Hi Everyone!

I am Erik Gountanis and I moved to Pittsburgh from Wisconsin at the end of May after finishing my undergraduate degree in Exercise Science! My wife and I moved to Pittsburgh together so that I can attend Pitt for their physical therapy program.  

I am interested in improving my health and wellbeing through training, diet, and other behaviors. After I get my degree in physical therapy I would love to further my education, and participate in research to help develop new technologies within the world of fitness, medicine, and physical therapy. Outside of work I enjoy spending quality time with my wife, listening to podcasts, and relaxing. 

Working at Union Fitness has been and continues to be an awesome experience! I love sharing my passion with people who are looking to improve themselves in various ways through training. While most of my knowledge is centered around general strength and rehabilitation, I hope to continue to expand my scope by surrounding myself with the knowledgeable, experienced coaches and staff at Union Fitness! 

See you around! 

Erik 

Hi everyone! 

I’m Nate! I am a senior Exercise Science major at Lewis University located in Chicago. I also play volleyball for the University as well. I plan to eventually get my doctorate in chiropractic or Physical Therapy following my undergraduate degree.

I have had a passion for exercise science from a young age when I was just trying to figure out how to jump higher and dunk a basketball. I love interacting with people and helping them believe they can achieve their goals when it comes to fitness and health.

I am excited to learn and be an intern at Union Fitness this summer. I’m looking forward to being part of a community that believes in hard work, science-based exercise, and fun through the process! If you see the tall guy around at the gym, it’s probably me so don’t hesitate to say Hi! 

Nate

Hi my name is Jason Kavulic. I am a junior at Chatham University and currently play on the men’s hockey team. I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2025 with a B.S. of Exercise Science. I grew up around the gym as my dad was a body builder and my mother being a gymnast. I enjoy training because of the good habits you can form with discipline, hard work ethic, and patience.  

I am from Pittsburgh, PA and grew up in Baldwin. Growing up playing hockey has taken me on an interesting journey. I have lived in Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut. In the off season, I enjoy golfing in the summers and just relaxing with friends and family. I have worked at Ice Castle in Castle Shannon for about 4 years where I drive the Zamboni, work in the pro shop, and help out in the gym. 

Hope to see you all around!

Jason

Important Announcement Regarding Massage Services

Hello everyone!

We wanted to take the time to inform our members of a change to massage services that will be effective immediately. The price of a 60-minute massage/service with Sarah will now be $115 and the price of a 90-minute massage/service will be $150. In regard to our wellness plus membership that is currently at $175 a month, the new price will now be $225 a month. With the change being so abrupt, we are keeping our current wellness plus members at their current rate until September 1^st of 2024. We felt that this gives our members adequate time to decide if they would like to continue their current membership, downgrade to a different membership, or whatever else may be of interest to them.

The reason behind the price increase is to provide Sarah with a fair pay wage when she provides her service. Sarah has 20+ years of experience in massage and we felt that providing her with a higher hourly rate was necessary given her expertise.

We thank you for your understanding and we appreciate your support in this decision. Thank you for continuing to be great people that you are at Union Fitness and attributing to the positive environment that we have here! If you have any questions or concerns at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Union Fitness staff.

Thank you for your time and we hope you continue to crush your goals!

-UF Staff

Hi! My name is Jade Minniefield. I am from the Pittsburgh area and have graduated from The University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Exercise Science. I am currently finishing up my master’s in clinical Exercise Physiology at Pitt as well! I plan on pursuing a career in the fitness industry, but I am not sure about the specifics at this moment.

I am a multi-business owner and live a very busy life. I have a passion for travel and fitness, as I go on trips regularly and follow the same exercise regimen I preach to my clients. I have extensive experience as a strength coach and personal trainer and love human interaction and socialization. Training clients is one way to combine my favorite things to do. I have been super active throughout my lifetime, as I played softball, ran track, and an abundance of other sports. No matter how busy I am I will always make time for fitness! If you see me around, say hello! I would love to meet new people as I help and learn exercise and training here at Union!

Jade

Hi everyone! 

My name is Alicia and I am a new summer intern here at Union Fitness. I am a senior Exercise Science student at Slippery Rock University and I am also in the process of becoming a NASM certified personal trainer. My long-term goal is to become a Physical Therapist and I will be applying to PT school this June! 

I have had a strong passion for exercise since a young age. Growing up I played softball and did gymnastics. As of now, I focus primarily on full body weightlifting and I would like to get into yoga in the future as well! Outside of the gym I enjoy reading, being outdoors, and going out with friends. I was born and raised about 40 minutes from Downtown Pittsburgh and I am a huge Steelers fan! 

 I look forward to meeting new people and increasing my professional skills as well as my fitness knowledge during my time here at Union Fitness! 

See you around! 

Alicia Maley 

Hey Friends!

I’m Hannah, a NASM certified personal trainer. I am a Pittsburgh native and have over two years of experience with individual and group training within the city. As a coach I strive to help each person I work with to create their OWN version of a healthy and happy life. I am from an active household and was taught how important it is to live a healthy life through movement. I grew up playing softball and golf. When I’m not in the gym I still love to get out on the course in my free time and I’m always looking for new hikes to go on with my dog Quinn. My biggest piece of advice is to find a way to make training FUN!! It is a lifelong commitment to your health, why not enjoy it?

See ya around the gym!

Hannah

Hello everyone! My name is Mary Howski, and I am a new trainer at Union. I am a student at Pitt, studying Exercise Science. About 90% of the people in my program want to pursue Physical Therapy, but there are a few of us, myself included, who want to follow a strength and conditioning route.  

There are two main things that led to me choosing this career path. First, I grew up playing year-round, super competitive volleyball for school and for club teams. I was a libero as well as the person who chose the warmup music and gave the pregame pep talks for my club team. This team is the reason I first started being involved with sports performance as we had several sessions per week of lifting, conditioning, etc. to help us excel at our sport. It was difficult, but also very rewarding and enjoyable. I loved the time spent in the weight room and on the turf because I loved our great coach-player dynamics and bonding with my teammates and best friends. 

Second, I have always had an immense passion for exercise and health in general. Since grade school I’ve been active, and I began to enjoy it more in high school when I started lifting. During my freshman year of college I studied psychology at Boston College, but I decided to study for my personal training certification. Throughout this process I realized the real extent to which I love training. I thought that my personality, passion, and desire to learn would make me well suited for a career in sports performance. So, I transferred to Pitt and have absolutely loved school since then. I love working hands-on with physical activity and general health, whether that means learning from a professor, another coach, or the other ExSci majors. I absolutely crave figuring out all that I can to help athletes perform at an excellent, efficient level.  

I have experience in personal training, teaching group exercise, and shadowing/working with teams. This summer I will have the privilege of working with Pitt Men’s and Women’s Basketball, and I could not be more excited to be in the weight room with their very hard-working coaches and players.  

Outside of the gym, I love to read, go to concerts, and discover new music. I’m also a huge fan of long walks, painting my friends’ nails, and figuring out how to meditate. I am also a massive Cleveland Cavaliers fan. After finals week is over, I’m planning to spend some more hours at Union with all of you extremely dedicated and impressive people! I’m so grateful to be here! 

Mary

Hello Friends of Union Fitness!

This past weekend we hosted our fourth annual Push/Pull fundraiser competition. It was a huge success, and we were able to see some awesome lifts from all our participants. There were some lifters who had participated in powerlifting meets or the push/pull in the past, and there were some who had never stepped up on a platform before. It is always so great to see everyone try their hardest to crush some PR’s and celebrate even the small wins. We also raised a little over $500 to donate to HEARTH. An organization that provides a range of supportive services and housing that empowers homeless families, who are survivors of domestic violence or other trauma to become independent, self-sufficient, and adequately housed; to foster housing opportunities to prevent homelessness and encourage safe, affordable housing.

I would like to take a moment to say thank you to every individual who helped us out that morning, and put their best effort forward.

CJ – thank you for killing it on the mic and for keeping the morning flowing.

Jen – thank you for being an amazing judge and helping select bench rack heights for all of the lifters.

Jared – thank you for also being an amazing judge and helping with weigh ins for the gentlemen.

Ward & Dahveed – thank you both for the stellar spotting job throughout the morning. You guys were sweating the most out of everyone from working so hard.

Ava – thank you for being an amazing photographer, we appreciate all of the hard work you put in.

Sandhya – thank you for keeping me in line and ensuring all the flights and lifts were recorded correctly. Also, for being a great videographer.

For those of you who competed, we are all very proud of how far you’ve come in your training and are excited to continue to watch your progress. Congratulations on competing in either your first push/pull or your second/third/fourth. Looking forward to next year!

Toria