Union Fitness Launches The Northside #Powerful Program

Union Fitness is proud to announce the launch of The Northside #Powerful Program, a brand-new initiative designed to celebrate growth, grit, and giving back. This 3-month free personal training program will be awarded to one local Northside resident who is ready to rise, rep for their community, and commit to positive change.

This program is about more than fitness. It’s about uplifting a neighbor who’s dedicated to personal growth while also making a difference for others. Whether you’ve overcome challenges, are working on your mental health, or are simply motivated to take your next step forward, this opportunity could be for you.

Eligibility:

• Live in the Northside
• Show commitment to self-growth
• Actively give back to the community (through volunteering, mentoring, caregiving, or contributing to local causes)

Application Period: October 1 – November 30, 2025

• The selected winner will begin their journey in January 2026.

What’s Included:

• 3 months of Personal Training Membership (2x per week)
• Unlimited gym access & classes

If you or someone you know is ready to grow stronger, both in and out of the gym, we encourage you to apply. Let’s highlight the incredible resilience and altruism of the Northside community together.

Applications open October 1st, apply at www.unionfitness.com/northside-powerful/

As we move deeper into this training cycle, you’ll start to notice a shift in the way our workouts are structured. While we’ve been focused on hypertrophy building muscle and volume through moderate rep ranges the coming training blocks will begin to introduce lower rep schemes with heavier loads. This transition marks the beginning of the merge between hypertrophy and true strength training, where you’ll continue to build muscle but also start dialing in your ability to move heavier weight with precision and control.

This intentional shift will set the stage for our end of October strength testing, allowing your nervous system to adapt, your technique to sharpen, and your confidence under the bar to grow. Expect to see fewer reps, more rest between sets, and a bigger focus on quality over quantity all in preparation to push your limits and hit some serious PRs when the time comes.

UF Unlimited members, if you haven’t already don’t forget to log into the Teambuildr website. This is a great training aid for members attending #Powerful. On the website you will be able to see upcoming workouts and log your numbers and weights! Reach out to myself or any of the full-time staff if you need help setting this feature up!

Class Schedule

Monday: 6:00 AM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM

Tuesday: 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM

Wednesday: 6:00 AM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM

Thursday: 6:00 AM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM

Friday: 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM

-Tristan

Foam rolling has become a staple in most gym routines either as a warm-up ritual or a post-workout cooldown. Research suggests that self-myofascial release (SMR) using foam rollers can offer short-term benefits like reduced muscle soreness and improved range of motion. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Athletic Training found that foam rolling after intense exercise decreased delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and helped athletes maintain performance levels in the following days. It’s no surprise that many athletes swear by it!

However, the science isn’t fully sold on foam rolling as a performance enhancer. Meta-analyses, including one published in Frontiers in Physiology (2020), report that while foam rolling may feel good and support mobility, it doesn’t significantly improve muscle strength or power output. In other words, it’s unlikely to make you faster, stronger, or able to lift more weight on its own. But here’s the catch, if it helps you mentally feel more prepared, relaxed, or in tune with your body before or after a workout, there’s real value in that. Sometimes, just feeling better is reason enough to include it in your routine so go ahead, roll it out!

-Tristan

Hello UF! A topic that I found to be extremely interesting was the benefits behind foam rolling and how we can utilize it to obtain the best results. First and foremost, for those who may not know about foam rolling; it is a self-induced massage that occurs by rolling the muscles out on a foam cylinder. This practice is commonly done by athletes and others to reduce tightness/tension found in the muscles.

When your muscles feel tight and sore, foam rolling has been used to apply pressure to those areas to create a myofascial release. This occurs by stimulating blood flow to those areas which will ultimately lessen tension and any lactic acid buildup (contributing factor to soreness). Post-rolling, many people have found an increase in range of motion because of its ability to rid knots and lengthen those muscle spindles and fibers. Things to avoid when foam rolling include rolling over joints, which can increase inflammation in those tendons and ligaments in the surrounding areas. Also, avoid rolling over the same spot for too long or focusing too much on the same sore spot. Is it important to take your time and not use too much pressure.

After looking into various sources on how we can foam roll to avoid injury and get the most results, it is stated that foam rolling should occur prior to exercise and after a series of stretches were completed. These stretches include static or dynamic which will release any tension that is present allowing you to really lengthen those muscles out. Doing stretches beforehand will help improve flexibility, support recovery, and maintaining muscle health.

Thank you for using your time to expand your knowledge on my topic. I hope to see some of you trying this out!

Meech Butler

For the past few years, my main form of exercise has been lifting weights and doing moderate-intensity cardio. Though I still love doing these things, I have recently added something new to my routine: hot yoga. I had been a couple of times prior, but within the past few months it has become a staple in my week. I think that the reason I got into it was partially because of a class I took this past semester, Yoga and Pilates Instruction. My professor, Dr. Sally Sherman, is a successful, impressive, wonderful yoga instructor and human being. I loved learning from her and practicing with her so much that I wanted to keep yoga in my life even after I was doing it for class credit.

In addition to being a nice break from my usual exercise routine, hot yoga is an extremely
beneficial practice for other reasons as well.

First, I’ll list some of the physical benefits.

1. Enhanced flexibility: The heat helps to warm up the muscles, making them more elastic
and assisting the body to move into poses more smoothly and safely.

2. Increased calorie expenditure: The heat can elevate the heart rate more than a regular
yoga class, causing more calories to be burned.

3. A cardiovascular workout: In addition to challenging strength and flexibility, hot yoga
forces your body to pump blood to cool you down, challenging the cardiovascular
system.

4. Detoxification: Sweating helps to release toxins from the body.
Next, here are some of the other health benefits, both mental and otherwise.

1. Stress reduction: Yoga is a mindful practice that promotes relaxation and meditation.

2. Mood enhancement: The practice releases endorphins, chemicals that elevate mood
and combat anxiety and depression.

3. Boosted circulation: Heat causes blood vessels to expand, improving circulation and
delivering oxygen and nutrients to muscles and organs.

4. Better lung capacity: Breathing techniques practiced during hot yoga encourage
controlled, deep breathing, benefiting respiratory health.

Hot yoga has been so beneficial for me both physically and mentally for the past few months, to the point where I plan on becoming a certified instructor. I strooooongly encourage anyone and everyone to try it! 🙂

Thanks UF!
Mary

Hey guys! My name is Alicia, I’m an intern here at Union Fitness, and I am hosting a Bootcamp on August 10th at 10:00am to fundraise for the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh! I decided to raise money for the animal shelter because I have always loved animals and want to help out the pets looking for a forever home in any way that I can! I volunteer every week at the Humane Society in my hometown and would love to make a difference at the shelter in Pittsburgh. Not everyone is able to adopt a pet or maybe you have pets but cannot give a home to any additional animals. This is a great way to help the animals get the food, toys, bedding, and other things they may need while they wait to find a loving family.

The Bootcamp is open to the public and free of charge. We will be doing a combination of both weight training and cardio. Everyone is welcome! If you are unable to make it on August 10th, we will have QR codes posted online and around the gym if you would like to donate to the animal rescue. If you are able to donate or share the flyer it would be greatly appreciated! Anything helps! I hope to see you all next Saturday!

Alicia

Empty Your Pockets Folks

I am totally kidding about the title, this blog is just to remind everyone of the boot camp I am hosting with Hannah, Lauren, and Jade next Saturday on July 20th at 10am. I created this boot camp in an effort to raise money for Irina. Irina is a friend of one my personal training clients named Sasha. Every month, Irina flies into Pittsburgh for cancer treatment from Ukraine. Sasha lets her stay at her home for free, picks her up from the Pittsburgh airport, and drives her to all of her appointments. For those that don’t know, this cancer treatment is saving Irinas life. She does not have access to the cancer treatment that she needs in Ukraine because of the war. Irina also does not want to move to the United States because her husband is stuck in Ukraine due to him being under the age of 60 and being required to stay in Ukraine as a military obligation. Along with that, Sashas husband is a physician at AHN, so Irina also benefits from retrieving her treatment at AHN in Pittsburgh. As you can imagine, traveling out of Ukraine during the war with Russia is very difficult. Irina has to take two trains to Poland and then multiple flights from Poland to Pittsburgh every single month. It is a very costly expense and that is why I want to help her.

Sasha has been lifelong friends with Irina because both Sasha and her husband are from Ukraine as well. Irinas husband actually taught Sashas children Karate many years ago. That is where the connection lies and why Sasha and her husband help Irina as much as they can.

I know that we have issues in the United States and our economy is not the best. However, if you could spare any money at all or promote this on your social media I would really appreciate it. Any little thing helps and this money can be a giant help to Irina who is in need.

Again, I will be hosting a bootcamp on July 20th at 10am that will consist of weight training, cardio, and will finish up with some yoga on the front lawn. If you can make it down that would be great and if not, no worries at all. Like I mentioned above, any little thing helps and I appreciate you all! We have flyers posted all around our gym and the North shore with the go fund me link as well as in our instagram bio!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope this gives a better understanding of the situation!!

-Zain

Variety is the spice of life and you know in CeJ’s kitchen we kick the heat up to 11.

With Veterans Day coming up I thought it would be a good time to share some of my experiences in the Navy. A lot of people at UF ask me about my experience in the Navy and where I have been in the world. However, I don’t always remember exactly everything I have done so I wanted to take the time to list all the countries I have visited during my service and rank them based on how much fun I had while visiting! 

1. Manila, Philippines. This one was my favorite simply because I saw Nelly the rapper at 2am in a VIP club section inside a casino. Along with that I enjoyed trying to speak the native language of Tagalog and the food there was delicious. Adobo and Lumpia are my favorites!
2. This place was one of the cleanest places I have ever seen in my entire life. I got to visit the infamous Marina Bay Sands and see the outlook over the city with the infinity pool.  
3. South Korea. I enjoyed South Korea because I got to have authentic Korean BBQ and I got some of my favorite jerseys of sports icons for very cheap!
4. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I enjoyed Brazil because of how tropical it was. Along with that, I got to see the culture of soccer or futbol. It was really cool seeing so many young children playing soccer all over the place!
5. Although Vietnam is a communist country it was very beautiful and the people there were extremely nice. We had a taxi driver that showed us around and also gave us a historical perspective on the Vietnam war. He showed us where the United States had its own base and more.
6. Valparaiso, Chile. This was probably the poorest country I visited. I really got to witness what a 3^rd world country looked like and it made me appreciate what we have in the United States. I also enjoyed this port because although I was underage our commanding officer allowed all sailors to abide by Chiles drinking laws. Thus meaning I was allowed to buy whatever alcohol I wanted when I was 18. I do not really remember a whole lot after the drinking started but I do remember it was a good time!
7. I was unsure if I should put Hawaii on this list or not because it is a state and not a country. However, the reason it is this low is because of that reason. Hawaii was very touristy but was still very beautiful. The hikes I did while we were there were some of the best hiking I have ever done!
8. Guam is a territory that was also poor. Funny story, when I visited here, I did not have a phone while I was there because I broke it on the first day of my deployment. So, I had to use an iPod to take all my pictures and communicate with my family back home. This was extra difficult because the Wi-Fi in Guam at the time was very poor. None the less, Guam is also very pretty, and I got the worst sunburn of my life there. I thought it would be a good idea to not wear sunscreen after working night shift for weeks and not seeing the sun. I learned the hard way to always wear sunscreen when you are that close to the equator!
9. I forget the exact city that we visited in Peru, but it was my very first port that I got to see. One memory that sticks out in my mind is clubbing with some of my friends there!
10. Okinawa, Japan. The reason Japan is so low on this list was because I only spent one night there. And during that one-night span I got food poisoning and broke my phone for the second time. So, I didn’t really get the full experience with this one!

So, there it is! A list of every single country I went to during my time in the Navy. This ranking was purely based off my own experience and if I had more time or freedom then it could have been a lot different. Lastly, I wanted to take the time to say Happy Veterans Day to every single veteran and those who are currently serving. With everything that is going on in the world today I am especially thankful for these men and women. It is a scary time to be in the military and let’s hope that peace can remain with the United States but also peace can be made in other countries that are currently at war! 

Zain 

I was in grad school at Virginia Commonwealth University, we had a guest lecturer. This was how Sept 11th 2001 started for me. Truth be told my day started at 6 AM with a team lift in a basement gym that I worked in. After a few groups I went to my grad class, sport law was the name of the class. That Tuesday we had a guest lecturer. He began his presentation, only a few minutes into his lecture our professor came in and said, “Everyone call your family, we are under attack.” I will never forget this moment. For anyone who is old enough to remember where they were on 9/11 they will never forget this moment. It is etched in my head with a few other moments.

Today as we remember 9/11 I am asking you to think about moments that changed you. Now ask yourself some questions, what can I do to help improve myself and those around me? If today was my last day on earth would I be content with how I had spent my time? What impact am I making today? I ask these questions today and everyday, as we don’t know what the future holds for us and our loved ones.

Share some love today.

Todd