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College Athlete Training at UF

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UF has added some very experienced staff over this past year. Our new staff have come heavily from collegiate strength and conditioning. Here is a list of places that our staff have worked prior to coming to UF: Bucknell, WVU, RMU, Mizzou, Clemson, Pitt, VCU, George Mason, George Washington University, The Citadel, Carnegie Mellon, YSU, NY Mets, Morehead St, Ohio St, University of Maryland, Akron, Salisbury State and trained athletes from the professional ranks, as well as multiple olympic medal winners.

 

In addition to our new staff we have added a new Performance Lab (PL). The PL is our addition that houses indoor and outdoor turf. This new area also has a garage door leading to our outdoor space.

 

With all of this available to us we began training teams from Chatham University and Point Park University. We are now offering training to collegiate athletes who are home during their respective winter breaks. The details are as follows.

 

Winter Break Training Details:

Nov 30th-Jan 8th daily at 1 PM.

The program will be run by one of our coaches and we be 1-1.5 hours long. 

The program will focus on speed, strength, and conditioning.

The cost for the program will be 90 dollars.

 

If you’re looking for a fun, challenging training experience that will benefit your athletic career, look no further. We have the most experienced staff in the Pittsburgh area when it comes to training athletes.

 

Happy Veterans Day

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We want to wish a special thank you to veterans of all branches. Thank you for your sacrifice, your bravery, and the example you set for us all. Thank you for your service.

 

Here is a little history behind Veterans day.

 

The first Armistice Day was Nov. 11, 1919, and President Wilson said the following words about the day: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”.

 

World War I ended June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The fighting had actually ended on Nov. 11, 1918, and was considered Armistice Day. Veterans Day officially became a holiday in 1954 to honor American veterans of all wars.

 

We must never forget their service and sacrifice.

 

Thank you to all of our friends, family and members who have served we appreciate your service. 

 

Team UF

Weekly Wrap Up

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Happy Friday Union fam, it’s been a great week here at the facility and going into the weekend we have a handful of things planned for our members and clients. But first a slight recap from myself (Jocelyn):

 

I can only speak for myself but I know the rest of our staff would agree, getting to spend our time with all of you is a privilege none of us take lightly. We all got into this field because we enjoy guiding people along their own fitness journeys and with that being said it is truly one of the few reasons that gets me out of bed in the morning. Now, some days are harder than others obviously but sometimes all I need is great one hour coaching session to get those endorphins going again, if you’ve taken any of my classes you know I’m always dancing and cracking really bad jokes.

 

On Monday’s and Fridays I coach my class MOVEment which is a slight play off of the CrossFit programming I have grown to love and what got me to enjoy working out. It’s fun for me to come up with workouts and watch my classes run through them, you’ll always leave a MOVEment feeling like you got a solid hard workout.

 

With classes still gaining traction during this pandemic I’ve had some great opportunities to get to know clients in classes one on one. When I first started here at Union back in January I was a fresh face and then the pandemic hit and we were all forced through virtual connection. Luckily social media in that respect was a game changer and when we came back, seeing some faces I haven’t seen in a long time made me so happy. 

 

I might be biased but Cardio Lab might be one of my favorite classes to program for, my Tuesday crew is about the same every week and they have all come to expect the same thing from me, a hard workout (but they secretly love it). I’m sure they all come to listen to my Halsey inspired playlists and my terribly awful dance moves, I know I need to work on them guys.

 

If you’re around this weekend, come take a Friday evening MOVEment with me at 6PM for a great grindy conditioning piece or hangout with me on Saturday. I’ll be here at Union for the Kabuki Open and going over to Allegheny City Brewery to hangout while CJ and Grayson coach some of you all through our Bootcamp and Boo’s!

 

So, if you’re free come hangout, have a beer and enjoy a (fingers-crossed) beautiful day!

 

Much love Union fam,

 

Jocelyn

Curtis’s Training Log

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I am currently 2 weeks out from my next powerlifting meet. It has been one year since I stepped on the platform. As far as my training goes, one of the best things that happened over this past year was forced downtime. For 10 weeks, I was unable to train with any sort of actual equipment. During that time, I was confined to my garage with only a few resistance bands, some cinderblocks, and 2 bags of rice, that’s it. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my body was hurting and in need of a break from lifting. This was the first time in the 12 years that I have been training and took more than a week off of any barbell training, that’s 12 years of putting a bar on my back and in my hands almost every single week. We never realize it at the time, but it adds up and can accumulate a great deal of fatigue when not addressed.

 

When those 10 weeks of quarantine ended, I was mentally and physically refreshed and ready to get back into training. My body felt great, my mind was clear, and I was more motivated than I have been in a very long time. After a couple of months of getting back into the grove, I picked a meet, put a plan together, set my goals, and got to work. With the help of my training partners, I am currently feeling the strongest and healthiest that I ever have.

 

Listed below is a layout of my last 3 training sessions. One for squat, one for bench, and one for deadlift.

 

Day 1: Heavy squat:

 

Competition squat: Worked up to a top single at 755lbs.

Belt squat machine: 5 plates per side: 4×10

Leg extensions: 50lbs: 4×15

Leg curls: 50lbs: 4×15

Ab rollouts: 3×15

 

Day 2: Heavy bench:

 

Competition bench: Worked up to a top single at 425.

Competition bench: Backdowns: 345lbs: 3×2

Flat bench fatbell press: 120lbs: 4×10

Chest supported row: 90lbs: 4×10

Dead stop skull crushers: 125lbs: 4×10

Band pull aparts: Red band: 5×20

 

Day 3: Last heavy deadlift:

 

Competition deadlift; Worked up to a top single at 765lbs.

Bent over barbell rows: 185lbs: 4×10

Cable lat pulldowns: 200lbs: 3×12

Leg extensions: 50lbs: 3×15

Leg curls: 50lbs: 3×15

 

My goal this meet is to break a 2000lb total. This is something that I have been working towards for a long time. Anything can happen on the day of the meet, the only thing that I can do is prepare to the best of my abilities and trust in myself and everything that I have done up to this point. The rest has already been decided.

Enjoy the Ride Part II

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For those of you who read the UF blog often you may remember I wrote a blog about biking and getting outdoors a few months ago. Here we are again, I am getting outside and getting my mind working. So let’s take a ride together.

 

Once a year I ride my bike (with some friends) from Pittsburgh to DC. This has been a yearly event that I began doing with my father and has grown to over 25 people. If you are unfamiliar with the GAP trail or the C&O, they run from Pgh to Washington DC uninterrupted. This year I was unable to do the entire ride due to a global pandemic. Trying to make lemonade out of lemons I decided to ride two days to OhioPyle and back. So without further ado here is the story of my ride.

 

We left Nova Place at 6:15 Friday, October 9th and began our trek. The ride takes you from the Northside, into the city, along the jail trail before you cross the hot metal street bridge, and from that point on there are no turns for about 70 miles. The day started brisk, it was 41 degrees and about 3 miles in I realized that I should have worn thicker socks. It took me 34 miles to finally warm up. Lessons are always learned during this ride.

 

After grabbing some friends in West Newton, we continued to ride until arriving at OhioPyle around 4 PM. Little know fact, Curtis Miller has family near OhioPyle yet he has never actually gone into the town.

 

One of the beauties of this ride is spending time with friends and the people you meet. The first person I met was the gentlemen that, “didn’t like humans.” When I said good morning in the middle of the woods, he told me I was an expletive for interrupting nature. For the next two minutes he berated me for ruining his peace. I ended our conversation with good afternoon (he didn’t like that either). When I arrived at OhioPyle (after a rinse off), I  went to the local pub where I met some local friends, and we all swapped stories and sat by the fire. Both of these encounters kept the ride fun.

 

Saturday morning we woke up and began our trek back to Pgh. Riding back is much easier as it is a slow down hill the entire day. We made great time, and I made it back to Nova Place two hours faster than it took to get to OhioPyle the previous day.

 

As I touched on, one of the best parts of the rides is the people. This got me thinking about training and the gym. Much like with any sport we are all part of a team and it is the people that make the real difference.  With this in mind, I want to thank all of you for being part of our team and trusting us with helping you reach your goals.

 

Yours in strength,

 

Todd Hamer

3 Steps Towards Positive Motivation

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Recently, one of our members reached out to me and mentioned that they were having a difficult time gaining motivation to get to the gym. They mentioned that they were feeling discouraged about changing their body and convincing their self that they are in fact able to accomplish the goals which they initially established. They then asked me if I had any advice or if I ever experience this myself. I paused, thought for a minute, and then gave them my initial response. A week later, this question is still on my mind. So much so that I even asked a few co-workers what their thoughts were. Although this discussion could have gone on for days, we kept it short and sweet with three main points.

 

1) Know your “Why”: In other words, what is your purpose behind what you are setting out to accomplish? Maybe you are doing it for your family. Maybe you are doing it for your overall health. Or maybe you are doing it to challenge yourself with something new. Either way, you must have your “why” established and set in stone before you begin. If you don’t, then you will have a hard time staying on track throughout the journey. On the other hand, if your “why” is always clear and in sight, then you will always have direction, even when times get tough.

 

2) You must establish a certain level of belief: This belief must be strong enough that you can overcome any obstacle that is placed in front of you, or any self doubt that makes it’s way into your mind. We all battle with self doubt and negative thoughts, but your belief that you can become something better than you are must be stronger than the voice in your head saying you can’t. This belief can come in multiple forms, but the best way to gain it is simply by doing. You never know what you are capable of until you start. Once you get started and move forward with consistency, you will begin to build confidence and a belief that you can keep moving towards your goals. This goes hand in hand with our next point.

 

3) Give yourself at least three weeks of consistent work: Those first few weeks are always the hardest. Once you bust through them, the process starts to become habit. During those three weeks, stay 100% dedicated to yourself and your goals. Make it a priority to do something every single day. On the days that you work out, put your full effort towards that session and even everything that you do outside of the gym. This includes nutrition, hydration, quality sleep, etc. On your off days, go for a walk, a bike ride, or stretch, but just stay moving. You will be surprised how motivated you become when you stay in motion. Soon, the work will become second nature. Your “why” will keep you focused, your belief will keep you empowered, and your consistency will keep you moving forward towards your goals.

 

Stay strong, friends.

Bootcamp Comedy Show

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UF is beyond excited to announce our first ever bootcamp comedy show. We are going to  bring together all the good things of the world for one awesome night. Friday November 6th we are going to have a boot camp workout run by our funniest and most hype trainers, Matt Grayson and Charles Jasper.

 

Following the bootcamp style workout, 3 of our local comedians are going to take the stage. We are going to set up a stage on the turf outdoors and have seats inside and outside utilizing our new performance lab space. Each comedian will have about a 20 minute set to entertain us. We have also requested that they workout with us before hand (let’s hope they are up for it).

 

We will also be offering food and libations compliments of our newest partner, The Yard. Check out their offerings and hopefully they will bring us some of our favorite cheeses and beers.

 

In addition to all the fun we are asking anyone who registers for this class to bring some canned goods.  We will donate all the canned goods to the food pantry on Brighton Rd.

 

To register for this class, just go to MindBody and this will be listed as a class. As with any of our fundraiser events everyone is welcome, members and non-members, additionally this is a free class for everyone.

 

Let’s get bumpy, share some laughs and do more good in the world.

 

Time Your Rest for Greater Success

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It’s no secret that all of us have the same general goal in mind each time we step foot into the gym, and that is to get better. Regardless of our specific goals, we all devote a great deal of hours each week over the course of years to better ourselves and to hopefully achieve the things that we set out to accomplish. One of the most overlooked and under rated aspects of training that can help us get there more quickly is how efficient our training sessions are. More importantly, how long we are taking to complete our workouts, and how much time we are taking in between sets and exercises. 

 

Now, I understand that for many of us, the gym is an outlet. A place where we can go to hang out with our friends, escape the stressors of daily life, and do something that we enjoy. This is absolutely a great thing in it’s own. Although if you have specific goals that you want to accomplish, you’re going to want to step it up a notch and stay focused during the entirety of your training session. 

 

There have been thousands of studies done over the years regarding the best training rest periods depending on what aspect you’re focusing on. Although many of them may have different findings, the consensus is still mostly the same.

 

Strength & Power training (1-6 reps) = 3-5 minutes of rest.

 

Hypertrophy & muscle building (6-12 reps) = 1-2 minutes of rest.

 

Endurance & Conditioning (12+ reps) = 45 seconds-2 minutes of rest.

 

Now that we understand this, we can better prioritize our rest periods to suit our goals. Although this is a very small aspect of our programming routine, it has the ability to play a huge role in the outcome of our success. If you are training solo, then grab a stop watch and see the results for yourself. If you are fortunate enough to have one or more training partners, then the best stopwatch is the pace that each of you set and your drive to keep up with each other. Remember, the main purpose behind training (either by yourself or with someone else) is to challenge and push yourself. If you are sitting around in between sets wasting time, you are doing the exact opposite. So, close your Instagram and Facebook accounts, leave your phones in the car, grab a watch, and time those rest periods. You will be surprised at how much progress you can make once you decide to push yourself a little harder.

 

Stay strong, friends!

Free Classes and Schedule Changes.

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As we mentioned in our previous post we are now starting to introduce some free classes. The first class that will become a free class to all members is our Blitz class. The Blitz class is a 30 minute lunch time lift. The idea is that you can get a good lift in, shower and be back to work without missing your next important zoom meeting. Blitz is held in our new performance lab and Todd Hamer is the lead instructor for this class.

 

As we move forward with everything re-opening we will be slowly adding a few more free classes. So please keep your eyes open for this.

 

Schedule Changes.

 

We are now adjusting some class schedules. We are making these changes to better serve you the members. As with anything if you have issues please tell us as we want to make the best schedule we can for you.

 

Powerful evening classes will now be at 530 & 6PM. We are making this change so that each class can get to see each other and help us build a stronger community.

 

We are dropping our Tuesday morning bootcamp at 7 am.

 

We are also dropping our Monday and Wednesday 7 PM cardiolab.

 

If you have any issues with these changes please reach out to us and we will do the best we can to adjust our schedules.

 

Team UF

 

 

9/11 Our Remembrance

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As most people who have lived through a terrorist attack on their county I will never forget where I was on 9/11/2001. I was a grad student sitting in a sport law course at Virginia Commonwealth University. We had a guest professor that day in class and as he discussed tort our professor walked back into the room and said, “Go home and call your families, we are under attack.” These words will never leave my head and each year that passes I remember how I felt that day.

 

Everyone handles situations like this differently. Most of my classmates went down to a local sandwich shop and watched the news. I am different and didn’t want to be around people so I went to the weight room and trained. I am one of the few people who caught up with everything later. I do not know if what I did was cowardice or me avoiding this horror of the moment. What I do know is 9/11/2001 always had an impact on me and I have visited each of the crash sites numerous times and every time confusion is the biggest emotion I have in that moment.

 

In honor as a tribute to each of the 2,996 humans who perished on that day I have been asking people here at Union Fitness to tell me what 9/11 means to them. Here are some of the words and phrases that I heard today.

 

“Never Forget.”

“Honor.”

“Never take a day for granted.”

“Sad.”

“Powerful.”

“Unifying.”

“Remembrance.”

“Tragic.”

“Scared.”

“Confusion.”

 

These words are a good reminder for of us as a society. The one that stands out the strongest to me is confusion. To this day what happened is still confusing to most of us and that is OK. We just hope that through all of this confusion we can help support you and each other.

 

Remember United We Stand.

 

Todd Hamer and Team UF