I use McCormick Brown sugar & Bourbon)

 

1. First, you’ll want to let the steak sit out and come to room temperature before grilling. This will ensure that it cooks evenly all the way through. During this time, coat the steak in olive oil, add salt, pepper, a bit of garlic powder, and steak seasoning (if you choose). 
2. Next, with your potatoes and asparagus in a bowl, add olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic salt, then mix by hand. Transfer them onto a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap up.
3. Once the food is prepared, fire up the grill and set to medium heat. Once the temperature is around 450, throw the steaks on the bottom rack and the potatoes and asparagus on the top rack (still in the aluminum foil).
4. Check periodically, especially if it’s your first time. All grills are different, so it may take some time to figure out the best duration. For me, around 15 minutes usually does the trick for a “medium” finish.
5. Grab a Landshark and enjoy (Optional).  

 

 

In this week’s blog, we wanted to shift our focus to the men of UF. Guys, I want each of you to take a minute or a less and describe yourself. What is the first thing that pops into your head?

 

How much of your description was based on looks? As a male, I believe that we think about our appearance a lot more than we let on. In social groups, men often get to be known as the Small Guy, the Large Guy, the Muscular Guy or even Small Calf Guy (I’m on this team). All jokes aside, I don’t believe men are as safe from body insecurities as our society tends think they are. With the rise of social media, fitness stars, and super heroes that have bodies like Greek gods, the expectations of what men “need” to look like are difficult to meet. For this reason, body dysmorphic disorder (or BDD) has become increasingly prevalent among the male population.

 

Defining BDD

 

What is BDD? The Mayo Clinic defines body dysmorphic disorder as “being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can’t be seen or appears minor.” There are two parts to this definition that I will be focusing on: (1) the idea of a “perceived flaw” and (2) that “to others can’t be seen or appears minor.” I can guarantee that all of us can find a flaw in the way we view our bodies. But later in this article I will challenge everyone (but primarily men) to focus on your positive features. More than half the time these flaws are so minor that our friends can’t even see them, or even if they do, they barely realize they are there until you point it out. Take my example: I believe that I can fit a truck between the gap in my two front teeth but whenever I mention anything about my gap to my friends, the first thing they say is “I totally forgot you had one.”

 

My Story

 

Growing up as the younger, smaller brother – about 20 to 25 pounds lighter than all my brother’s friends – was a struggle. My appetite was more closely related to a person on a diet vs how most kids were eating as though it was their last meal. I wasn’t focusing on the calories, I was just the kid that didn’t have a huge appetite. This style of eating did not help when we chose to wrestle as kids. Eventually I got fed up with being “the small kid.” I started to lift weights and count calories, but more for the sake of gaining weight than losing it. I was finally getting bigger but still wanting to be known as the local tough kid, which lead me to join an MMA gym. Joining was a great idea at first, but as you could imagine, there I was at age 15 weighing 140 pounds surrounded by guys that had 30+ pounds and 5+ years on me, again being the reminded that I am known as “the small kid.” So I trained hard and started force feeding as much food as I could. I stopped going out to eat with friends or to parties because I felt like I had to make sure that I was getting enough calories. Now, I achieved what I wanted to accomplish after two years and was weighing about 175-180 hanging with the older guys. But even though I could hang with them when it came to grappling, being stronger and bigger didn’t actually satisfy anything. The desire to get bigger and stronger only grew. The thought was that if I looked bigger, I would become more confident. For me, the effects of this mindset meant staying at home while force feeding myself in order to gain one more pound than last time I checked. For some people, the effects of this mindset can be even more detrimental.

 

Taking it a step further

 

Society has conditioned men to poke fun at body image insecurity issues, but there is no comedy in the harm that BDD causes. BDD can create a wide range of problems. An issue that everyone can relate to is feeling uncomfortable wearing certain clothes. When I feel “small,” I tend to wear larger clothes. To me, a large sweatshirt helps me feel larger than I am, or at least keeps people from seeing how small I am. Wearing a larger sweatshirt is just a small example of what BDD and the mind can do to us. BDD can come with much larger issues such as eating disorders or abuse of certain supplements and pharmaceuticals to achieve that ideal body. The abuse can have long lasting effects and can even last the rest of your life.

 

What now?

 

Is it a flaw to not be jacked and tan all year long? I don’t think so. That’s just absurd, especially considering that Pittsburgh gets about much sun as a California winter. So take a long look in the mirror this morning and wink at yourself. Focus on that outstanding beard, maybe that bicep vein that is popping out more than usual, or maybe stand a little taller today knowing that you have been putting the time in the gym.

 

Here’s one more challenge… try to get out of your comfort zone. Either by trying on new clothes that you would normally feel uncomfortable in or eating that last bite that you usually wouldn’t take because you are trying to get super lean for summer. This might sound weird, but my challenge is to try not to panic when I skip a meal or wear a tighter shirt that I feel makes me look small. Since I am always trying to gain weight, I tend to get a little sensitive if I miss a meal. This is partly due to the blood sugar drop, but also the fear of getting “smaller” than I feel I already am. But when I skip a meal now, I breathe. I remind myself that I will not lose every pound of muscle that I have. These are minor steps that will have a large impact on feeling healthier and happier, because in the end, that’s what matters the most: not how you look, but whether you are healthy and happy.

 

 

In the last few years, with the explosion of CrossFit and social media, the sport of Olympic weight lifting has grown in popularity, seeing its USA weightlifting membership numbers more than double since the 2012 Olympic games.  Despite the sport of weightlifting being around for over a century, it has been a relatively unknown sport in the United States. Meanwhile in Europe, it has been a sport that has been taught to youth athletes for years.  In countries such as Iran and China, it is one of the most popular sports. Just like any sport, weightlifting takes years of training and practice to master the two competition lifts: the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. For many of the top weightlifters in the world, they will have up to a decade of experience by the time they reach their early 20’s. Does this mean that it is too late for you to start? What I plan to discuss is how even though you didn’t start when you were 12 years old, it is never too late to become an Olympic weightlifter!

 

 

Over the past several months I have been working with a client who came to the gym looking to compete in his first Olympic weightlifting meet next year at the age of 44. He had no previous experience with the lifts and was a novice to general strength training. In the 4 months that we have been working together the main focuses have been building general strength, teaching technique and improving his mobility. His dedication inside the gym during our training sessions and outside of the gym on his own time has, in my opinion, greatly helped his progress. With each week, I have seen great improvements in his technique and there is no doubt in my mind that he won’t be ready for his first competition 8 months from now.

 

 

Even though you may be in your 30’s, 40’s or even older does not mean it is too late to become a weight lifter. What it does mean is that you may just need to start from a different point in your training. One of the first things to take into consideration when starting this sport is your training age and the number of years you’ve trained. Olympic weightlifting requires a strong base of general strength, but even if you have never lifted weights in your life doesn’t mean this sport is not for you. It does mean that your training will just require a few more steps to build a solid foundation. On the flip side of things, just because you have been picking up heavy things and putting them down for a long time doesn’t mean you’ll be a gold medalist on day one. If you aren’t able to touch your toes, then you will have a lot of work to do on the opposite side of the spectrum.

 

 

There are a lot of perks to coming into the sport with very little experience weightlifting or even without an athletic background at all.  Starting from ground zero is great because the coach will not have the athlete bringing in preconceived notions about the sport, no bad habits and no old sports injuries to deal with. Being a clean slate can be a good thing! This type of athlete may just need a bit more general training and variety of exercises to build a solid foundation. Laying the groundwork here, despite sounding tedious and not too exciting will only pay off more in the long run of athletic development. Building strength will not only help in lifting more weight but also help the body become more durable and able to reduce the risk of injury.

 

 

Now lets look at the veteran of the weight room. You squat 400 lbs, deadlift a house and can bench press your car. This foundation of strength is more than enough to be a competitive weight lifter, however you can’t stick your arms overhead straight enough to snatch or clean and jerk. Does this mean this sport is not meant for you? Certainly not, you will just need to take more time to work on your mobility in order to complete the competition lifts. Again, the mobility work may not be the most exciting of training to do however in the long run it will pay off more than you could imagine.

 

 

So you’ve spent the time to learn the snatch and clean & jerk, your strength is great and mobility is there so what’s next?  Are you ready to compete? In the USA Weightlifting Federation there are masters weight classes up in to the 70’s! Starting at the age of 35, and every 5 years after, there is a new masters division for the standard weight classes ranging from local competitions to nationals all the way up to worlds for both men and women. Competing in Olympic weightlifting is a true test of not only your physical preparation but also your mental toughness where months of repetitions, sweat and time in the gym manifests into just 6 competition attempts. 

 

 

As a closing statement I would just like to say this: the sport of Olympic Weightlifting is a great sport that has unfortunately remained in the shadows of athletics in the United Sates for years. Despite it now just emerging more in popularity doesn’t mean that it is a sport only for the young guns. Weightlifting is a sport that has much to give to people of any age or background, as long as their goals and expectations are within the reasonable realm. However, this is not meant to imply no one can have a high level of success in the sport in his or her later years. I would like to wrap things up with a short story about a friend of mine who came into the sport in his mid 30’s through a few years of Crossfit. With a good strength foundation and dedication he was able to win the master’s US Nationals in his weight class and even moved on to compete at the International World Master’s finals in Italy. With commitment and effort not only can Olympic weightlifting help you build strength and health but potentially give you much more!

Anyone who has ventured into the Strength Lab for a training session has seen bars of all shapes and sizes on the racks or stacked in the bar holders. Most are covered in colored tape too. At first glance it seems like overkill, but there is a method to our madness. I want to dig into the what and why of these bars and how you can incorporate them into your own training.

 

Specialty bars, for the most part, were designed with two purposes in mind:

 

1) Maintaining healthy joints while allowing the lifter to continue to train as they normally would.

 

2) Putting the lifter at a mechanical disadvantage to force the body to adapt and ultimately make progress.

 

There are specialty bars for the squat, bench and deadlift but they all have crossover uses as well. So let’s start with the specialty bars designed for upper body use. In the Strength Lab, they are all designated by RED tape (our all-purpose bars use blue tape for reference).

 

 

#1 The most specific of all is the COMPETITION BENCH BAR.

 

Uses: Benching and that’s all folks.

 

Weight: 55lbs.

 

It is thicker than an all-purpose bar to prevent ‘bar whip’ during heavy bench attempts. And the collars are longer so you can load as many plates as your little heart desires (or body can handle). You are certainly welcome to use a blue all-purpose bar to bench, but if you are going to a competition that will be using this bar on the platform, it’s nice to be prepared ahead of time for the thicker diameter.

 

 

#2 Up next is the FATBAR.

 

Uses: Benching, triceps assistance movements, bicep curls

 

Weight: 55lbs.

 

The purpose of the fatbar is simple and effective- it takes pressure off of your joints, mainly the wrist and elbow, by reducing the torque you’re able to generate at the joint.  A less “sciencey” summary- use this bar if your shoulders/elbows/wrists hurt. The other advantage to this bar is that it puts more of an emphasis on your triceps. So if your bench progress is stalling, this can be a nice curve ball to throw at your body.

 

Another favorite use for this bar- BICEP CURLS! In the same way that it forces your triceps to work harder in the bench, it will over emphasize bicep activation by reducing the work that your forearms can do during the movement.

 

 

#3 is where is starts to get a little funky- FOOTBALL BENCH BAR.

Uses: benching, rows, curls

 

Weight: 45lbs.

 

This is the ultimate shoulder saver. The angle of the handles puts your shoulder in a more natural pressing position. If you’ve taken our #powerful classes, you know we preach elbow position in the bench to help mitigate shoulder discomfort. Well, this bar makes that process dummy-proof.

 

When using it for a row, it can help stop the bicep from taking over the motion and allow you to target your back as intended.

 

When using it for curls, it allows you to mimic a hammer curl (typically done with a dumbbell) which is actually the healthiest version of a bicep curl because it puts your tendons in the safest position possible. 

 

 

#4 Last but not least, the SWISS PRESS BAR.

Uses: benching, triceps assistance movements, rows, overhead press

 

Weight: 33lbs.

 

To me it’s just the ugly step sister to the football bar, but that’s really just a bad opinion on my part. I’m obviously biased but don’t let my opinion sway you- try it for yourself.

 

I don’t like it for benching anything heavy (heavy being relative) because the thin handles make it tough to stabilize.  However, it is the BEST BAR for targeting your triceps because it puts your wrists in a neutral position, ultimately taking most of the pec and front delt out of the press.

 

Similar to the football bar, this is a great bar for rows because it limits the bicep’s ability to take over the movement.

 

And for an overhead press movement, this is another shoulder saver. In an overhead position, the neutral grip makes the press extremely safe and stable for the shoulder.

I recognize that it’s a lot to remember. I get asked daily what each bar weighs and what it can be used for. Please, keep asking! But I hope this serves as a quick guide to at least give some insight into how you can incorporate these tools into your own training.

 

It’s time for a health check up…and we’ll start with the basics.

– What are you drinking right now- coffee, tea, energy drink?

• How much sleep did you get last night- the standard six or seven hours or maybe as little four?
• How much have you eaten today? Or have you eaten today? Did you make your breakfast or was it fast-food grab and go kind of morning?

 

We realize that we’re borderline beating a dead horse with this one, but self care is EVERYTHING.  I don’t think our staff at UF can stress enough the importance of rest and recovery. We seem to preach it constantly. Some of our other coaches have already shared their self-care stories, and unfortunately (or fortunately), I had my wakeup call last week.

 

After a regularly scheduled bench session, I started to feel slightly nauseous. This is uncommon for me, so I was a little bit nervous to say the least. I decided to go home early considering that with each burp I was leaning toward the trash can.

 

I’ll save you the rest of the details, but I drove myself to the ER around 5 am. The doctor did a few blood tests and sure enough, I had light case of rhabdomyolysis.If you’re familiar with rhabdomyolysis, you know that this condition can be gravely dangerous. As I’m sure many of you are not familiar, in simple terms, it is when your muscles release a tremendous amount of waste product that puts damage on your body, specifically your kidneys. If this condition is severe enough it can lead to kidney failure. Luckily, my Exercise Physiology degree came in handy – we discussed the symptoms in class so I had an idea of what might be happening. By getting myself to the ER as quickly as possible, we caught it early before any more serious symptoms set in.

 

The point of this article is not to talk about how to prevent rhabdomyolysis. And I’ll add this right now: I DID NOT GET RHABDOMYOLYSIS DUE TO ANYTHING I DID IN THE GYM. I subjected myself to this by not taking my recovery seriously. This article is about how we all need to take care of ourselves before something like this happens to you – a serious medical condition that could have been entirely preventable with rest.

 

When it comes to giving your body rest there are three key components to focus on: (1) sleep, (2) hydration, and (3) nutrition. We’ll call the them the “big three.” Whenever I have a client that says they don’t feel well, we can usually trace it back to Big Three. I know as well as you do that at certain times in our lives these will be sacrificed for any number of things- that project at work or your term paper for school. This isn’t optimal for obvious reasons, but what needs to happen after you’ve sacrificed your health for a commitment is a catch up period after you’ve over extended yourself. My theory is that rest and work need to be a 2:1 ratio: that extra hour you pushed yourself for work, school, or training needs to be followed by two hours of dedicated recovery time.

 

I can understand if you’re feeling skeptical, but consider my situation. When you are in the gym working hard on those giant biceps, you are technically breaking down muscle fibers. Nothing is being built. When are we actually building muscle then? The hard to swallow answer: when you eat, sleep and hydrate. These three things need to be taken care of to fully to reach your training goals, whether that be the biggest biceps in the gym, your first challenging hike, or getting through a rough Cardio Lab class.

 

I know you are dying to know what I did to wreck my body. Let’s just say I was not taking care of any of the main three. They say a smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others…I want all of you to learn from my mistakes. To do that, I want each of you to pick one action to take this week that means you’re taking better care of your recovery: sleep, hydration, and nutrition. Maybe that looks like skipping that extra re-run of Park and Rec to get an extra 30 minutes of sleep, or just getting a 12oz cold brew coffee instead of the 24oz, or cutting your workout in half because you realized that the only thing you ate that day was half of a stale bagel you scrounged up in the break room (that you washed down with a liter of coffee, naturally).

 

Lastly, I know a lot of you are thinking “I ain’t no wuss” – you’re stronger than this, you can’t get something like rhabdo. We are living in a culture where it is “badass” to push yourself to a breaking point. Let me tell you what is not badass. Laying in the ER on your second bag of IV fluid realizing that you won’t be able to compete in the powerlifting meet you’d been preparing for over the past three months. Nobody likes set backs and I don’t want that for any of you. So go ahead take that nap, drink all the water, and make your lunch count. Take care UF’ers.

When you’re in love with a barbell, we know it can be difficult to ditch it in exchange for a yoga mat. It feels a little bit like cheating on your one true love—there are feelings of guilt, fear, anxiety and uncertainty.  We get it! There’s nothing quite like crushing a new PR with the love of your life or a rep PR in the Strength Lab.  Adrenaline is rushing, the music is bumping and the blood is pumping hard. It’s a beautiful feeling.  Just like that feeling of cold hard steel in your hands, covered in a mix of chalk and sweat, nothing can quite compare.  But, honestly, the benefits of yoga for lifters can be just as sweet and satisfying:

 

Less injuries

We see it all the time: Things are going great and one day, BAM! You’re sidelined with an injury. Yoga can keep you in the lifting game longer by preventing injuries and rehabbing the nagging injuries that keep you from the big numbers.

 

Learn how to breathe better

Breath control is number one in lifting (and in life, let’s be honest)! Learning how to brace properly is imperative for lifting safely and effectively.  A yoga practice gives you the chance to learn and implement proper breath control into your lifting routine.

 

More mobility

Setting up for your lifts should not be comfortable, if you’re doing it right.  But it shouldn’t be causing you pain either.  Getting into a proper set up for your deadlift, back squat, or bench press takes a lot of mobility in a lot of places.  While a steady yoga practice might not be comfortable, the mobility gains will be worth it!

 

All of these things (and so much more!) translate into better lifts, bigger weights and a better overall lifter. But if you’re not quite convinced yet, maybe two of our favorite powerlifters here at Union Fitness can convince you to try out some yoga poses guaranteed to improve your lifting performance and progress.  Casey and Ryan kicked off their lifting shoes and wraps to venture into the yoga studio for a little game of “Monkey See, Monkey Do”.

Crescent Lunge

Benefits: Stretches the psoas, quads and hamstrings. Strengthens the front leg and alleviates tightness in the hip flexors.

 

 

Half Pigeon

Benefits: Stretches the glutes, hips and psoas.  Increased hip mobility.

 

 

Supine Spinal Twist

Benefits: Stretches and releases the back muscles, opens shoulders and realigns spine.

 

 

Buddha Squat

Benefits: Stretches hips, ankles, groin and Achilles. Provides spinal stabilization.