Hello everybody! My name is Spencer Gerhard, and I am a new personal trainer here at Union Fitness. I am from Northampton PA and went to undergrad at Pitt where I majored in Exercise Science and interned at Carnegie Mellon with the Student Recreation Department. I currently live in the Southside and work full time at Pitt’s University Club as a Fitness Center Coordinator.

When I am not working and training others, I deeply enjoy my own training. I am currently focusing on bodybuilding and hitting new lift PRs. I would like to compete in my first powerlifting meet sometime in 2024. I have also completed marathons, multiple Ironman’s and one Ultramarathon. When I’m not training, I enjoy climbing, jigsaw puzzles and reading.

Spencer

Hey everyone! My name is Kyle Hartman, and I am a new personal trainer/coach here at Union Fitness. I’m originally from Bradford, PA and just finished up my undergraduate studies at SUNY University at Buffalo. Those studies were a major in exercise science and minor in nutrition, and I was also fortunate enough to intern with the sports performance staff while there. I have since moved here to Pittsburgh where I am interning with the University of Pittsburgh’s sports science department and intend to start their sports science master’s program next academic year.

When I’m not coaching or collecting and visualizing data, you can probably still find me in a weight room somewhere. Ever since discovering weight training, I’ve fallen madly in love with it. I played sports all throughout my childhood, but they never gave me the thrill that setting a new PR does. I’ve competed in a couple powerlifting events and am looking to become more competitive and compete more regularly. Although most of my interests lie within the gym, I also love watching movies, going for bike rides, and playing dungeons and dragons when I have the time.

-Kyle

Hello everyone! As some of you know, I am the Lead Personal Trainer at Union. Basically, that means I oversee most if not all aspects of personal training. This includes giving clients to our trainers and training clients myself. However, this blog is not about me but rather it is about our trainers. I wanted to take the time to thank them for all their hard work.

First up is Ethan. Ethan who has been gone for the past month training hockey players in another country, is our most experienced trainer. His clients love him and so do we. He never fails to put a smile on our faces with his sarcastic humor. He is our morning guy and I have a lot of respect for him.

Next up is Miranda. As some of you do not know, she was one of the first friends I made at Union. She is extremely reliable although she has thousands of different things going on in her life. She has multiple jobs and is pursing her graduate degree in physical therapy at Chatham. Sometimes I don’t know how she does it all!

Now were onto Dahveed. What I love most about Dahveed is his ability to show empathy. He is perhaps the most empathetic person at Union. He really knows how to put himself in other people’s shoes and this makes him not only a great trainer but also a great person.

Now we got Dylan. Dylan is very curious and studious. He is always diving into new things and willing to learn. It seems like he is always in a perpetual state of learning and this is why I think he will be very successful with whatever he does in life. To Dylan, I still need to roll around on some mats with you and kick your ass!

Now we got our Olympic lifter Dylan. Dylan has only had a few clients but is very involved with all of our sports teams. What I love most about Dylan is his passion. I’ve heard countless good things from his athletes and he did so good that they put him on their website. If you ever have any questions about Olympic lifting then he is your guy.

Next up is Caroline. Caroline also has multiple jobs and is going to physical therapy school at Chatham. She is relatively new at Union but has helped us a lot lately. She has filled in for our fitness classes and has worked with clients. I commend her for all her hard work and being able to manage her crazy schedule!

Next in line is Montrell. I met Montrell during my undergraduate degree and we got our master’s degree together. All I can say is that Montrell is awesome. He has been absolutely killing it at Union. He has many clients already and every time we ask him for something he gets it done. He is very reliable and is very humble.

Now we are onto Kyle. Kyle is also new here at Union and he works over at Pitt for strength and conditioning. I’ve only had a few interactions with him so far but from our conversations, I get the feeling that he much more intelligent than he thinks he is. He already has several clients and he has a warm personality to him.

Next up is Erin. Erin just started working here as well. She is going to school at the University of Pittsburgh for physical therapy. She has picked up a lot of front desk hours, classes, and clients. Based on her previous experience in collegiate softball and her work here at Union, she seems like she is going to be a great fit here. I am excited to see her growth as she progresses through PT school.

After Erin we got Allyssa. As soon as she started, she made an immediate impact here at Union. She has worked with many of our teams at Chatham and Point Park University. She has also helped a lot with front desk and picked up a lot of classes as well. She is very driven. Like Erin, she is also going to physical therapy school at Pitt. I really don’t know how all of my coworkers manage to do it all during PT school. We’re going to try to give her a client or two in the future if she can manage it all!

Now we are onto Spencer. Spencer was also in my undergraduate class with me at Pitt. He is one of the most genuine people I have met. He is just a solid dude all around. If you didn’t know, he has done an Ironman before. From what I have heard those are extremely difficult. If you ever have the chance to ask him about it then I’m sure he would tell you all about it.

Now onto our newest hire Adeel. From the minute Adeel got here and I saw his passion with his athletes I knew he would be great at Union. All of us are very impressed with his ability to adapt to situations and his willingness to step up when we need him. I am grateful he is now working with us and I am excited to see him grow as a trainer.

Last but certainly not least is April. Unfortunately for us here at Union, Aprils last day with us was last week. April was a great trainer here. She always went above and beyond for her clients and it shows because she made lasting relationships with all of them. She will definitely be missed and I am sure she will do awesome in whatever her future holds!

All in all, I and the rest of the full-time staff are very grateful for all of our personal trainers. If any of our gym members are reading this, please take the time to thank all of them. They work very hard and are each unique in their own way. They make my job a lot easier and I appreciate them!

Zain

Hi! My name is Erin Barnett, and I am a personal trainer and I coach Powerful classes at Union Fitness! I am originally from Dunellen, New Jersey and went to college at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. I played softball and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from there just this last May! I am currently working towards my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh.

I have always loved athletics and fitness. Growing up, I was surrounded by athletes in my family, and played both basketball and softball myself. Throughout my time in athletics, I took particular interest in the prevention and rehabilition of injury and found myself genuinely fascinated with how the body worked and how I can keep mine and others’ healthy! Since coming out of competitive sports, I have fallen in love with lifting and other aspects of physical fitness to keep myself active and healthy. I believe that being physically active in any way can have both mental and physical benefits and advocate for everyone to bring that mindset into their fitness journey! Outside of the gym, I love to go out with friends, whether to explore nature, find new places to eat, play games, or just hang out! I already love it in Pgh and am so excited to get to know Pittsburgh more!

Erin

David Bowie said it best, Changes, turn and face the stranger. Bowie has always been one of the artists who helped me keep my head up when I needed it. With the seasons starting to change and the end of spotted lantern fly domination I figured I would talk about some changes here at the U.

First thing you will notice is many new faces in here. We have added quite a few new trainers. Our personal training has been growing and our teams are always in the need of more coaches. So if you see some new faces please say hello to them.

Next thing is one of our trainers has left for a new opportunity. April has now been a morning person at the U for a few years. We wish her well as she begins a new job and we couldn’t be happier for her and her success.

Teams are back! You may notice that we are training college groups again. We hope this enhances everyones experience at Union. We are happy to see college students from Point Park and Chatham back at UF and in Nova Place. Please feel free to say hello these students if you see them.

CeJ’s outdoor workouts/bootcamp season is coming to an end. Every year CeJ does an amazing job setting up these classes and events. I want to thank him and make sure that everyone is aware that they will be back. Next big one will be our Turkey Burn for Thanksgiving.

Hamer

Hello, I’m Drew Levinson and I’m an indoor cycling instructor at Union Fitness. I love that we have RealRyder bikes here, which provide a phenomenal low-impact, full-body workout. I’ve been taking classes on RealRyder bikes since 2021 and I’m hooked.

Outside of Union Fitness, I’m a paramedic and lab instructor for the Emergency Medicine Program at the University of Pittsburgh.

I love outdoor adventures and exploring new places. I’ve kayaked the entire Napali Coast of Kauai (17 nautical miles). I’ve also jumped off the main deck of a ship in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park. It was exhilarating to stare at the Johns Hopkins Glacier as I plunged into water with a temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

When I have free time, I enjoy long hikes with my rescue dog Bimbee at McConnells Mill State Park, about 45 minutes north of Pittsburgh.

I hope to see you at Rydes on Wednesdays at 5:30am for a rewarding workout with great playlists every week!

Drew

Hello, my name is Allyssa Space! I am a personal trainer and will also be leading powerful classes as well as some of the collegiate teams here at Union Fitness. I’m from Warrenton, Virginia, and just moved to pgh about a month ago! I graduated in May from Shenandoah University in Virginia where I played Softball. I earned my Bachelor’s in Exercise Science, and am now working on my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Pitt. I am also working towards getting my CSCS, and would like to work in D1 or professional sports when I graduate.

I have been immersed in sports my whole life, and with that I have sustained many injuries. I want to help others recovering from injury not only get back to where they were prior, but better. I am also a big proponent of injury prevention, and think it should be included for everybody, not just athletes. I also believe it’s essential to be active in any way you can! I want to help athletes be stronger and faster on the field/ court and help others reach their fitness goals, be comfortable in the gym, and just feel good about themselves physically and mentally. Outside of the gym, I love to hike and kayak, and am also a big baker!

Allyssa