Category Archives: State of the Union

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

New Ryde Instructor Spotlight – Marlee

State of the Union, Uncategorized

Hi, I’m Marlee Musico! My interest in indoor cycling classes started about 15 years ago when I was a student at Slippery Rock University. However, I became a more avid indoor/outdoor cyclist when I signed up for my first triathlon in 2018 and heavily relied on attending classes several times per week to supplement my training. When Union Fitness added the Ryder bikes last year, it was perfect timing for me to quit my big box gym membership, join UF, and incorporate Ryde classes into tri training. 

 

The Ryde instructors quickly captivated me with their high energy and creative class structure. I’m humbled to join their team! After having an indoor cycling instructor certification go unused for four years, I decided I would give it a go when a new instructor position became available. I’m having a lot of fun creating playlists, planning the choreography, and meeting so many new faces. You can catch me on Sunday mornings at 9am. I hope to see you in class!

 

Marlee

Tentative #Powerful Schedule

Fitness, State of the Union, Training

Hello everyone, we are sharing our tentative programming for the 1st half of 2023 for the Powerful classes we have at Union Fitness. We are doing this to keep everyone who is in class more informed about the types of workouts they will be doing so that if they have interests in other areas then they can do that as well.

 

• January 1st till April 16th
Plan- Prepare for UF Push-Pull Meet
Programming- Emphasis on Squat, Bench, and Deadlift with accessories to aid those movements
• April 16th till April 23rd
Plan- Prepare for UF Push-Pull Meet
Programming- Focus on tapering/pulling back on workouts to prepare for meet day
• April 24th-End of June
Plan- Change to Variations of Main Movers (Squat, Bench, Deadlift) and increase volume/capacity
Programming- Changes to different types of bars and focusing on building muscle/increasing work capacity/ heart health/body composition/overall functionality

 

Monday- Squat with accessories
Tuesday- Bench Press with accessories
Wednesday- Deadlift with accessories
Thursday- Pressing Movement with accessories
Friday- Conditioning with Functional Mobility accessories

 

Thank you for your continued attendance and support with our Powerful classes at Union Fitness. We love having each and everyone of you in our classes. We enjoy seeing the growth of you all in your general fitness as well as your growth as human beings. Thank you again for choosing Union Fitness as your gym of choice!
If you have any questions or feedback then please do not hesitate to ask or inform us. We want to do our best to create the most inclusive training environment as possible!

 

Zain

Meet the Interns – Gabriella Turano

Fitness, State of the Union

Hi everyone! I am a senior student-athlete at the University of Pittsburgh. I am majoring in Exercise Science and will be continuing my career in the field of nursing. I plan on becoming a nurse anesthetist in the future. I have been playing lacrosse for 15 years, specifically goalie.

 

Specialties

– Sport specific work

– Approachable

– Experienced Lifting

 

What I have learned

– Systems used such as team builder and mind/body

– Stance used when coaching

– How to cue people when teaching them specific movements

– Correct positioning when lifting

 

What I still want to learn

– Find my voice and feel more comfortable coaching

– Business side of the gym

– Technique/ form behind major lifts (started to learn already)

– Personal training

– Writing programs

 

Looking forward to meeting you all here at Union Fitness!

 

Gabriella

Meet the Staff – Zain

State of the Union

Hello Everyone,

 

I know that I have met some of you, but my name is Zain Skalos and I was just hired here at Union as Lead Personal Trainer. I was born in Pittsburgh and grew up just a little north of here in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. I graduated from Seneca Valley High School in 2014 and shortly after my graduation I enlisted in the United States Navy. During my time in the Navy, I was an Aviation Structural Mechanic and had the opportunity to travel the world. I was able to visit several countries such as Brazil, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, and many more. On these deployments, I found my passion for fitness and realized that I did not want to be in the military for my whole life. That is where I decided to get out after my 4-year enlistment and go to college at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

During my time at Pitt, I competed in two men’s physique shows, competed in several powerlifting meets, and got my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. While getting my bachelor’s, I was given the opportunity to intern at Union. Ever since the first week of my internship and working with Dahveed, Cj, Toria, Curtis, Todd and many others, I knew that I wanted to work here. Luckily, Toria gave me a chance and I was able to start working at the front desk. And from there it was history.

 

I am very grateful for all the learning experiences and opportunities that they all have given me, and I cannot thank each staff member here at UF enough. Currently, I am in the process of getting my Masters Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Pitt and working on my own personal health. I love all Pittsburgh Sports (especially the Steelers and Pitt sports), working out, hanging out with friends, and watching movies or shows. I am very excited to start my position here and to get to know each and every person that is a member at UF. Feel free to stop me if we haven’t met so that we can connect on a more personal level. Let’s get in the trenches this year and walk the walk! #h2p #golers

 

Two Truths and one lie. If you guess right then you get a complimentary high five from myself!

  1. I am the oldest of three boys. My poor mother.
  2. I have seen Nelly the rapper live in the Phillipines. #thrillainmanila
  3. I was in the ROTC in high school. Cadet for life!

 

Zain

Thank You Curtis

State of the Union

Curtis has officially resigned his full time position here at UF, and now he has been gone for one week. I wanted to take a moment today to publicly thank him for all he has done. Too often we do not thank those around us, and those who we spend time with.

 

Curtis joined UF in 2019 (just a few months before I did), and he made a huge impact. When I was brought on as GM here at Union I immediately recognized how Curtis connected with so many of our members. I told him recently that I was jealous of his empathetic way of coaching. I doubt that most people think of a person who deadlifts 800 lbs and thinks, “this person is really going to understand what it’s like to be a beginner.” Curtis is one of the few people I know who can be an expert and still understand how it feels to be a beginner.

 

I am very proud of the team we have built here at UF and I have not doubt that we will continue to serve everyone who walks through our doors. Curtis moving on from Full-time to Part-time from Union will be a challenge, and we are up to that challenge. As Charles Darwin said,

 

“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.”

 

It is time for a change and we will miss Curtis and all he brought to us. We will also attempt to add on to the strengths he left behind, while adding our own unique flair to UF.