Category Archives: State of the Union

State of the Union

State of the Union

A few times each year I review what we have been doing and what we will be doing in the near future. Today, I want to take you on this trip to the past and future with me. UF has been busy as always, CeJ has run a few of his beer bootcamps already, we have hosted another successful powerlifting meet and our classes are busy as usual. Below I will touch on some of the other things we have done or are doing.

 

Donations

 

As always we are doing the best we can to donate to local charities. Here is a short list of charities we have either donated to or worked with so far this year.

 

  1. Homeless Children’s Education Fund.
  2. Heart of Glass Animal Rescue.
  3. Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
  4. The Open Door Inc.
  5. Veterans Leadership Program.
  6. Heart of Glass Animal Rescue 
  7. Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania

And we have more to come in 2023.

 

Events

 

Pride Night. Join us this Saturday July 15th at 4 PM for a fun bootcamp style workout. This will be followed by local comedians, taking the UF stage. Pride night is always one of our best events all year.

 

United Not Divided. We are proud to again host this event. We work closely to plan this event with Leg1on on bringing together 7 gyms from the region for a fun day of workouts. Come by for this fun day of training, food trucks, and other special activities.

 

New Vending

 

In 2022 we added smart vending machines. We were the first gym in the country to use these machines, and they have been a huge hit. Now we have added one more with meals, chilled coffee drinks, and more beverage options.

 

That’s a brief review of what’s happening at the U. As always if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please bring them up to us.

 

Yours in strength,

 

Todd Hamer

 

 

 

 

One Year at Union

State of the Union

I can’t believe it has already been a full year since I first started working at Union fitness. My journey to Union has always been a full circle moment for me. Let me tell you why.

 

My strength coach in college was David Kitchens, and he was there for 3 years of my college track and field career at my alma mater Susquehanna University. He might not know it, but the values he instilled in me would make a statement in my life moving forward.

 

3 years after graduation, I finished up graduate school and moved to Pittsburgh for my first official job after college. I knew I wanted to get into training and coaching, but I didn’t know where to start. I had a friend who was coaching at Union and introduced me to the famous Todd Hamer. Low and behold, right before I met Todd, he got off the phone with my old strength coach Kitch. Turns out he had interned at Union back in the day and in that moment, I knew this would be the place for me.

 

I was right, because now after a year later from starting at Union, I can say confidently that this gym has given me an opportunity that few receive. I have made incredible friendships, learned and continue my growth as a coach, and allowed me the opportunity to help so many push towards their goals and aspirations.

 

If you want to make a change, get stronger, and have some of the best minds have your back and support you, then Union Fitness is the place for you. I am so thankful for a full year here, and I cannot wait for what’s to come next.

 

Thank you,

Dylan Heisey

Meet the Interns – Sydney

State of the Union

Hello! My name is Sydney Libell. I started my internship with Union Fitness this month. I am from Cranberry Township, and I am a sophomore at Penn State. I’m studying for my bachelors in kinesiology and looking into multiple different career paths! I’ve been working out for about six years and lifting for three. My hobbies outside of lifting include being outside, spontaneous adventures, cooking, playing with my dog, and much more.

I found out about Union Fitness after Todd Hamer came to PSU. He came to a Kinesiology Club meeting and talked about UF. I knew I wanted to start interning this summer and I have had a couple gyms on my list. Once Todd came in, I knew I was pretty much set on wanting to come and learn more from the trainers at Union.

I grew up limited to a small community due to my parents sending me to a private school. Since being in college and having opportunities like my internship at Union Fitness allows me to see more into the real world. I appreciate so much about how different everyone can be. My favorite thing since my 2 weeks of being here is that our personal trainers get matched to their clients based off interest and goals and not just so someone can have a client. Working well with people is so important and shadowing different trainers allows for much more appreciation for Union.

My goal this summer is to learn as much as I can about programming, mobility, teaching, and more. I’m happy to be a part of this little community here at Union Fitness.

 

Sydney

Happenings at UF

State of the Union

Summer is closing in on us and here at UF we love to do outdoor events in the summer. Most of our great outdoor event ideas are led by Captain Bumps himself, CeJ. CeJ and Toria had a bootcamp with our friends at Allegheny City Brewery last weekend. We have many more fun things to come. Without further ado here is a short list of events that we will be having this summer, and I am sure this list will grow.

 

June 2nd join us for First FREITAG on East Ohio St. This is the Northside’s first Friday celebration. CeJ will be out there with with his new wheel of exercises.

 

June 10th powerlifting is back at the U. We will be hosting another meet all day on June 10th, this will be similar to the meets we have had in the past. We are happy to team with WRPF on this and hope you stop by to see some strong lifters.

 

June 11th we will be teaming up with Gay for Good, for a Yoga event. We will do some Yoga, raise money and awareness for LGBTQ causes, then maybe enjoy a libation at Federal Galley.

 

June 25th we will be on the streets as a sponsor for Open Streets with our friends from Bike  PGH. Open Streets is a must see summer event in PGH and we hope to see you there.

 

That is the June list, and I will add one more event as it will be bigger and better than ever. United Not Divided workout will return to the U on July 23rd with our friends from LEG1ON Training and Performance, as well as 6 other gyms. Keep an eye out for this one.

 

Hamer

ACB Bootcamp and Beers

Fitness, State of the Union, Training

What is rolling my good party people!

 

It’s that time of year again, where the Pittsburgh Sun is bright, the Allegheny City Beers are cold (and crisp as always), the bootcamps are bootin and we can all come together for the community. That’s right, you heard it here first, it’s Summer Bootcamp time! Go ahead take a few seconds to clean off your screen from spitting your drink of choice all over the place and expelling a celebratory victory screech of excitement, I’ll still be here.

 

Welcome back, folks. Let’s get you some juicy details about this glorious event. We are partnering with our good homies over at Allegheny City Brewery for a 1 hour FREE bootcamp for charity + a beer on Union & ACB. What’s not to like about that?! The free bootcamp will be held on Saturday, May 20th starting at 11am and going until Noon. After that we’ll hang-out at ACB and enjoy their handcrafted nectors of deliciousness while celebrating the good times. For this bootcamp we will be asking for clothing donations to help our Northside neighbors at Light of Life Rescue Mission. Get a head start on your wardrobe clean up and let’s give for good. A reminder that if you are nervous and a little bit hesitant about working out in front of others or that this may be too difficult for you. We are welcoming all levels from beginners to seasoned vets of exercisers and are skilled and educated coaches that can tailor and modify to your specific comfort level. We are all here to promote health, wellness and exercise while supporting our local community businesses and neighbors.

 

Please spread the word and let’s kick off this first summer bootcamp the only way we know how to, Big & Bumpy! You can sign up online on the Union Fitness website under classes or reach out to CJ for this all levels welcomed bootcamp.

 

What: ACB & Union Free Charity Bootcamp & Beers
When: Saturday, May 20th from 11a-Noon
Where: Allegheny City Brewing side parking lot
Why: To promote wellness, celebrate local business and support a good cause
Who: You, your friends, members, non-members, beginners, experts & all who want to have a blast with new & old friends.

 

P.S. If you know any local business or company that would be interested in Union holding a bootcamp at their local, please reach out and let’s get more parties started.

 

Cheers and I hope to see you all very soon.

 

CeJ

Getting Over the Hump

Life Health, State of the Union

Do you ever have those days that you wake up and you feel something within yourself that is off. You just don’t feel entirely like yourself; your motivation just isn’t where you want it to be. You start looking up reasons why and you’ll see articles talking about “the dangers of over training, burn out, lack of sleep, stress, etc.” You see those things and you tell yourself, “I should really take today off”, but deep inside your soul know you should train. Today, I am going to share with you my favorite tips to get over that training hump.

 

First things first, take a couple of minutes to really think about how you are feeling in general. Are you tired? Did you sleep well? Have you eaten? Go for a walk, get some sun, do some meditation, or do something that makes you feel good to get you in that mindset of training. Why do you train? Do you like it? Is it for your health? These are all good questions to ask yourself. When I used to swim, right before any practices or meets, and I wasn’t really feeling it, or really in my head about it; I would take a second to visualize myself in the water, how the water felt, how many strokes it took me to reach the wall, and the tempo of my breathing. I always felt relieved afterwards because it reminded me that I know exactly what I’m doing and what I need to do to perform my best. I know this sounds like some Karate Kid b.s but visualizing yourself doing your training and understanding why you’re doing it, will really help.

 

Another way to help yourself get into the training mindset is to give yourself a good, thoughtful warm up. I know it might sound incredibly obvious but a great warm up will get your mind and your body connected as one. Start by doing some simple cardio or hop on a bike, go on a walk, focus on getting your heart rate up just a little. Follow that with some mobility based on what you are doing that day. Finally, hit some exercises that will prepare you for the main movement and do 2-3 sets. To put it simply; get moving, focus on each movement, and make sure you breathe deeply.

 

Lastly, I believe pacing yourself is always a good idea when you’re not feeling 100 percent like yourself. As you are warming up for your main lift, assess how your body feels. Do a single rep of your set weight and if it feels like your body is not all there, decrease the weight a little – there is never any shame in decreasing your weight. As your sets progress, your mind and your body will reach that synergy.

 

My fellow coach and friend has said it best himself – “Motivation is temporary. To be your best, discipline must be permanent” – Curtis Miller

 

-Dahveed Jorge

Meet the Interns – Amelia

State of the Union

Hey everyone!! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Amelia Bogovich and I am part of the Front Desk staff here at Union Fitness. I am a junior Exercise Science major at Chatham University, and I have played volleyball there since I transferred in 2021. This time last year I wrote a blog introducing myself as a staff member, but now that I am completing my internship, I figured it was time we catch up!

 

Working here has taught me a lot about myself and fitness. I am lucky to be surrounded by such a knowledgeable staff and all of you who consistently show up and put in hard work! I always knew I wanted to work in the fitness realm, but I wasn’t sure if I would be a good coach because I have always been kind of shy. Now I am not the loudest person in the room, but I have gained the confidence that I could be a good coach one day, so I’m hoping to begin that chapter once I graduate this upcoming December. I have already learned so much here just being in the gym environment, so I am excited to see where this internship takes me! Some of my current goals are to continue finding my voice to grow more comfortable coaching and to learn more about different types of exercise programming.

 

Looking forward to working with you all this Summer!

 

Amelia

New Staff Spotlight – Jen

State of the Union

Hi Everyone! My name is Jen Norton, and I am the newest addition to the team here at Union Fitness. Although I was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, I spent much of my childhood bouncing around between different parts of the country. By the time I was starting kindergarten, my family and I had lived in 4 different cities across 3 states. I spent most of my elementary school years growing up under the Arizona sun in the suburbs of Phoenix before my family relocated for a final time. This time to the sprawling suburbia of of North Texas where I graduated from high school alongside over 800 of my fellow classmates – a class so large I remember asking myself “who the heck is that?” on more than one occasion as names were read out at our graduation ceremony. After graduating high school, I moved across the country to attend the University of Pittsburgh. A Class of Covid graduate, I earned my B.A. in political science in 2020 and have been a proud resident of Pittsburgh’s North Side and member of Union Fitness ever since.

 

Growing up, my parents put my older brother and I in just about every sport under the sun. From soccer to gymnastics to ballet to swimming to karate, I tried pretty much anything I saw my brother doing. I fell in love with gymnastics and ended up dedicating 15 years of my life to the sport before an onslaught of poorly timed injuries ended my dreams of college gymnastics at age 18. As it would turn out, coming up short of my goal would be just the stroke of luck I needed to fall in love with a new sport. I discovered powerlifting during my freshman year in college, and now 6 years later, I am still proudly obsessed with picking up heavy circles.

 

Since competing in my first meet back in January of 2018, powerlifting has introduced me to a whole plethora of kind people from all over the country and even from around the world. It has helped me form a unique connection with my body and allowed me to cultivate a passion for inclusivity in fitness spaces. I truly can’t wait to meet even more friendly community members as a staff member here at Union Fitness!

 

Here are a few random fun facts about me that I couldn’t figure out how to neatly fit into this bio:

  • I am obsessed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • I am an avid home baker and like to spend what little free time I have developing new recipes
  • I love to travel and have been to 5 countries and 32 different states. My favorite place I have ever visited is Iceland!

 

New Staff Spotlight – Justin

State of the Union

Hi Everyone! My name is Justin Zak and while I just started working here at Union, I’ve been a member since 2017. I’ve lived most of my life in Pittsburgh, going to Allderdice High School and then Washington & Jefferson College. Growing up I played almost every sport imaginable, but decided to focus solely on baseball when I started high school. Working out usually goes hand in hand with sports once you reach a certain age, and I started my freshman year after breaking my leg in the second game of the season. I would awkwardly crutch down to the small weight room in our neighborhood community center and my dad would run through simple workouts with me, teaching me the proper form, rep schemes, and different exercises…I’ve been hooked ever since.

 

I solely worked out to hone my craft and become the best baseball player I could be. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that my training started to become more powerlifting focused and it’s been that way to this day. I’m so thankful to have found Union Fitness right after I graduated from college in 2017. I was welcomed with open arms and everyone was so helpful right away. I finally found the lifting community I was looking for. I’ve done three meets so far, met a ton of amazing people, and formed great friendships. I’ve learned so much about training, both the physical and the mental aspects. I’m excited to now be working here with an incredible staff and looking forward to meeting even more awesome people!

 

A couple of fun facts about me:

  • I love to travel and have been to over 20 countries
  • I lived in Australia for two years
  • I’m a twin, but we look nothing alike
  • I’m getting married to my amazing fiancé Stephanie (who is also a twin!!) in September this year

 

Justin

State of the Union

State of the Union

A few times a year I want to give each of you an update on all that is going on here at the U. Here is my state of the union address, and hopefully it will give you some insight into what is happening here at the U.

 

Spring is now upon us and we have some exciting events coming up as the weather warms.

  1. Northside’s Strongest Bench Press/Deadlift Competition. This is our yearly in-house push pull competition. This year the competition will take place on Sunday, April 23rd. Weigh ins will be from 8:30-9:30. Rules clinic at 9:45 with lifting beginning at 10 AM. To sign up, go to our website and scroll to April 23rd. The cost is 25 dollars for this event and we will be donating to a local nonprofit. Our intern Eddie is working hard on finding the right local nonprofit as we speak.
  2. Vote for the U. We are a finalist for Best of the Burgh inPittsburgh Magazine. If you think we are the best, then please go vote for us. To vote, just click on the link and scroll down to health and fitness. Union Fitness is the last gym on the list.
  3. WRPF Iron City Open. Powerlifting is back this summer at the U. This meet is sold out for competitors, but we will have tons of room for you to come watch the lifting and visit our vendors.
  4. CJ’s bootcamp series. CJ is working on setting up his bootcamps around the city. Once again he will be teaming up with some of the finest breweries, bars, and any other place that will have him. Dates to be released soon.
  5. Two final events we are working on without having final details yet are, UF Pride Night and our UF Suicide Prevention Night. We have done a Pride night for 3 years and are happy to be planning one again this year. The Suicide Prevention Night is still in the works and will be late summer. We are working with a local nonprofit on this and are hopefully to make this a yearly event as well.

 

Thanks for following along with a run down of happenings here at the U.

 

Hamer