Category Archives: Fitness

College Night, Part 2

Fitness

Hey everyone!

 

It is Montrell back with an ANNOUNCEMENT.  April 21, 2022, at 7 pm, the fantastic four interns will be hosting  College NIGHT at Union Fitness! The people have asked and now we are here to deliver.

 

The first college night was a big “W” we had 19 people in attendance. We would love to see more people present so tell a friend to tell a friend.

 

For those who do not know what College night. College Night will be a full-body workout in the Performance lab hosted by the Interns. The class will be open to college students for FREE. If you are interested in joining us, please click the link and sign up. Whether you are an experienced lifter or never exercised a day in your life. Come out and help the interns sharpen their skills as coaches and enjoy the vibes of UF!

 

The fantastic four is looking forward to seeing all of you there to have some fun!

 

Best,

Montrell

How Much Ya’ Bench?

Fitness, Life Health, Training

A long time ago Saturday Night Live had a skit called “How Much Ya Bench?” This as a Chris Farley classic. It was just a bunch of meatheads talking about bench press and all things meathead. This skit is now over 20 years old and I still love it. I love it for many reasons, first reason is that it’s funny. Yet, the second reason I love to watch it is to see how far lifters have come. I remember 20+ years ago the bench was the lift everyone talked about. At Push/Pull events there were many more benchers than deadlifters. Today it is quite the opposite.

 

Lifting in the 1990’s and into the 2000’s was dominated by bench press and men. Today meets will have people deadlifting, squatting, and women crushing big weights. What we see is that lifting has progressed far beyond where it was 2 decades ago. It is now usual to see a meet that has even numbers of males and females. Also, deadlift numbers have exploded. Lifters are stronger, healthier, and look much better.

 

My point to all of this takes me back to one of my favorite quotes.

 

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin

 

As a lifter if you wish to move forward then you MUST adjust to the sport. I often hear lifters talk about how it used to be. Yes, I have great memories of “how it used to be,” it is great to recall some great times. I remember competing against and amongst some legends and I look back positively on those times. Now, I have been passed by many young lifters and I have even learned from them. I am still trying to adapt. This takes me to one other quote that I try to live by.

 

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Oscar Wilde

 

Morale to my story is that we must keep moving forward as well learning from and leaning on the people younger than us. Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.

 

 

 

 

 

Dylan’s Triathlon Experience

Fitness, Life Health

What is one thing you find impossible?

 

Last year I decided to do what I previously thought was impossible. After joining my local gym, I took up swimming as a form of cardio. While in the pool one day I began chatting up another member and he mentioned that he was currently training for a triathlon. Feeling inspired, I went home and signed up for the next race that would take place in Maryland. With no formal swim training, no bike and only a few 5k races under my belt, I was in over my head (no pun intended).

 

Now that I was signed up, I needed to know how much I should be training (the race distances were 0.75k for the swim, a 15-mile bike, and a 5k run). So, I began working the hardest on my weakest link, which was swimming. I watched all the videos I could find on swim technique (breath count, streamline form, etc.) and developed a good stroke. I would swim three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday) with increasing volume as the race got closer. For the most part I would spend about 2 hours in the pool each training session.

 

The order of a triathlon race goes: Swim, Bike, then Run. That just so happens to be the order of importance in my training as well. While developing my best Michael Phelps impression, I also was on the hunt for a bike. With most places asking well over $1,000 for a decent bike I struggled to justify spending that for one race. I ended up finding a good deal on an old Trek road bike that is 3 years older than I am. This ancient relic is what I would do my training on and what I would ultimately use on the big day. For my bike training I rode twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday). Each ride would be between 5-15 miles depending on how I was feeling that day. I was also supplementing my bike training by riding my bike to and from work. This leads me to the reason I thought this venture was impossible.

 

At the time of training I was working 40 hours a week at my job and also 25 hours a week at a coaching internship. The only thing I did in my spare time was eat, train, and sleep. There were days I wanted to quit and skip training or call into my internship and say I couldn’t make it. In those moments I remembered why I was doing what I was doing. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do what I thought was impossible. Every day I would wake up and repeat the mantra that kept progressing me forward: I am Endless. Endless energy, endless motivation, and endless determination to reach my goals.

 

I knew the running portion of the race would be the easiest for me because of my background in sports. So, I only trained 1-2 times a week and most of the time I just ran the distance of the race, which was a 5k. As time went on and the day of the race approached, I started including multiple sports a day into my training sessions. So some days I would swim then go run on the treadmill right after. Others I would even do all three sports in the same session.

 

When race day finally came, I was nervous and had doubts that I didn’t train hard enough. These doubts disappeared as I stared out from the starting line over the lake we would be swimming in. Again, I repeated my mantra and prepared for the countdown. When the start timer hit zero, we were off. As soon as I hit the water it’s like I forgot everything I practiced. My breathing was off, form was terrible, and I couldn’t see anything because of how dark the water was. But, these issues didn’t stop me from completing the hardest swim of my life. Getting out of the water I was so disoriented; I didn’t know up from down. But, I trotted over to the transition area, strapped up on my bike and took off.

 

The next 15 miles of the race were a breeze. The bike became my strongest part of the race and allowed me to catch up to many of the others. The course ventured over multiple uphills and downhills and overall we covered about 2500 meters of elevation. I took this time on the bike to pause mentally and enjoy the scenic views of Fort Ritchie, Maryland. As I had the final transition area in sight, I knew I only needed to push myself a little bit more.

 

The run portion of the race went well however, by that point I was drained. I moved as fast as I could, but every step felt like I had cement blocks around my feet. The entire run portion though I could see the finish line in my head and pictured crossing it. At the final straight away I gave it everything I had and finished strong with a time of 2 hours and 58 minutes.

 

I was exhausted, tired, fatigued, or whatever adjective you want to use. But I finished and I proved to myself that I could do what I thought was impossible. I challenge you to come up with something you think is impossible for you to do and go for it. Find that local race, powerlifting competition, or speaking event that you have always wanted to do but never thought you could. Life is short, enjoy the ride.

 

-Dylan Kopp

UF Ladies Night, Part 2

Fitness, Life Health

It’s almost the time for our second Ladies Night here at UF! It will be held this upcoming Saturday April 9th. Last month’s event was a ton of fun, and we are looking forward to hosting this every second Saturday of the month from now on. We plan to keep the style the same where we will have open gym from 4:30 – 6:30pm and starting at 5:00pm we will run a mock Powerful class. With this class, there will be three separate workouts written on the white board. There will be a squat circuit, deadlift circuit, and a bench press circuit for those of you who may come in without a plan and would like some guidance and something to work through.

 

The Cardio Lab, Fitness Center, and Strength Lab will all be open for you to get your workout in for those two free hours. This event is open to both current members and non-members, so be sure to bring a friend! Please sign up online through our website under “Classes” prior to coming into the gym. We are looking forward to seeing all of you there to have some fun and meet some fellow strong ladies!

 

Toria

RIP Louie, A True Legend

Fitness, Training

I began working in the strength game in the late 1990’s. Back in that time there was little on the internet to learn about training. My introduction to one of the greats, Louie Simmons began in that time period. I remember buying Powerlifting USA every month to read Louie’s monthly article. Back in those days I spent most of my reading time with Louie, Charles Poliquin, and Fred Hatfield. These men made me questions everything I thought I knew.

 

Louie’s Unique Approach.

 

As I aged I have learned to use a different language when speaking to people. Louie was Louie and he never changed (this in many ways a compliment). While his approach could be brusque, he respected you. I remember as a young lifter calling Louie’s home (he listed his home number on all of his articles), and Doris would hand Louie the phone, Louie would take his time to share whatever ideas, knowledge, and experience that he possessed. I was finally able to meet Louie in 2002. It was at an IPA meet (I forget where it was), I missed a bench attempt and Louie came up to me and gave me a few pointers. He still didn’t know who I was, but clearly he wanted me (and everyone) to succeed. The only time I ever bombed out of a meet Louie was the only one who gave me white lights (must have misplaced his glasses, cause I was high on my squats).

 

From that first meeting until today I would get a call every few years with an invite to train at Westside Barbell for the day. Louie would always welcome me with open arms and he would spend just as much time with me as he did with some of the best lifters. It was amazing to see a man who was willing to invest the same amount in all lifters.

 

Here is a short list of inventions or ideas that Louie brought to lifting.

  1. Invented the reverse hyper.
  2. Invented the plyo-swing.
  3. Began using chains and bands.
  4. Integrated ideas from olympic lifting into powerlifting.
  5. Re-introduced box squats.
  6. Re-introduced the world to more texts than one could list.
  7. Authored numerous books on training (with a great editor, my wife Erica).

 

Final Louie story to end this blog. When my wife was hired to edit Louie’s books she would call me into her office and say, “What is this guying talking about?” I’d ask to show me the issue. He would have a subtitle saying bench press, then the first sentence would be akin to, here at Westside Barbell we have 8 men who squat over 1000 lbs. I’d say yeah that sounds good. Of course being type A Erica would yell at me and say, “it doesn’t make sense.” I’d have to explain that anyone who reads Louie will understand. She would shake her head and walk away not happy. The point is Louie was a complex man, and with that he didn’t not think, or see the world the way most humans do. He truly changed the world of strength training. He will be missed. I will leave you with a few Louie quotes.

 

“Normal people will accomplish normal things.”

“Don’t be afraid to fail or look like a fool. These are necessary milestones on your way to the top.”

The hardest thing for a human being to do is change. You have to be willing to change. Dinosaurs didn’t and they are gone. If the athlete doesn’t change or adjust, he is gone.”

“Weak things break.”

“Not being willing to try is the beginning of the end.”

“Don’t have 100 dollar lifting shoes and a 10 cent squat.”

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits of Adding Throws Into Your Workout

Fitness, Training

Toss it, throw it, sometimes you just gotta send it.

 

Today we are going to promote adding throws into your training. If you’re a powerlifter, athlete, weekend warrior or someone just looking to add spicy variety and new challenges into your workout, throws are a great add in.

 

The beauty of throws, is most anyone can do them because we can use various weights, implements and sizes of equipment. You can get a full body workout in with throws all while working coordination, balance, proprioception (awareness of your own body in space) explosiveness, the ability to brace, work capacity and overall muscular strength and endurance.

 

Currently, we implement throws into almost every training day with the athletes we work with at Union. Some throws are low impact throws that we use to work balance, coordination, catching and injury prevention such as a single leg partner chest pass. Other variations we use are to work on force production, explosive power and strength , an example of this would be our Snap Down to Granny Throw where the goal is to send it flying for height and distance.

 

Our most popular implement to throw is the medicine ball just for its versatility, but we have used sandbags, kegs and don’t forget the old fashioned frisbee.

 

Here is a fun sample medicine ball throw workout to give a try if you’re tossing the idea around in your head (see what I did there).

 

  1. MB Slams x 8
  2. MB Rotational Throws to Wall x 8each
  3. MB Wall Ball x 8
  4. MB Chops x 8each
  5. MB Broad Jump to Press & Chase x 8
  6. MB Granny Toss for Distance x 8

Try these exercises in a circuit for 3-5 sets or however many sets you are ready for while you take your rest as needed. Or just stop down to Union and we can throw it around in #Powerful and our other awesome classes. We’d love to have some fun and train with you.

 

Hope you give throws a try and remember, when in doubt, you just gotta send it!

 

Cheers,

CeJ

Underrated Exercises for Strength

Fitness, Training

Exercises seem to come and go. One day everyone in the gym is doing a certain exercise then years later it changes. There are a few that in my opinion that have faded from use without much of a reason. Below is a list of some of these under-appreciated exercises.

 

  1. DB Pullover. This exercise was used extensively during the golden age of bodybuilding. The pullover trains the lats, pecs, triceps, and even the abs. Grab a DB and do 4 sets of 10 and I promise you’ll be sore.
  2. Floor Press. The floor press was a staple of bench training 15 years ago, it shows imbalances, removes legs from the lift,  and build immense power at the bottom of the press. Also, try I t with dumbbells.
  3. Front Squats. Front squats build everything. I do not know if there is an exercise that checks more boxes than the front squat. It’s great for mobility, strength, and a big from squat is impressive.
  4. Running. It doesn’t matter if it’s jogging or sprinting. Get out and run. If preparing to lift then sprint, if looking for basic conditioning do some tempo runs, if you want health and to see the world more run a mile.
  5. Carries. Farmer carries, waiter walks, single arm carries, overhead carries, and any variation you think of is good. Most lower body “unilateral” lifts are actual bi-lateral. Split squats and lunges are mainly bi-lateral. Walking with weight will force you to spend time on one leg. This will create a ton of stability and strength. So to start or end your lift, grab some weight and go for a walk.

 

This is a short list of awesome exercises. Give them a try and tell me if there is an exercise that you love that didn’t make the list then share that as well.

 

Hamer

College Night

Fitness,

Hey everyone! 

 

It is Montrell back with a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT.  March 31, 2022, at 7 pm, the fantastic four interns will be hosting the first-ever College NIGHT at Union Fitness! 

 

College Night will be a full-body workout in the Performance lab hosted by the Interns. The class will be open to college students for FREE. If you are interested in joining us please click the link and sign up. Whether you are an experienced lifter or never exercised a day in your life. Come out and help the interns sharpen their skills as coaches and enjoy the vibes of UF!

 

See you then,

 

Montrell 

Beware the Ides of March Madness

Fitness, Life Health

A strange thing has been happening in UF. Our daily attendance increased from January to February. In the fitness industry it is an unwritten rule that growth happens in January, and then drops off for the next few months. It is human nature to get excited about anything new. A new year, a new workout routine, a new gym etc.. The key is to keep moving when the new and shiny become the mundane, and daily routine.

 

March is the most important month of the year. As we experienced this weekend March can do whatever she wants and we are powerless to stop her. March can snow 8 inches, be 70 degrees, and even entice us with her green beer. The reason I see March as the most important month is it’s our last chance to really commit to a healthy and strong summer. You may have spent the previous two months training hard, or you may have fallen off throughout the new year. No matter what happened in the past two months, if you wish to be a better you for the summer, March is the time. Here are a few ways that you can stay on point to reach your summer goals.

 

  1. Math! Alwyn Cosgrove used to list out what percent of the year was gone in each of his newsletter. So remember at the end of March you will be 25% of the way done with this year. Are you 25% of the way towards your goals.
  2. Set some goals around current events. March Madness is a great chance to either be better or drink too much and eat garbage food. Instead of falling off during March Madness fill out a bracket with exercises. Make each game a bet with yourself. If team  A. wins then run a mile, if team B. wins then do 100 push ups. Make each game a different bet and have fun with March Madness.
  3. Et Tu Brute? Beware the ides of March. Also, beware the friends who truly want the best for you, yet will push you to bad decisions. We all have our own el guapo, make sure you are stronger than your el guapo (go watch the three amigos if you don’t get that reference).
  4. Schedule your summer event. It doesn’t matter if you have a vacation or a meet. Just make sure you schedule something, anything. Count the weeks and work backwards to schedule your goals.
  5. Enjoy the nice days (when we have them), and get out of the gym. Vitamin D is free so go get it when the sun is shining.

 

I hope this list keeps you on track and helps you reach new goals.

 

Hamer

It’s Ladies Night

Fitness, Life Health, Training

Hello Everyone!

 

We are super excited to say that we are going to be offering our first ever Ladies Night here at UF! This will be held next Saturday March 12th from 4:30 – 6:30pm and we are planning to continue to offer this event on the second Saturday of every month moving forward. The Strength Lab, Cardio Lab, and the Fitness Center will all be open for us to train in for those 2 free hours. All ladies are welcome whether you are a current member or a non-member. Come on out and have some fun, bring a friend, hit some PR’s, and meet some fellow strong ladies. 

 

We are looking forward to seeing all of you there and continuing to create a strong community together! 

 

Toria