Category Archives: Training

Toria’s Tales

Fitness, Life Health, Training

Most of us have a natural aversion to change. Change occurs even when we don’t want it to or expect it to.

 

Speaking of change, for those of you who may not know me, here’s a quick background on how I ended up where I am today: I had started working part time at UF back in June 2020 up until around April 2021. I then decided to make the move across the country to Denver, Colorado to pursue a career in clinical research. After about only 3 months of living in Colorado, I began to feel very sick and very unlike my usual self. Several months later, and several hospital visits later, I had finally met a team of Physicians and Cardiologists who recognized that I have a heart condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia, more specifically Atrial Tachycardia, which is the least common of its form. This is a condition where my heart will randomly beat abnormally and rapidly for no particular reason at all, which causes me to feel very tired, confused, and a little bit scared.

 

When I had first found out what was going on, the news hit me hard. I had been about 3 years into a successful and consistent fitness/training journey, and all of that came to a halt because I was afraid of having “episodes” while exercising. This was all new to me, and I didn’t want to push myself and see what my limits might be without knowing the possible outcome of the situation. I even worked at a local gym in Denver for a while and didn’t train there even once.

 

I ended up taking way too much time away from exercising, and I basically became a couch potato. As I mentioned before, I was scared, and so I didn’t really want to change my lazy habits. I then made the move back to the Burgh in late December 2021 and had started a full-time position here at UF in January. I became surrounded by colleagues and gym members who all come in to UF every day with the same goal in mind: to be better. Whether that be a better lifter, or even just a better person, it still involves being a better you. This helped me to overcome my personal resistance to change and begin adding lifting and training to my weekly routine again. I want to give a special shoutout to Curtis who allowed me to jump in on his training sessions back in January when I had first started up again. Also, a special shoutout to Todd who allows me to jump in on his training sessions and some of his weekly bike rides around the city to keep me accountable for adding some cardio into my lifestyle. And finally, shoutout to CeJ, Miranda, and Fawn who have all trained with me along the way and have helped me stay accountable (also a big S/O to the rest of the Team at UF for being an awesome crew to come in and work with everyday). I’m happy to say I have hit some personal PR’s within the past month, signed up for my first meet, and I feel great about it. I’m excited to continue to build those numbers up in the future.

 

From this experience, I have learned to cultivate a mindset that embraces the changes within ourselves, acquire a positive attitude towards change, and adopt a personal growth mindset.

 

 

Toria

Schedule Changes

Fitness, Life Health, State of the Union, Training

It’s a strange time right now in Pittsburgh. The sun is shinning, the birds are chirping, and the Pirates have been winning some Baseball games. Here at Union Fitness, we are making some seasonal changes as well in order to better suit our members and to bring them some new additions. Beginning on May 31st for the month of June, we will be adding a new class to our line-up, along with some adjusted hours and locations for our current classes.

 

Beginning on May 31st, we will be temporarily removing our 7am Powerful class from the schedule and replacing it with an Olympic Weightlifting class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This class will be coached by none other than our resident Olympic Weightlifter, Ethan Raese. If you’ve been in the gym while Ethan is training, then you know how much he enjoys Olympic lifting, and how dedicated he is to the craft. As with all of our classes, there are always modifications and progressions for each movement and exercise. So even if you have never tried Olympic lifting, you will have no problem getting into the swing of things even after one session. Be sure to sign up online or stop by the front desk to reserve a spot. 

 

Also beginning in June, our evening Cardio Lab class will be moving from 5:30pm up to 5pm to ensure that all of you have more time to enjoy these beautiful spring and summer evenings. In addition to this, our evening Yoga classes will be moving to the Cardio Lab area immediately after Cardio Lab class is finished at 6pm. On the weekends, our Saturday and Sunday our 10:30am Yoga class will be taking over the indoor and outdoor space over at our Performance Lab location. By doing this, you will have a chance to enjoy the refreshing outdoor space provided by that section of our gym.

 

As always, your first class in on the house. We would love for anyone interested to try out our classes to see how you like them. For more information on any of our classes, please check out our website. For all information regarding times, locations, and instructors, check our schedule on our website or on the Union Fitness App. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there!

 

Curtis

Summer Athlete Training

Training

College athletes, this one’s for you!

 

You spent all year training and competing for your sport with your teammates and coaches. Bringing the thunder everyday in the weight room and in your sport arena, paying honor to those who played before you and blazing the path for those to come. Now it’s summer break and many of you are left with no teammates or places to train like an athlete at. Have no fear athletes, your place is here.

 

Union Fitness is offering College Athlete Group Training to any college athletes in the area. The training will be led by one of our strength and conditioning coaches with athletic performance and competition on the mind. We will have 4 days of training, including a morning and evening group: Monday-Thursday at 10am & Tuesday & Thursday at 7pm. These group sessions will include a general to specific warm up, speed, agility, power, strength, injury prevention, mobility, and overall athletic minded training. You’ll be jumping, throwing, squatting, pressing, flipping tires, pulling sleds, and performing olympic lifts during these workouts. Worried because you’ve never trained any of these movements? One of our experienced strength and conditioning coaches will always demo, explain, and teach each exercise. Currently we are working with Chatham & Point Park University athletes, but this is open to any and all local college athletes that want to be challenged in the summer. The cost of the group is only $50 a month and includes coaching, open gym, and online programing. Groups have already started so if you are interested or know of people who are, reach out to us and let’s roll.

 

Stay Strong,

 

CeJ

Turning Small Wins Into Big Victories

Fitness, Training

If you follow our Instagram page, then you’ve probably seen our “Takeover Tuesday” stories that we post each week. Sometimes it’s a few helpful tips regarding form or technique. Sometimes it may be our interns giving helpful information. Or sometimes it may be one of us dropping beneficial life knowledge. I would like to think that my recent takeover falls into that category, but I’ll leave that up to you to interpret. My most recent takeover involved the lessons of the barbell and how they can relate to our goals in life.

 

A few months back, Cody Miller and I were doing a squat session together. We decided to do sets of 20 reps with the SSB bar. If you’ve ever used this bar, you know how challenging it can be. And if you’ve ever done 20 reps on squats, then you know how equally evil that can be. After our second or third set, I racked the bar, looked at Cody, and said “I don’t think I can do another rep.” Cody looks at me and says “Doing reps is like taking steps. You can always take one more step, no matter how bad you feel.”

 

This resonated with me, as I’m the type of person that always sees the similarities between training and life. If we were to approach each day the same way that we do each rep, of each set, of each workout, then our goals would be much more attainable. In today’s society, we think that we always have to have something right now. If we set a goal, we think that we have to achieve it instantly, or we’ve failed. That’s just not accurate. A better way to think of it is by taking one more step, doing one more rep, checking off one more box each day. If we focus on the smaller victories each day; checking off each box when we wake up, throughout the day, and each night before bed, we will ultimately get to the big goal. But if we only focus on the end result so much that we paralyze ourselves from seeing the smaller wins, then we’re going to have a hard time getting there, and we may even get frustrated before we give ourselves a chance to get to that point.

 

As I’ve said multiple times, this applies to training as well as to life. They are exactly the same. The best lessons I’ve ever learned are from the barbell and the weights inside of the gym. It taught me how to take these steps, how to progress, how to believe in myself, and how to be patient and hardworking. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it often takes much longer than you would like. But if you continue taking one more step, doing one more rep, and checking off one more box, you will ultimately get to exactly where you want to be.

 

-Curtis Miller

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Northside’s Strongest, Thank You

Training

Last weekend we were able to host Northside’s Strongest Bench Press, Deadlift Competition. For some background about this event, last year we were asked to host another full meet. If we had agreed to this we would have hosted 3 full meets per year. We had a few talks about how adding another meet would add into our goals and vision for UF. We decided that two fulls sanctioned meets was enough. We also knew it was important to host a smaller push pull meet. The goal was for our members to be able to compete, as well as allow outsiders in and have some fun with us. I do believe we accomplished our goals.

 

Hosting a meet isn’t all fun and games and we need a ton of help to set this up. Our members are amazing and always helpful with this. Two people I have to thank to start off is Max for feeding our staff while they were here working and Dave for doing such an amazing job with the shirts. The staff of UF were amazing and worked their butts off to give everyone a great experience. Without everyone stepping up and helping out an event like this could not happen. So THANK YOU.

 

Now for the meet.

 

The lifting went great. One of the coolest parts was the fact that we had 51% female lifters in the meet. We saw many people hit PR’s and tons of lessons learned. For me one of the coolest parts is when someone fails and then says to me, I know what I did wrong. The lessons the iron teaches you are never ending. Some of the highlights of the lifting are as follows,

 

Tim coming back from passing out to hit his next two deadlifts.

 

Kelsey just being Kelsey and smashing weight.

 

Ava and her infectious attitude.

 

CeJ on the mic.

 

There are so many more to thank and I want to make sure each and everyone know that we appreciate you, and couldn’t do this without you.

 

Hamer

 

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

You…. What’s Your RPE

Training

I am going to start todays blog by asking you a few questions. I hope these questions create more questions in your head, this will lead to even more questions and maybe one day even an answer or two.

 

  1. How do you judge or grade your training session?
  2. Do you know your goals for each session?
  3. Can you quantify what you did?
  4. Do you use subjective or objective metrics in your training?

 

I am going to answer all of these questions with some history of training. When I first began training (when dinosaurs still roamed the earth), in the 1990’s most people used percentages of 1 rep max to set the workout load for the day. There were some good rules of thumb, for instance we know you can do roughly 10 repetitions at 75% of your 1 rep max. If we were performing 5’s you could begin at 75% and then adjust from up from there. It would look something like 75×5 80×5 85×5 for a top set. This was a very basic way to train and it worked for many people.

 

Enter Westside.

 

As Louie Simmons grew in popularity and Westside Barbell style of training became more mainstream many started using velocity as a metric to judge the workout. Louie reintroduced Prilipen’s Chart to lifters. The goal became move the bar as fast as possible. The weight was important yet how fast the barbell seemed to be moving was the ultimate judge. I remember even going as far as using a stopwatch to time reps. If you didn’t get three reps in three seconds then the weight was too heavy. There are many weaknesses to this way of looking at velocity yet we were figuring things out as we went.

 

As the idea of velocity in training grew VBT (Velocity Based Training) became the go to for training with speed in mind. Bryan Mann has written extensively about this topic. The use of tend units, speed for lifts, push, and many other brands aided lifters in objectively scoring their acceleration. This was a natural progression, even if at times it lead to ugly form. VBT did give the lifters the opportunity to use an objective metric to judge their lifts. We knew going in what velocity we were looking for and as long as the barbell stayed at or near that number the load was correct. With this method the lifter could make adjustments  immediately.

 

RPE Take Over.

 

The Borg Scale began as a rating from 6-20. The idea Borg had at the time was this could equate to heart rate. 6 would equal roughly 60 beats per minute, and meant rest. Whereas 20 was 200 beats per minute and was 100% effort. So while training you could ask how do I feel?  If the answer was 12 then we’d assume 120 beats per minute.

 

The Borg Scale grew into todays RPE (Rate of Perceived Exerertion). This scale has been simplified to a 1-10 scale. 1 being rest and 10 being 100% effort. Lifters then began to use this to quantify difficulty of lifts, 1 being rest and 10 being a maximal effort lift. Using the RPE scale gave the lifter a chance to judge, as well as set their load based upon how the weight felt on any given day. This has been great as it is very simple for lifters and coaches to use. At the same time (from what I’ve seen) it has also been a hindrance for many lifters as they are using a completely subjective scale to set the load for the day. With the amount of technology available why not use both a subjective, as well as an objective metrics?

 

Another weakness I see with using only an RPE scale is it makes the feel more important than reality. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have been training and I hit a weight, in my head I think, “I’m done,” then someone calls me out or loads the bar with more. I can taste and smell the fear, and I overcome it all and lift the weight. I am not saying this should be how one trains all the time, I am saying that if I just used RPE then I wouldn’t know what a ten truly feels like.

 

To take us back to the questions that began this post, the answer to all four is use RPE, use VBT, use percents. I didn’t even touch on the use of heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep data, or the multitude of other data we can use to help with our programming. In short, be sure that you are using both objective as well as subjective data to aid in your programming.