Category Archives: Fitness

The Benefits of Yoga: Beyond Flexibility and Stress Relief

Fitness, Life Health, Training

Since it has been practiced for thousands of years, yoga is becoming more and more popular all over the world. Although many people think of yoga as a means of increasing flexibility and reducing stress, the benefits of the practice go far beyond these well-known benefits. We’ll explore the many advantages of yoga in this blog post, as well as how adding it to your routine can improve your general health.

 

What is Yoga?

In order to enhance one’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, yoga incorporates breathing techniques, physical postures, meditation, and ethical concepts. Yoga comes in a wide variety of forms, from intense forms like Vinyasa and Ashtanga to more restorative forms like Hatha and Yin.

 

Physical Benefits of Yoga

1. Increased Flexibility:

One of the most well-known benefits of yoga is improved flexibility. Regular practice helps lengthen and stretch muscles, making it easier to move and reducing the risk of injuries.

 

2. Improved Strength:

Yoga poses require you to support your body weight in various ways, building strength in muscles that may not be used regularly in other forms of exercise. This includes core strength, which is crucial for overall stability and balance.

 

3. Enhanced Balance and Coordination:

Many yoga poses challenge your balance and coordination. Improved balance can prevent falls and injuries.

 

4. Better Posture:

Yoga emphasizes body alignment and awareness, which can lead to improved posture. Good posture reduces strain on the spine and helps prevent back and neck pain.

 

5. Increased Blood Flow and Circulation:

The various postures and breathing exercises in yoga promote better blood flow and circulation. This can lead to improved cardiovascular health and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

 

6. Boosted Immune System:

Yoga can strengthen the immune system by reducing stress and inflammation, improving circulation, and stimulating the lymphatic system, which helps fight infections.

 

Mental and Emotional Benefits of Yoga

1. Stress Reduction:

Yoga is renowned for its stress-relieving properties. The combination of physical activity, controlled breathing, and meditation helps calm the mind, reduce cortisol levels, and promote relaxation.

 

2. Improved Focus and Concentration:

Yoga requires mindfulness and concentration, which can enhance your ability to focus in other areas of your life. This mental clarity can lead to better decision-making and productivity.

 

3. Enhanced Mood and Emotional Well-Being:

Regular yoga practice can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. The release of endorphins during exercise, coupled with the calming effects of deep breathing and meditation, contributes to an overall sense of well-being.

 

4. Better Sleep:

Yoga can improve the quality of your sleep by promoting relaxation and reducing stress. Certain poses and breathing techniques can help prepare your body and mind for a restful night’s sleep.

 

5. Increased Self-Awareness:

Yoga encourages introspection and self-awareness, helping you become more in tune with your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. This heightened awareness can lead to personal growth and a deeper understanding of yourself.

 

Yoga provides a comprehensive approach to health and wellbeing that is good for the body, mind, and soul. You may increase your level of inner calm, lower stress, sharpen your mind, and improve your physical health by adding yoga into your regimen. Accept the trip and see for yourself how yoga may change your life.

 

Jade

Roles a Personal Trainer Plays in Your Fitness Journey

Fitness, Training

Hi Union Fitness Squad! 

 

Today I want to briefly talk about being a Personal Trainer, and the different important roles that we can play in your fitness journeys.  

 

A Personal Trainer is a fitness professional who helps individuals achieve their fitness goals by designing customized workout plans, providing motivation, and offering expert guidance on exercise techniques and in some cases, nutrition.  

 

When it comes to entering the fitness world and starting your fitness journey, things can tend to feel a little overwhelming and confusing. If you google anything related to exercise and fitness, there is a plethora of information thrown at you to take in. This can put some people off and push them away from moving forward with starting their journey. The good news is that Personal Trainers are here to help you answer your questions and get you moving in the right direction! Here are some things that we can offer to help better your fitness endeavors: 

 

  1. Personalized Guidance- A Personal Trainer can tailor a workout program specifically to your goals, fitness level, and any individual needs or limitations you may have. This personalized approach ensures that you are working towards objectives that are realistic and achievable for you.

 

  1. Proper Form and Technique- One of the most critical aspects of any fitness routine is using proper form and technique to prevent injury and maximize results. A Personal Trainer provides hands-on instruction and feedback to ensure you are performing exercises correctly, reducing the risk of injury and improving effectiveness.

 

  1. Motivation and Accountability- Staying motivated to exercise consistently can be challenging, especially when faced with obstacles or plateaus. A Personal Trainer serves as a source of motivation and accountability, providing encouragement, support, and guidance to help you stay on track and overcome obstacles. Staying motivated to exercise consistently can be challenging, especially when faced with obstacles or plateaus. A Personal Trainer serves as a source of motivation and accountability, providing encouragement, support, and guidance to help you stay on track and overcome obstacles. 

 

  1. Variety and Progression- Personal Trainers can introduce variety into your workouts by incorporating different exercises, equipment, and training techniques. They also ensure progressive overload by gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts over time, helping you continually challenge your body and avoid fitness plateaus.

 

  1. Goal Setting and Monitoring- Setting clear, achievable goals is essential for progress and success in fitness. A Personal Trainer helps you set realistic goals based on your aspirations and then monitors your progress, making adjustments to your program as needed to keep you on course towards achieving those goals.

 

  1. Education and Empowerment- A good Personal Trainer not only tells you what to do but also educates you on why and how to do it. By understanding the principles behind exercise and nutrition, you become empowered to make informed decisions about your health and fitness both inside and outside the gym.

 

  1. Adaptation to Special Circumstances- If you have specific health concerns, injuries, or conditions, a Personal Trainer can adapt exercises and routines to accommodate your needs safely and effectively. They can work in conjunction with healthcare professionals to ensure you are engaging in activities that support your overall well-being.

 

  1. Time Efficiency- With a Personal Trainer, you can make the most of your time in the gym by focusing on exercises and techniques that are most effective for you. They can help you streamline your workouts to maximize efficiency and minimize wasted time.

 

Personal Trainers are crucial in helping individuals achieve their health and fitness goals. With their expertise in exercise programming, motivation and support, personal trainers can be a valuable resource for anyone looking to make positive changes in their lives. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced athlete, working with a Personal Trainer can provide the guidance and encouragement needed to reach your fitness goals.  

 

Stop in to ask the UF Staff about Personal Training here today! We would be more than happy to help you reach your goals and have some fun with your training while doing so!

 

Also huge shoutout to my client, Diana (pictured here) who has been working with me for over a year and a half now and is absolutely crushing her fitness journey. I am happy to be a part of it all!

 

Toria 

Meet the Staff- Zoey

Fitness

Hello everyone!

 

I am Zoey, I am an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist. I grew up in Westmoreland County and graduated from Hempfield Area Senior High School. I received my B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Saint Francis University, and I am currently finishing up my M.S. in Clinical Exercise Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh. I plan on pursuing a career in Tactical Strength and Conditioning and Military Human Performance Research. My goal as an Exercise Physiologist is to help everyone live a long, happy, healthy, and STRONG life. I have loved exercise all my life. I was a swimmer for 13 years, and I finished off my career swimming for SFU on the NCAA Division I level. Lifting has always been a big part of my life, and I want to continue to share my love and passion for it with everyone. Aside from lifting, I love to hike and country line dance!

Self Accountability

Fitness, Life Health, Training

What’s up everyone! Today I wanted to take the time to talk about Self-Accountability and how it could be the reason that you may not be obtaining the results that you would like with your fitness goals.

In my opinion, we have one of the best staff in Pittsburgh with our trainers and coaches. They have superb knowledge, are good people, have the ability to empathize, and can guide you in the right direction. If they don’t have the knowledge on a particular topic, they also always seek out more information from others to learn on that particular topic or they will dive into research with peer reviewed articles or case studies.

Although our trainers and coaches are great at Union Fitness, they can only guide you in the right direction and can only push you to a certain degree. For example, when I am doing initial consultations with potential clients, they come in with these awesome goals and large aspirations that are 100% obtainable. However, they fail to realize that sessions tend to be only 1-3 times a week. The hard truth that some people need to learn is that working out once a week, twice a week, or even three times a week is not enough in the long run to reach their particular goal. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 300 to 450 minutes of exercise a week to achieve maximum health gains. This means that even if you are training three times a week with a trainer, it’s not enough to achieve your goals. You would need to do some type of activity on your own without a coach or trainer that way you are doing enough to reach your goals.

In my own experience in training with clients, the clients that see the best results are the ones that did extra work outside of our sessions. It could be exercise that I programmed myself for them, an outside source like another gym or classes, or something that they enjoy and are comfortable doing on their own.

To bring things back full circle, this means there needs to be some type of self-accountability when you are on your own. At the end of the day, it comes down to the client and what they are willing to do to reach their goals. Exercising once, twice, or three times a week is definitely great and if that’s all you can muster then that is fine too but there are definitely gains being left on the table. So if you are a current client and are reading this, do not be afraid to ask your trainer for extra programming to do on your own. This will speed up the process of your goals and make things more obtainable.

In conclusion, I am writing this blog to simply provide information to our members and whoever might be reading this. My intention is to not make anyone feel bad or to call anyone out. We often look to blame others for our issues, problems, or lack of progress in our lives but sometimes it takes a hard look in the mirror. Am I really doing everything I could be doing  to achieve my goals? Am I exercising with intent rather than going through the motions? That is for you to decide! Again, I want to reiterate that I am trying to give you a gentle nudge to push you in the right direction. That way you can be your happiest and best self!

I’ll leave you with this. You could have all the money in the world, the best trainers in the world, the best coaches in the world, the best support in the world, and the best nutritionists in the world, but if you do not execute and remain self disciplined then you will not get the results that you would like.

I hope this blog helps some of you out that are struggling with your goals. Do not give up and always strive for more! You will be surprised at how durable, resilient, and mentally strong you really are and can become. It will not be easy, but if it was easy then everyone would do it.

-Zain

The Importance of Stretching: Static vs. Dynamic

Fitness, Training

Stretching is an essential component of any fitness routine, often overlooked or rushed through. It not only improves flexibility but also plays a crucial role in injury prevention and performance enhancement. There are two primary types of stretching: static stretching and dynamic stretching, each serving different purposes and best suited for specific times in your workout routine. 

  

 

Static Stretching 

 

Static stretching involves holding a stretch for a prolonged period, typically 15-30 seconds. It helps improve flexibility by elongating the muscle and increasing its range of motion. Static stretches are best done after your workout or during a dedicated stretching session. They help relax the muscles and can improve muscle recovery post-exercise. 

 

Dynamic Stretching 

 

Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both. Unlike static stretching, dynamic stretching involves active movements that mimic the activity you are about to perform. Dynamic stretches are great as part of a warm-up routine to prepare your muscles, joints, and tendons for the upcoming workout. 

 

 

Importance of Stretching 

 

  1. Improved Flexibility: Stretching regularly can improve your flexibility over time, which is beneficial for various physical activities and daily tasks.

 

  1. Injury Prevention: By improving flexibility and range of motion, stretching can help prevent injuries, especially muscle strains and joint sprains.

 

  1. Enhanced Performance: Stretching can improve your overall performance in physical activities by allowing your muscles to work more effectively.

 

  1. Reduced Muscle Tension: Stretching can help reduce muscle tension and soreness, especially after intense workouts.

 

  1. Improved Posture: Stretching can help improve your posture by lengthening tight muscles that pull areas of the body away from their intended position.

 

When to Stretch 

 

– Before Exercise: Dynamic stretching is best before exercise as part of a warm-up routine to prepare your muscles for activity. 

   

– After Exercise: Static stretching is best after exercise to help relax the muscles and improve flexibility. 

 

– Throughout the Day: Stretching throughout the day, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle, can help prevent muscle stiffness and improve overall flexibility. 

 

 

Incorporating both static and dynamic stretching into your fitness routine can lead to improved flexibility, reduced risk of injury, and better overall performance. Remember to listen to your body and stretch within your limits to avoid overstretching or causing injury. Stretching should be a regular part of your fitness routine to enjoy its full benefits. 

 

-Grayson

Summer Sledge

Fitness

As the great poet of our time, Limp Bizkit once said ” And if my day keeps going this way, I just might break something tonight”. 

 

Well another way to keep that energy rolling in a more productive manner, why don’t we try incorporating the sledge hammer into our training. Sledgehammer training will put your strength, power, coordination, endurance and chutzpah to the test. From a 4lbs sledge to a hulking 65lbs sledge, there are various movements to utilize this tool. A classic staple is the tride and true slam to tire, but you can use the sledge to complete a “KB ” like flow series, mace movements and other functional everyday movements. Completing these movements will not only improve your overall performance from your head to your toes, but it will leave you feeling like one bad mother, shut your mouth. Sledgehammer training offers an array of benefits no matter what type of athlete you may be. Include them in your circuit training for an intense cardio session to elevate your heart rate and improve aerobic capacity and metabolic conditioning or use it as a tool to build strength, power, and explosiveness. Incorporating sledgehammer movements into your training will naturally strengthen the forearms, improve wrist mobility, and increase grip strength. Sledgehammer training uses full range movements which will improve functional fitness, coordination, and agility. My personal favorite combo with the sledgehammer is when I build the exercise into my metabolic conditioning circuit day. For example, I will use the sledgehammer to hit a tire for :30 seconds, alternating sides of the swing, then farmers carry to my next exercise, hit my roulette ab pick of the training then jog back to the top and start all over. This quick blog is just to get you thinking of how you can add variety and spice into your exercise routine. If you’d like to try any of these sledge movements, please ask me and I would love to show you how. We can have a Summer sledge party.  

 

-Sledge On  

CeJ 

Keeping Up the Speed

Fitness, Training

Human beings have been able to move bipedally for thousands of years, a little fun fact is that humans can outrun cheetahs, wolves and even horses when it comes to long distance running, but when it comes to speed we are some of the slowest animals out there. Today, I’m going give you some programming to help you increase your speed and maybe you will be able to outrun a wombat (25mph) or at least at Black mamba (14mph).

 

First, we want to start with a warm up. Sprinting is tough on the body, especially if you are going 100% speed – you have to make sure your body is ready for impact. Here is an example warm up:

 

  1. Light jog, skips, shuffles, backwards jog – get those joints moving and lubricated
  2. Dynamic stretching: hamstring scoops, quad pull reach, World’s Greatest Stretch, single leg supermans, straight leg skips, carioca, bwd reachbacks (run backwards reaching with your legs)
  3. Primer: ankle and calf dribbles, double leg and single leg POGOs, A-Skips (or regular skips), high knees slow to fast, 10yd accelerations, 20yd sprint buildups.

 

I would recommend doing 10yd for the dynamic stretches and 20yd for the primers.

 

After a long and focused warm up your body should be ready to start some sprinting! Below is a 3 day program of sprint work that I’ve put together for everyone. Make sure you take into account that if you haven’t sprinted in a long time that you should start a little easy then ramp up as your body gets more accustomed to the constant impact.

 

Day 1

1a) BW Prowler Push @100% BW x 4-5sets 10-15yd

1b) 2 point acceleration 10-15yd

2) Sprint Buildup 4×2 build on 30-40yd

3) Broad Jump(DL-SL-SL) 2-3x2ea

4) MB Counter Movement Granny FWD Toss 2-3×4

 

Day 2

1a) Light Sled Sprints 20% BW 15yd Build/ 10yd Fly x 3-4sets

1b) Fly In 15yd Build/ 10yd Fly

2) Hurdrle Hops (Skip) @4-5 hurdles x 3-4sets

3) MB Counter Movement BWD Granny Toss 3-4×3

 

Day 3

1) MB Vert Scoop Toss 3×3-4

2a) MB Punch Runs 2-3x20yd

2b) Wickets 2-3x20yd

3a) Float-Sprint-Float 90%-95%-90% x2-3sets (if that is too much bring it down to 80%) 10yd-10yd-10yd

3b) 20yd Buildup to 10yd sprint

 

When doing this program make sure to pace yourself, especially if you haven’t sprinted in a long time, and as the weeks go by try increasing speed and/or sets/reps. I have done this program myself and I am currently doing it. If you need help with any of the drills on here or you just want a partner to do sprints with please feel free to reach out! Now get out there and out run some wombats!!!

 

Dahveed Jorge

5/3/1 Program 101

Fitness, Training

Hello everyone Hanson here,

 

Today’s blog is about one of the classic powerlifting programs developed by Jim Wendler. The core principle of the 5/3/1 program is starting light, progress slowly but steadily, and break personal records (that’s not your 1RM).

 

Starting Light:
While this might be counterintuitive for someone who wants to lift as much weight as possible, starting lighter provides more room for improvement and more practice volume without the crushing feeling of fatigue. It might be a tough pill to swallow for some, it is far better than pain from injuries and stalled progression.

 

Progress Slowly:
This goes hand in hand with starting light, it will help those who want to get bigger and stronger from self-sabotaging their own progress. Instead of aiming at an arbitrary number based on what people advertise on social media, every set’s weight is calculated based on your PERSONAL training max.

 

Break Personal Records:
5/3/1 is set up so you can break your personal records on your 5 rep and 3 rep sets on a weekly basis. To live or die by your 1RM pr every week is one quick way to discourage yourself from making progress. Instead, focus on hitting pr’s with reps with the same weight, if your squat goes from 225 x 3 to 225 x 5, you have definitely gotten stronger.

 

How to set up 5/3/1

 

You are expected to weight train 4 days a week for this program. Each day is centered around a core lift: bench, shoulder press, squat, and deadlift. Start your workout with 5 to 10 minutes of mobility and warmup, focusing on slowly moving through the warmup movement with full range of motion. After warmup, you will proceed to the main training block. Each training cycle lasts 4 weeks, with the following set-rep goals for each major lift.

 

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Set 1 65% x 5 70% x 3 75% x 5 40% x 5
Set 2 75% x 5 80% x 3 85% x 3 50% x 5
Set 3 85% x 5+ 90% x 3+ 95% x 1+ 60% x 5

 

For the weight calculations, we are basing it off your training max, which is 90% of your competition/max effort 1RM. For example, if your absolute 1RM for bench press is 315lbs your training max will be 315 x 0.9 = 285 lbs. So, for week one, your first set of bench press will be at 285 x 0.65 = 185 lbs. for 5 reps, and then 285 x 0.75 = 215 lbs. for 5 reps, and the last set 285 x 0.85 = 245 lbs. for 5 or more reps with all-out effort. The magic happens on that last set where you really push yourself to set that multi-rep PR! But don’t ignore the nice foundation you’re building with the first two set and assistance work you’ll do after.

 

Assistance Work:

Along with the bench press, squat, shoulder press, and deadlift, 5/3/1 includes assistance exercises to build muscle, prevent injury, and create a balanced physique. My favorites are strength-training staples like chin-ups, dips, lunges, rows, and back extensions. I like to do 4 to 5 sets of 15 reps for those assistance exercises. The goal is NOT to go as heavy as you can for those assistance exercises. The goal is to keep the tension in the muscle while maintaining good form as you go through sets of 15. For exercises such as chin-ups and dips, I just use my body weight, and for exercises like the lunge and rows, I have 30lb dumbbells in each hand.

 

5 Tips to a successful 5/3/1 program from Jim Wendler himself:
1. Start with a realistic idea of your one-rep max, and follow my instructions to base all training weights on 90% of that max. You can make it easy on yourself by spending a couple of workouts working up to a four-rep-max set of each of the four core lifts.

2. Your 3RM should be about 90% of your 1RM. Once you have that 3RM, you can skip a step in your calculations and just use it for all your subsequent percentages.

3. The final set of your core lift in each workout is the one that produces mass and strength, so give it everything you have, and get as many reps as you can with that weight.

4. The exceptions are the deloading workouts in Week 4. You’re giving your muscles a break, not trying to establish new PRs.

5. When you start a new four-week cycle, add 5 pounds to your 1RMs for bench and shoulder presses and 10 pounds for squats and deadlifts, and recalculate training weights using the new numbers.

 

I will be adding more content relating to 5/3/1 in the future as I am currently 1 cycle into this training myself! Feel free to ask me any questions about this training if you see me around the gym!

 

Keep on lifting!
Hanson

Get Down With Turkish Getups

Fitness, Training
Greetings Unionits,
On this wild journey we call life, have you ever got down on the floor, stood up from the floor and then perhaps later got back down on the floor? If your answer was a striking, “why, yes I do believe so” then you gotta get down with the Turkish get up.
If you’ve been taking our Thursday #powerful class, you may already be a champion Turkish Get Up-er. If you’ve been coming to #powerful class and have never heard of a Turkish Get Up, then you’ve just been caught red handed, skipping out on a fun class. Have no fear, there is still time to learn and perform the TGU (Turkish Get Up).
Let’s talk about this magical big bang for your buck exercise. The TGU takes your body through all 3 planes of motion, transverse (rotational), sagittal (forward & backward) and frontal (up & down). We’re talking abdominal strength with rotation and bracing, shoulder stability with an overhead press, lower body strength with bridges and lunging. This is a most excellent full body exercise and one not to scough at. Not only can the TGU provide overall full body strength , this exercise contributes to injury prevention by improving our coordination, balance, mobility and stability. Wowzer, how neat! Also, you’ll impress all your friends and bring your enemies to their knees with your new found feats of strength.
Now that we’ve hyped the TGU up, let’s talk about how to perform the unbelievable act.
1) You’ll start flat on your back with your left arm pressed to the sky like you are  preforming a single arm floor press. Your right leg will be straight on the floor with your left leg bent as if you were about to attempt a single leg glut bridge.
2) Now, let’s move. From position 1 you’ll begin to reach that left arm straight up to the sky while you simultaneously roll your hips to the right and start to brace on your right elbow and forearm.
3) From position 2, keep reaching that left hand to the sky while you now press through your right hand to kick stand your upper body off the floor.
4) Once your upper body and back are off the floor you’ll continue to reach that arm to the sky and now push through that left foot to drive into a glute bridge. Now take your right leg, which should be straight and thread it back underneath your hips to be in a 1/2 kneeling position with your right kickstand hand on the floor.
5) Now push your kickstand hand off the floor and drive that left hand tall so we are now in a 1/2 kneeling single arm overhead press position. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, really just 1 more step to get up.
6) From your 1/2 kneeling overhead position you’ll use the strength from your left leg to lunge yourself tall into a standing position. Still keeping that left arm straight and tall to the sky.
Yahooo, you’ve done it and got up to the standing position of a TGU. You may now be thinking, “well am I done or do I have to come back down to the floor?” Just like the brainiacs you are, that is absolutely correct. You do have to come back down to the starting position to complete a TGU. Just take the steps I provided you with and do them in reverse to climb back down to the floor safe and sound.
Let it be known that when you are learning this exercise or any new movement that technique quality is far more important than overall weight. Step away from your ego, my doods. If you want I’d be more than happy to show you your next favorite exercise in person, whenever you’re ready.
Party hard,
CeJ

The Best Exercise You Don’t Want to Miss

Fitness, Life Health, Training

It is no secret that fitness coaches and trainers will debate over what kind of exercise is best for people. Whether it is weight training, aerobic activity, yoga, certain programs, speed work, plyometrics, sprinting, or HIIT, every fitness professional is biased to what they learned or how they currently train. All forms of exercise have their benefits in slightly different ways. But in general, they all promote a healthier and happier life. For example, HIIT training or high intensity interval training is extremely beneficial for your heart and brain. It decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease and/or can prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia through the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Another example, is weight training. Weight training has many benefits including building stronger and healthier muscles as well as boosting your metabolism. To build on this even further, yoga can help with mental health as well as increasing your flexibility. This increase in flexibility will aid in preventing injuries in the future.

 

In saying all of this, you might be asking what is the best exercise routine? Well, that’s where I am here to tell you that the best exercise routine is the one that you can stick to. In short, all exercise is extremely beneficial for you. So do the exercise that keeps you coming back to the gym or pushing yourself. If you love powerlifting then keep powerlifting, if you love running then keep on running, and if you love doing plyometrics then keep on doing your plyometrics. Sometimes we over complicate our exercise routines and forget why we exercise in the first place. We exercise to feel better mentally and physically. Movement is life! As soon as you stop moving then that’s when your body starts to fall apart. So, everyone who is reading this please do me a favor, never stop moving your body and always strive forward!

 

-Trainz