Unioners, Coffee Drinkers, and Friends of Friends, do we have a Sunday Funday for you!

Join CeJ and the crew this Sunday, June 26th in the Mexican War streets for a FREE bootcamp at Commonplace Coffee. After our Sunday sweat session, Union will buy your first coffee at Commonplace. The bootcamp is FREE but we will be accepting donations made out to Bridge Outreach of Northside. Here is the website link for more information about the group Nonprofit | Bridge Outreach | Pittsburgh (bridgepgh.org)  Here is the why behind Bridge Outreach “Based in Pittsburgh, PA: We are a team of dedicated individuals connecting those in all walks of life to resources meant to alleviate a myriad of challenges, including, but not limited to: housing instability, food insecurity, medical and mental health inaccessibility, and unsafe substance-use.

Often, helping-organizations locate an “at-risk” community and enter it with an expertise, agenda, and hypothesis for change and betterment. Bridge Outreach, rather, seeks to meet people where and how they are. We utilize a trauma-informed and humanistic approach, understanding people as holistic individuals unique in their stories and capable of determining their own goals and behaviors. We are relationship focused— patiently forming bonds and friendships to build and foster community while addressing the needs and challenges presented in daily life.

We are privileged to be welcomed into a beautiful community of individuals living life on the streets as we continue to learn from and listen to the voices of those we encounter.”

Where:

Commonplace Coffee 1501 Buena Vista St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

When:

Friday June 26th 11AM- 12PM.

What:

Sunday Funday, hold onto your butts and get caffeinated for a good cause bootcamp.

Why:

To kick off your Sunday Funday, promote health & wellness, drink local coffee from our good friends at Commonplace & support Nonprofit | Bridge Outreach | Pittsburgh (bridgepgh.org)

Who:

Anyone and everyone who would like to join us can attend this Free event. You can sign up at Union’s website under the class tab or just show up and say hello.

Also remember to go to www.pghcitypaper.com and nominate UF for the best gym in town. You can vote every day..WOW!

Stay tuned my friends and come down to party with us!

Cheers,

CeJ

Hey Union Fitness Fam!! Looking to start running more this summer? You’re in luck!! Starting June 24th at 7 am, we will start our weekly running club. Run club is open to all levels of running ability- beginners all the way up to marathoners.

Each week I will share out our planned loop and mileage options. The workout will include a warm-up and an optional cool-down. As we gauge interest and training goals the mileage and workout type will shift to help you reach those goals! Sign up on MindBody & keep an eye on Union’s Instagram story for our first running loop map! Let’s get after it!!!

Katie

It was a hot day in Tallahassee, Florida because, well, it was always hot in Tallahassee.  I decided to try a yoga class for the first time and the year was a distant 2008.  I remember it being more difficult than I expected.  I remember feeling defeated because I wasn’t any good at it.  I remember wanting more.

It is funny how those things sneak up on you.

I guess we should go back further.

Hello all! My name is Meagan and though I have met some of you, there are still so many to meet! I teach fusion on Sunday and am a substitute yoga instructor here at UF.  I’ve been around since 2019-ish but very casually.  When I’m not at the gym, which is much less than I would prefer, I am finishing my doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia.  When I tell you I am amped up on adrenaline, caffeine, stress, and on the struggle bus for sleep…believe you, me!  Trust that when I say yoga has been instrumental in helping me manage emotion, stress, and breath during some of the most challenging clinical situations and during some heavy classroom work.

When school and clinical don’t get in the way, I love taking a powerful class with Curtis and CJ; the benefits both physically and mentally of lifting heavy are ASTRONOMICAL! There is nothing like pushing around some heavy weights to feel empowered in your body and strength.

Let’s jump back in!  Before 2008, that first yoga class, I kept busy with a multitude of sports and activities.  I was a high school athlete and chose not to explore college athletics but used that time for personal fitness like swimming, lifting, and running.  Soon after that first yoga class, I became a regular and after moving to Pittsburgh would require it for my mental health and to navigate the stress of my new job as a veterinary technician in the operating room at PVSEC.  The next few years would find me diving deeper into my practice with a yoga teaching training in Costa Rica which lead to a 7 year stretch of teaching power yoga at Urban Elements and Cycology.  I also became Real Ryder certified at UEC and am so happy to bring those skills to the members of UF!

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  But what does that all mean for ME? What about yoga is so great that I should give it a try?! How can I even do yoga; I can’t touch my toes! Plus, it is not an intense workout and I’m here to burn fat and make gainz!!

I’m so glad you asked.  If you’ve ever taken a lifting class here at UF, you have done a sweet warm up that, unbeknownst to you, was heavy on the yoga!  Most of the stretches that both Curt and CJ use have some roots in yoga.  Stay tuned for a breakdown to come on UF’s IG page!

We know yoga can help promote flexibility and is utilized for stretching, but what else?

According to literature on yoga and powerlifting, some of the benefits include:

• Identifying imbalances between sides
  • This allows you to work on creating balance which will improve how you move weight and how weight can be moved. Balance also keeps you standing upright and trust me, you don’t want to break a hip as you get older!
• Improves core strength
  • As you know, every lift starts with an activated core. A strong core supports your low back as well which can stave off or heal low back pain.
• Improves mobility
  • It is no secret that most powerlifters struggle with hip mobility. This lack of mobility can affect the bar path during a squat, squat depth, and can also inhibit bench press arch and Sumo deadlifts. Improved mobility =improved performance.
• Help with breath control
  • Creating intraabdominal pressure during heavy lifts is integral in moving max weight. Success can be made or broken with poor breath control.  Yoga is based in the union between movement and breath and can be very beneficial in improving breath control during powerlifting.

These are just a few reasons that yoga can and has been shown to improve maximum weight in powerlifting practice and competition.  A quick internet search with provide more information on the science and a vast array or articles written on the subject.

Because of the offered benefits of yoga and both Curt and I identifying a need here at UF in the powerlifting community, we have put together a class specifically targeting powerlifters.  Power Yoga for Powerlifting will be held on Sunday, July 10, 20022 here at UF.  The class will be 75 minutes and include a brief opening discussion, a practice which will sample several different styles of yoga, a closing meditation, and time for questions, socializing, and refreshments at the end.  If you’ve ever been curious about yoga but felt shy or unsure, stop by on July 10^th! It is certainly a class for everyone and who knows, maybe you’ll leave as I did in 2008…wanting more.

Meagan

Self-assessment is one of our greatest tools for improvement in the gym. Self-assessment is done by recording ourselves doing specific movements and using the footage or pictures to see how we are moving. Using self assessment, we can point out imbalances or weak points in our bodies during a certain exercise and begin to strengthen those areas. Doing this will lead to better movement which will help with injury prevention and longevity in the gym. My favorite exercise to use to assess movement is the overhead squat.

The Overhead Squat

This single movement allows you to assess several potential imbalances and weak points at once, including mobility, favoring one side over the other during the movement, and which of your muscles may be over- or underactive.

An overhead squat is pretty simple to perform. You begin by placing your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed slightly outward. Next, square your hips and shoulders forward. After that, extend your arms above your head. Once you’re in this top position, you can start squatting down. Slowly push your butt back and bend your knees as if you are sitting in a chair. Continue this motion until you reach a point where you can’t lower down anymore. From here, stand back up. If you are doing a self assessment, be sure to record the movement from the front and the side.

This video will help us determine how certain joints (shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles) are moving.

Potential Weakness 1: Overactive Adductors/Underactive Glutes

If your knees are coming in toward each other while you squat (knee valgus), this could mean you have tight adductors and weak glutes. We could improve this area by regularly stretching our adductors through frog or butterfly poses. This will help tame those overactive areas. To restore balance, we should strengthen the underactive muscles—in this case, that’s the glutes. Doing things like banded walks or lying hip abductions will help with this.

Potential Weakness 2: Excessive Forward Lean

Another marker to look for is excessive forward lean as you squat down. This could indicate tight hip flexors and a weak lower back and is a common issue in those who are seated all day for work. If this is you, I would recommend lightly stretching your hip flexors and piriformis by doing figure four poses and kneeling runner’s lunges. The low back may also be underactive. Strengthen it through exercises like back extensions or superman holds. These exercises will strengthen and help you activate these muscles during movement.

This is an area I need to work on! I have a slight forward lean in my overhead squat. Another good indicator of this is to look at the back as a straight line and the shins as another line. If these two lines are not perfectly parallel, then there’s a slight forward lean.

Potential Weakness 3: Underactive Upper Back Muscles

Even though we think of the squat as a leg movement, it becomes a full body exercise when we place our hands overhead. This helps us assess the strength of our upper back muscles. If our arms fall forward while squatting, we can assume that our pec and lat muscles are more than likely tight, which brings your trunk forward.

Now, after reading a few examples, you know that if there are overactive or tight muscles, there are more than likely underactive muscles in that area as well. In this case, the underactive muscles would include the muscles of your rotator cuff and mid back. To release or stretch out the pec muscles and lats, I highly recommend getting a massage or using a doorway pec stretch. Foam rolling will also be helpful in relaxing the muscles for exercise but isn’t a long-term solution. To strengthen those underactive rotator cuff muscles, we can do things like external and internal rotation band work as well as face pulls on a cable column.

Refine Your Training Based on Your Results

The results of the assessment in and of themselves are neither good nor bad. What is important is using this information to refine your training and improve your weak points. We all have different body shapes, mechanics, and functional abilities, so using a test like this is not a cut-and-paste method. That said, it does give you a better understanding of how your body is moving in its current state. Use the information you learned from this self-assessment and upgrade the way you think about your training. What are your weak points (underactive muscles) and where are the muscles that might be a little overactive or tight during movements? If you have any questions about exercises or stretches you can do feel free to ask next time you see a trainer in the gym.

-Dylan

It is now 3 sessions into the new Olympic Weightlifting class at UF, and it is still not too late to get in on the action. Whether you are looking to learn some new lifts or just brush up on some technique. I have decided to take a top down approach to teaching the snatch and the clean. This is because I feel that the “power position” is the key part of the pull when doing these two lifts. Understanding how to put force into the floor from this position is in my opinion the best way to become proficient at these two lifts. As the class moves forward, the plan is to slowly move down the leg, working from the hang and mid-shin positions before the floor. During this time both deadlifts and pulls will be trained so that working on bar positioning from the floor is not neglected. In the 3^rd class, split jerk positions were mapped out for everyone and the footwork of the split was drilled. Since the split jerk requires a bit more footwork than both the snatch and clean, a little more focus was put on technique with this movement.

Even though we will be entering the 4^th class this coming week, don’t think it is too late to join in. I will plan to meet everyone where they are at with their training. For anyone that needs a little more attention and being brought up to speed, that will not be an issue. Just as I mentioned earlier, as the class progresses, more of the full lifts will be implemented, more challenging variations / complexes will be added, and the accessory lifts will continue to be added to the training.

Ethan

I first heard about women’s professional football while I was a sophomore in college, running track at the University of Rio Grande. I was also powerlifting at the time, so I was putting on a lot of strength while developing my speed as well. After my sophomore season, I transferred to Cleveland State and tried out for the Cleveland Fusion professional women’s football team. I made the team and fell into the running back position, and immediately fell in love with the game.

Then COVID hit, and like many other sports teams our season did not happen. So, my rookie year was put on hold. I continued to train and lift hard. My goal was to come even more prepared for next season. Eventually I found out that Cleveland was not going to have a team, but I chose to join the next closest team, the Pittsburgh passion.

I made the commitment of driving from Cleveland to Pittsburgh 2-3 times a week to play for this team and it was the best decision I have ever made. I found a sense of sisterhood and belonging among the Passion. The Cleveland head coach, Erik Kiester, also came to Pittsburgh to coach the defensive side, so I had him as a mentor for both years and he has made me the player I am today.

This season has been nothing less than amazing with this team and this city. We have our first playoff game in Tampa on June 11th against the Tampa Inferno.

I am looking forward to the rest of this season, and also the off-season training with my teammates at Union Fitness who is also a sponsor of the Pittsburgh passion team.

Maria

On Sunday July 10th, we will be introducing the first installment of Power Yoga for our members and non members here at Union Fitness. The idea for this class was a collaboration between myself and our amazing Yoga instructors Meagan Gnibus and Haley Tamilia. Over the last few months, the three of us have discussed how we have benefited from the concepts and application of different Yoga techniques. More specifically, how we have applied them to our training, and how beneficial they have been in assisting with our lifting goals.

At first, it started as a simple discussion regarding the types of mobility and activation work that I apply to my powerlifting training, as well as within my client’s training. Then it progressed to how further techniques could be applied to reach even more specific goals. What we found was that there was a huge similarity in our approaches between what is practiced in yoga, and what is used by many individuals who perform rigorous weightlifting techniques. Because of this, we decided to bring you all a class specifically for the people who love to throw chalk on their hands and a barbell across their backs, but may not yet realize the benefits of applying yoga within their training routine. Or, you may already practice this, but maybe would like some new ideas, or a fun group to perform it with on a beautiful summer day.

I took my first Yoga class in 2009. At the time I was beginning my powerlifting journey. After just my first session, I noticed the benefits through mental and physical relaxation, along with an increased muscular and central nervous system recovery, just to name a few. From there, I researched further methods and began incorporating them into my training program within my specific warmup routines, along with my rest and recovery sessions on my off days. What I found was a much higher recovery rate between sessions, along with an increased sense of well being and ability to perform at my highest level on my training days. It has been a huge contributor to my longevity and success within the sport over the past decade. If you want to continue to progress in your weightlifting and powerlifting journey, then you’re going to have to keep your body firing on all cylinders. I can promise you that picking things up and putting them down is only a part of the equation. It’s the things that you do outside of your training sessions that make the biggest difference.

Be sure to block off that calendar for Sunday July 10th, and keep an eye out for more details regarding this awesome event.

– Curtis Miller

What to Expect in the New Olympic Weightlifting Class

Starting the first week of June there will be the first ever Olympic weightlifting class at Union Fitness. This class will be intended for anyone who is new to the sport and looking to learn the Olympic lifts. Here you will learn the snatch, clean and jerk along with accessory lifts to these 3 competition movements. Now you may be thinking, how exactly may these classes be structured? What exactly am I getting into?

Each class will start with a short warm up, I do however encourage coming in a little bit early to start a warm up on your own before class begins. After a warm up, one of the 3 lifts will be discussed. Next, technique of that lift will be practiced before moving to the actual training of the session. The goal for these classes is to learn proper execution and technique of each lift. This is not something that will be accomplished in a single session; however, it will be what these classes work towards. After the technical training, each session will finish with complimentary lifts to the snatch, clean and jerk. These will be movements such as squats, dead lifts, overhead pressing and so on.

As mentioned earlier, the goal of these classes is to teach the Olympic lifts to athletes new to the sport of weightlifting. Rome wasn’t built in a day nor is a weightlifter, but with effort and commitment these lifts can be learned by anyone. Whether you are looking to compete or just learn something new to add into your own training, Olympic lifting is a nice compliment to add to anyone’s training toolbox.

Ethan

Your Reason/Motivation. – Elias (Get Better Today)

What is it that got you started on our fitness journey? All of us have some reason behind why we decided to sign up to join a gym, compete in an event, or start to move to push ourselves and better our health. For some of us we may have wanted to look better, feel better, prepare for an event (whether it be an athletic event or competition, or a vacation or wedding). Whatever the reason may be, we all are typically motivated by something that happened to us that got us to do what we are currently doing.

For myself, going back about 8 years ago, I probably started lifting and working out in high school to just get in better shape. Is there anything wrong with that reason? Absolutely not, and just like many people I wanted to look better. As time passed, my goals and motivation would change from time to time. Yes, everyone wants to look better, or be stronger but eventually I stumbled across the phrase “Get Better Today.” I came across this brand/phrase through a YouTuber/Powerlifter by the name of Russel Orhii back in 2016. To this day this has stuck with me, and personally I believe it is a great saying that can apply to everyone. To me it means that each day we all have the opportunity to find something to get better at and better ourselves.

Regardless of your goals (strength, speed, appearance, improving nutrition, body composition etc…) each of us can do something each day to get better and ultimately be one step closer to our goals. Therefore, my reason/motivation for why it is I do what I do day in and day out is to get better each day.

Think about what your reason/motivation is and remember today YOU have the opportunity to Get Better Today (I believe in you)! – Elias 🙂