Last week we got into some of our staff goals: where we succeeded, where we failed, and what we’re taking on this second half of the year. This week, I want to talk about the why and how. Why did we fail at what we set out? How do we adjust and set ourselves up for success as we move forward?

 

Why we fail at achieving our goals

 

More often than not, we really set ourselves up to fail. I wrote about SMART goals way back at the end of 2017. To review, SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused, and time-bound. That means your typical “I want to lose weight” goal is out, but “I want to lose 10 lbs over the course of 3 months” is in. Go over your initial 2018 goals: how many actually met these criteria? If they didn’t, how many did you totally fail at? Probably most of them.

 

Ultimately, there are a ton of reasons why we don’t meet our goals. When you read through our stories from last week, you’ll notice a lot of mentions of life getting in the way. We can’t predict everything life will throw our way, try as we might. Sometimes your dog gets sick, or you get sick, or your living situation suddenly changes. It happens. But it’s important to take Ryan’s advice: pick up where you left off and don’t just abandon goals that you really care about. Casey is on track for his August meet goals despite letting training take a backseat to taking care of Lily. Ryan is working on recovering from his workouts better so he can meet his lifting goals later this year. They’re adjusting their expectations and plans to the realities they’re facing.

 

On the flip side, it’s important to recognize when we’re using “life getting in the way” as just another excuse. I’ll use myself as an example here. I can tell myself as much as I want that I didn’t go to Austin because it cost too much money or I was just too busy at the gym, but none of that is really true. I just didn’t prioritize that goal over the other things I had going on. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but part of the growing process is accepting those hard truths. Now I’m left to decide whether that’s a goal worth keeping, and if so, how I’m actually going to get there.

 

How to readjust for the rest of the year

 

First, sit down with your original goal list. Recognize what you’ve succeeded with and what you dropped the ball on. More importantly, ask yourself why you set those goals. If I’m being totally honest, I decided I wanted to go to Austin on a whim. The certification would be helpful for work, but I really just had the travel bug when I set it. I didn’t have a real plan to get there, I just felt like I wanted it. Sometimes simply wanting something isn’t good enough. Engage with yourself on this. If your goals really matter to you, you’ll be able to explain why to yourself.

 

One method I really enjoy to teasing out the why is setting a vision. Earlier this year, I sat down and wrote out what my ideal day would look like 10 years from now. I let myself get really into it, describing everything down to what my house and neighborhood looked like and what I ate for dinner that day. I looked at my work schedule, how that meshed with the needs of myself and my family, and what my social life would look like. With that ideal life in mind, I started writing out goals with more specific timelines. My 10 year goals break down into 5 year goals which break down into my yearly goals. If you’re like Alexa, you can take this all the way down to the month or week. The possibilities for geeking out at goal setting are endless! With a very clear vision of how all of these smaller goals add up, it’s easy to figure out why I really want to do certain things (and why I let “life” get in the way of goals that don’t really get me to that vision).

 

Now that you’ve gotten to the why, we need to refocus on the how. Take those curveballs life threw you into consideration when you’re adjusting your goals. My example: I thought I’d have a 900lb total in the bag this year. I now see that was too much of a reach. I’m keeping those SMART principles in mind and adjusting for something more attainable for the rest of this year. I can reach an 850lb total if I continue to train hard and put some more effort into recovering. I’m just extending the timeline on my original goal to be more in line with what I can realistically do. I’m not ashamed of that! We all want quick results, I’m no exception.

 

So planning is fine and all, but now we actually need to make progress on these readjusted goals! To get there, I like to use the same approach Alexa mentioned last week: breaking that goal down into small, manageable pieces to be completed every day or week. How that looks will vary based on the goal. For my 850lb total goal, that means I’ll need to 1) plan out my training cycle, 2) commit to training 4 days per week, 3) commit to meal prepping every Sunday so I can eat well throughout the week, and 4) reorganize my nighttime routine to set myself up to sleep better.

 

Process goals like these give you something to check off on a day by day (or week by week) basis. If one day you miss one, you can just make it up another day and move on! All of those mini accomplishments will help keep your motivation up, so you’ll keep working those process goals until you get to the big one at the end.

 

I hope you can take some of this advice and run with it (towards your new goals, of course). If you need some help pulling out those smaller goals, just ask! Our mission here at UF is to help all of you reach your health and wellness goals, however that looks.

Part One- Lindsey Pogson

 

We have just hit the halfway point of 2018, so it’s time to think about where we stand on our yearly goals. I’m writing this from the beach, so all of those New Years Resolutions about body composition improvement are pretty salient for me right now. Did you reach your goals? Statistically speaking, that’s unlikely. Only the very best 8% of us keep our resolutions, leaving the other 92% of us in the dust. Why is that? And how can we improve our chances going forward? Over the next two weeks, I’ll be exploring that concept.

 

This week, I’ll be featuring a few of our staff members. I asked Casey, Ryan, and Alexa to tell me all about their 2018 goals, where they stand on them, and how they’re adjusting as we progress through the year. Two of them sent me back novels; one sent back a paragraph (to his credit, that’s exactly what I asked for!). I’ll include my own experiences as well. In the next installment, I’ll look at what each of us did right (and wrong) and how you can learn from our experiences.

 

Since this is my article and I do what I want, we’ll start with my 2018:

 

I went into 2018 with what I now realize were some lofty goals. I’m going to stick to my work and training goals for the sake of brevity.

 

Professionally, I had planned to expand the women’s #powerful program to at least two classes per week, with an additional seminar thrown in once per quarter to tackle some of the issue our members face outside the gym: sleep, nutrition, stress management. This one hasn’t come to fruition yet (I’ve been spending a lot more time on our Cardio Lab classes than I’d planned and I’m not mad about it), but I am on track to get there by the end of the year with some help from the rest of our staff! I had also planned on making sure our front desk is staffed during all of our busiest periods, and while it hasn’t been perfect, this one is mostly in the bag! With the addition of Alexa, Kate, and our interns this year, plus a stricter front desk schedule for our full time staff, I feel pretty good about having a friendly face at the door most of the time.

 

And onto the big professional fail: I had planned on going to Austin to get the Onnit Academy Foundations certification way back in April. This cert is awesome: it integrates a ton of different movement types and implements and would be super useful for us at UF. I didn’t end up going. I could list a millions reasons (read: excuses) for why I didn’t make this happen, but I’ll spare you. I just didn’t prioritize it. I’ve had to put this one on the back burner for now.

 

Onto my training goals. Oh man. I always overshoot here. I want a 900lb total (squat/bench/deadlift) and a 400lb. deadlift. It’s within my reach, but NOT in the time period I gave myself. And not without some dedicated and smart training cycles. I am proud of the progress I’ve made since 2017, I’m getting consistently stronger in a way that reflects how I’m managing the rest of my life stress and recovery (read: could be a lot better). Going for the solid 850+lb total at my next meet instead. 900 will be a reach absolute end of year goal or early 2019 goal.

 

I’ll expand on these and go into how I’m adjusting my sights for the back half of 2018 in next week’s post.

 

That’s enough about me. Now here’s Alexa:

 

When Lindsey mentioned that we were going to do a staff blog on our goals, I went home and searched all of the places I had physically written down my goals for this year. First step to setting a goal is to physically write it. See it.

 

I am more of a month by month goal setter rather than a year. Each month I typically write down 1-3 goals I want to accomplish.

 

I will start off with one of my most frequent goals, to read one book each month. This does not always happen. In my “perfect world” it would. But really, sometimes life gets busy and it takes longer than a month. Typically, the way I set that up is I take the number of pages in the book and divide it by the number of days for that month. i.e. a book that is 315 pages divided 30 days in June would be about 10-11 pages per day. 10-11 pages is very realistic and if one day is busier and I only get to 5 pages then I will make sure to read an extra 5 the next day. I think showing realistic figures like that makes reaching goals less stressful and easily attainable. Breaking things down and having a plan will set any goal up for success.

 

My other goal was to reach a 300 lb deadlift by February…Well it is July and I am 70 lbs away from that. That was not a realistic goal of mine. This is a goal that will take time. Loads of patience and maybe a goal that can be set to reach for the year 2018 or even 2019. To reach this goal, I have to structure a training plan that will challenge me every week but not burn myself out. I have to structure my rest days so that when I have my deadlift days I am well rested, fed, mobile, and ready to move weight. I WILL GET THERE.

 

My last goal is basically a goal for a lifetime but it’s something I want to set baby goals for along the way. That is to be present. A pretty hot topic for 2018. Most of us are overloaded with technology, fast pace, wishing the weeks away, etc. I am 1000% guilty of this. As soon as I pull in my driveway, I go into the garage, shut the door, rush upstairs and get ready for bed just to begin the cycle again. I do not want to just “go through” the motions of life. What is the purpose of life if we are rushing through it? Through to what? We are always looking forward to what is in the future. The next day, the weekend, that vacation. Once that special event has arrived we are busy worrying about what we have to do tomorrow OR maybe that day that you have been building up in your head is not meeting the expectation you created and you are let down… I don’t like this. This cycle is daunting and vicious.

 

So, my goal starting now and every day is to be aware of the current moment. Be mindful. Take in every feeling, every touch, every laugh, every hug, every cry, every single moment. Recognize it and feel. Something that I have been practicing for the past 3 months is yin and restorative yoga. It puts me in a space that is otherwise difficult to reach alone. I make it a goal of mine to go at least once per week. When I leave, I feel. This is not something that is going to ever come easy. It is something that you must train your mind and body to do. But, I am willing to put in what it takes just so I can feel and recognize what is in front of me at every moment.

 

And Ryan, my paragraph hero:

 

For me I had a fair share of goals for 2018. Moving to Pittsburgh was just the first step to start checking things off my bucket list. The first goal was to sign up for a powerlifting meet and hit a 450 squat, 300 bench, and a 485 deadlift. Next goal was to finish two books that have taunting me for months. Another major goal was to make sure to sleep 8 hours a night while keeping up with food prep. All of this while waking up early to go for a stroll outside around the park while sipping some coffee. With some unfortunate events and laziness kicking in after work, only one was accomplished (and that was only due to the fact I have to walk to work). But it’s time to readjust. Your number one goal should be to never toss your goals away if they weren’t completed. Just adjust your goals in order to get them done in some way. So for my first goal now is to just sign up for a powerlifting meet. Maybe I’ll hit those numbers but at least I’ll be participating in a meet and that’s the bulk of that goal. Instead of finishing the books I had in mind I bought two smaller books which I was able to read quickly. Even though these weren’t the same book’s that I wanted to finish at least I got the momentum. This momentum has transferred to reading another book and eventually the books I had originally planned. As for the sleep I have been focusing on taking naps, food prepping right when I get home and instead of making it a morning walk it has turned into an afternoon walk.

 

And we’ll end with Casey, the novelist:

 

Personal:
Compete in May and August 2018
Get ‘healthy’ again regarding UC

 

Professional:
Open a float tank in April 2018

 

I haven’t competed in a large national/international competition since RUM8 in February 2015. A string of injuries, followed by a local meet, followed by a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis has kept me off the platform. As I was gaining my weight back along with my health, I set my sights on the US Open in San Diego, May 2018. This meet has a $40,000 cash payout for first place, and with a lot of work and a little luck I would have been able to take a shot at it, at least in my head. I trained hard and smart leading up to it. But in February, the universe had other plans. My first dog, Lily, was diagnosed with bone cancer. She was given 3-4 months to live, which would have taken me right up to the San Diego trip. I cried and then I reassessed- my training probably wasn’t going well enough that I could legitimately take a shot at placing in the Open. And could I really get on a plane potentially knowing that I may be coming home to a dog that had passed away. I looked in my heart and knew the answer was no. It hurts to admit failure or in this case just to walk away from a goal. But being objective is hugely important to goal setting and goal achieving.

 

I moved forward with training- I changed all of my timetables and prepared for August. As I write this, in June, I can say it was the right decision. Lily outlived her diagnosis- we put her down peacefully on June 22nd. My strength may very well be better than it’s ever been. Hindsight is (usually) 20/20, but I’ve accepted that I’m not Superman. Lily’s passing reminded me of that. I’m about eight weeks out from Boss of Bosses, an international meet in California, and I’m excited because of my level of preparation.

 

The bigger piece of this story- my overall health- is the more important piece. I finally committed to changing my diet to help reduce inflammation in my GI tract. I was putting it off for two reasons- I like ice cream and I was worried that without some ‘shitty’ foods in my diet I would drastically lose weight. Maybe a third reason…I was scared I would fail. I’ve never had to diet before. Could I commit to it? Could I follow through?

 

I had two food allergy tests done (I was interested in the cross over to make sure I had all bases covered). Three months later, I decided it was time to get to work. My GI tract was not cooperating. My health was starting to reverse course. To put it plainly, I just didn’t feel well and I could either put the blame somewhere or take accountability. My grandfather told me this story a handful of times- he used to be smoker, until one day he woke up and quit. I typically rolled my eyes at him, really unsure whether or not to believe him. It was a Saturday following a squat session- I made up my mind that it was time for a change. I referenced my food allergy tests and came up with a plan. I would eat roast beef and hash browns for breakfast and dinner. Then filet and roasted potatoes for lunch (2 meals). And add in carrots, guacamole, cranberry juice, and lately dried mangos have been my go to. I eat this EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And I will do so until my inflammation is nearly non existent, at which point I’ll introduce some of the foods that I have a minor reaction to- example: rice. Fingers crossed- I think it’s working. This is the first week in a long time that I’m feeling some semblance of ‘normal’.

 

So really, I haven’t achieved any of my 2018 personal goals. In fact I failed at one. Why? Life has a way of throwing us curveballs. I prioritized my relationship with my dog over my passion for competing in powerlifting. I was on course for prioritizing my enjoyment of food over my health, but I committed to changing that relationship with food, and I have. I haven’t won yet, and I haven’t accomplished my goal, but I’ve laid that foundation. And when it’s time to start building the first floor, and then the second and third, I’ll take pleasure in that process too. Remember, a pyramid is only as tall as it’s base is wide.

 

Professionally I planned on opening a “Float tank,” or sensory deprivation tank in April 2018. I failed at hitting that date, but only because my partner and I had different time tables. I became frustrated a handful of times as we changed timelines, changed locations, tank distributors, etc. But I wasn’t willing to take on all of the risk by myself, so who was really to blame? I think that’s the biggest takeaway for me from this exercise in reflection- I chose these paths. I chose to not compete in May. I chose to delay dieting to improve my health. I chose to take on a partner to reduce my risk. And all these things are OK! Now if I sat here uneasy and making excuses for why things aren’t the way I want them to be in my life, then Houston, we have a problem.

 

That’s enough for one post! Check back next Monday for Part Two: Readjusting our 2018 Goals.

 

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-years-resolutions-psychology_us_5862d599e4b0d9a59459654c

It’s that time again. Welcome to June’s State of the Union.

The weather went from unpredictable to semi-unbearable. We’ve kept the Strength Lab doors closed so we don’t turn the room into a sauna. But, as always, our members pushed through and embraced the sweat.

To follow along with our core values, here is a link to our website:

About

UF values- EPIC: Education—Passion—Integrity—Community

Education: Union Fitness is unique for a private facility. As a collective, our staff has 60+ years of training under our belts that covers Crossfit, yoga, powerlifting, olympic lifting, and D1 collegiate strength and conditioning. That provides an almost limitless opportunity for a college intern. We take pride in fostering an environment that young college students want to be a part of, investing their time and effort to work alongside some of Pittsburgh’s best in the industry.

In one of our recent articles, Interning at Union Fitness , we introduced our summer interns from Pitt. I want to take another opportunity to highlight their commitment to education. The standard in both the private fitness industry and collegiate strength and conditioning community is the unpaid internship – ‘pay your dues.’ In college weight rooms, candidates typically intern, move on to a Graduate Assistant position, and finally a paid position if you’re good enough. Supply will always exceed demand in that industry, so paid spots are tough to come by. In a lot of cases, candidates will gain experience in that sector, and move on to the private sector, be it for themselves or for a private gym.

So hats off to Connor, Keenan, and Alex. They’ve grown leaps and bounds since day one with us. We appreciate their effort day in and day out, as well as their commitment to the process. They’ve trusted us with their education, and that means the world.

Passion: Todd Hamer is a long time friend of mine that joined us last month. He was the head strength and conditioning coach at Robert Morris University for the past 12 years (and at 2 other universities the 8 years before that). As college S&C coaching goes, when head coaches change in basketball and football, there is fallout. Unfortunately, Todd was collateral damage as a result. We’re grateful to have Todd because of his experience, but also because of his passion.

Like I mentioned in the Education piece, Todd has paid his dues and then some. He has learned from greats like Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell, Dave Tate of EliteFTS, Buddy Morris formerly of the University of Pittsburgh and currently the Arizona Cardinals S&C coach, Mylo formerly of RMU and currently the Jacksonville Jaguars S&C coach…I could go on. The point is, Todd has been there and done that. And this industry can burn people out. How does he show up day in and day out with the same fire as our 20 year old interns? Passion. He loves this work, and he would do it for free. In fact, he has done this for free for a portion of his career. We’re just proud to have him and we hope some of that passion wears off on those around him.

Integrity: I always like to review the definition of integrity: (1) the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles and (2) the state of being whole and undivided.

Katherine Lancaster (one of our newest coaches and trainers) and her husband Carey came to us with a proposal. Both runners, they decided to take on the Chicago marathon but for a cause close to their hearts (and to mine): to raise money for Crohn’s and Colitis research. With that, the idea of Cardio for Colons came together. Kate is putting on our signature Cardio Lab class one Saturday per summer month to help meet those fundraising goals. Any type of charity shows integrity under both definitions- it is morally ‘good’ to be charitable toward others, but it also brings people together for a common good.

Kate’s first class was a great success! We’ll be holding two more Cardio for Colons classes: July 21 and August 18 at 11am – $10 donation! If you’re interested in the cause but can’t make the class, you can read all about their efforts and make a donation here.

Community: We’ve built our community around these three values:

Education- empowering others by cutting through the BS and creating independence

Passion- providing the atmosphere and support necessary to be your best, even on days where you don’t quite feel like it

Integrity- doing what’s best for you and our community as a whole

All of these things come together on June 30th. We’re hosting our first full powerlifting meet and WE’RE PUMPED! It’s our chance to show the community the fruits of our labor- and the fruits of our labor are the fruits of YOUR labor. Whether you compete or not, our members’ successes are everyone’s successes. The atmosphere of Union Fitness is a result of your positivity, pride, and daily efforts. Thank you for including us in that.

A few weeks ago we discussed some of the funky looking bars that we have in the Strength Lab. That was all focused on the ones we use for upper body training. With this edition, I’d like to bring to light the bars we use for lower body training, along with some why’s and some how’s. And as with everything I do, you’re going to get my opinion, so filter wisely UF’ers.

 

To revisit, specialty bars, for the most part, were designed with two purposes in mind:
 

1. Maintaining healthy joints while allowing the lifter to continue to train as they normally would.

 

2. Putting the lifter at a mechanical disadvantage to force the body to adapt and ultimately make progress.

 
There are specialty bars for the squat, bench and deadlift but they all have crossover uses as well. So let’s dissect the specialty bars designed for lower body use. In the Strength Lab, they are all designated by ORANGE tape (our all-purpose bars use blue tape for reference).

 

#1 The two competition specific bars that are most easily recognizable are the Texas Squat Bar and the Mastodon Squat Bar.

Uses: Multiple- Either bar, aside from squats, can be used for benching, or rowing and deadlifting when you want to focus on your grip.

 

Weight: Texas squat bar- 55lbs (1-1/4” thick), Mastodon 60lbs (1-3/8” thick)

 

Differences: Certain federations will use one vs. the other mainly out of habit or tradition. Example- the USAPL will use a Texas Power Bar (blue in our gym) for squats. USPA will use a Texas Squat Bar. And RPS will use a Mastodon Bar. The Texas Squat Bar will be more ‘whippy’ under heavy loads than a Mastodon bar, which is the reason for the difference in thickness.

 

Everyone has a different preference here. Some of our females love squatting with the Mastodon bar, but conventional wisdom will tell you that it should be harder for them. I like the Texas Squat Bar because it sits more comfortably on my back, but what do I know?

 

#2 Duffalo bar- traditionally a “Buffalo bar,” but this was designed by Chris Duffin and was renamed the Duffalo bar. Think of it as a bent Texas Squat Bar.

Uses: Multiple- Primarily this bar is used for squats to alleviate shoulder pain and bicep impingement. Put plainly, if you have limited shoulder mobility, this is a great bar for you to squat with. It’s also a better bar to use for front squats because it sits more comfortably in the front rack position.

 

You can also bench with this bar. It provides a longer range of motion which can be a beneficial assistance movement to aid your bench progress. Personally, I don’t like this idea with a bar- it’s always a risk vs reward scenario. If you want a longer range of motion in the bench press, my recommendation is to do so with dumbbells or fatbells because it’s safer for the shoulder. Supposedly, it will also help with technique- the bend in the bar can force lat engagement which is necessary in all forms of the bench press. I haven’t used it enough myself to back this claim.

 

Weight: 55lbs

 

#3 Cambered bar- (“Arched” or bent bar)- this bar is from Westside Barbell.

Uses: Primarily this bar is used for squats, and will provide similar relief as the Duffalo bar for bicep pain and shoulder impingement. The added bonus- this bar will force you to stabilize harder because the weights tend to swing from front to back if your squat isn’t PERFECT, which face it, almost nobody’s is.

 

I’ve also used this bar, at times, for triceps assistance work like skull crushers. The set up is a bit of a pain, but it’s worth it.

 

Weight: 65lbs, 14” camber

 

#4 Safety Squat Bar or the “SS Yoke Bar” aka The King

Uses: This is my favorite bar of all time. Why? Because no matter how good of a squatter you are, this bar will make you better. Plus it saves you shoulders. The SSB sits higher on your back, lengthening your spine aka putting the bar further away from your power source- your hips. Flash back to high school physics- this bar makes your leverages worse meaning you have to put more power into moving the same load. The added bonus- it doesn’t put any stress on your shoulders. So you can improve your squat while saving your bench, or if you’re recovering from a shoulder injury, you can still work on your lower body.

 

Secondary uses: Good mornings, lunges, partial good mornings or arches

 

Weight: 65lbs

 

Our evening members have probably noticed three little ducklings walking around, shadowing, and being generally awkward in class. Welcome our interns! Connor Hassinger, Alex Pong, and Connor Keenan joined us this summer from Pitt. As a staff, we’re all proud of their progress up to this point, and we want to thank you for being patient with them in class.

 

Lindsey asked them to write about their internships thus far, with little direction on specifics. Our takeaways:

• We learned that they’re all good writers- nice work Pitt!
• They were a lot more open and honest than we expected.
• We appreciate their sense of humor and openness to constructive criticism.
• They’re actually pretty funny, who knew?

 

Connor Keenan

 

So you want to intern at a gym

 

So you took the time to look into getting an internship at a gym or college strength program, great. Like me you were probably eager to get the chance to be around other like-minded individuals and spend your day in a gym, but what are you actually going to learn? The answer, depends on your attitude and how you look at your situation. You will most likely be given mundane tasks, such as folding towels or greeting guests; this is inevitable and the sooner you disregard your ego, the sooner the real learning can begin. The staff at Union has been pushing my fellow interns and I to learn more and ask more.

 

I have been interning at Union Fitness in Pittsburgh for about a month and am just starting to scratch the surface. With every passing day that I am here my confidence increases, only to be torn down by people smarter than me (I was told my squat sucks my first day on the job, which I’m grateful for). Being around more knowledgeable individuals has shown me that I have so much more to learn. Just because you know a variety of exercises does not mean you will be a good coach or trainer. You need to have great people skills and communication to effectively direct and coach a client or multiple. Without these you can kiss your full potential goodbye. These skills cannot be learned in a classroom and take time to develop. Now if you have a good mindset and attitude about your internship you’ll realize that doing things like, folding towels and greeting members, does have some carry over to coaching. If you cannot do simple tasks, like these, correctly how can someone trust you to take the reins and coach an athlete. So far these are the main takeaways I have compiled:

• Do not become complacent
• Keep learning
• Do not be afraid to ask questions
• Most coaches and lifters are very unselfish and will help you, but not unless you ask
• Lone wolfs won’t make it in this industry
• Develop an unreal attention to detail
• You’re never the smartest person in the room
• Get involved!
• Enjoy yourself and care about your clients/athletes

 

Connor Hassinger

 

The most recent thing I learned was the barbell oriented strength class was called “#powerful” not just “powerful.” During this class, I learned countless tips and tricks from CJ, Lindsay, and Ryan for group classes which was very helpful coming from a personal training background. Figuring out how to split everyone up into groups and who will need special attention or an alternate exercise on the fly took some time. Getting to know some of the members of Union Fitness and helping them with anything as small as how many reps to do was a pleasure.

 

The part of the internship with the least glamour, front desk/towels/etc, ended up being very important. While at the front desk I had unlimited access to articles/videos to research topics I was uncertain about or assigned to. After I finished I could chat with any member of the staff to clarify. The notes section of my phone is now filled with more training article takeaways than passwords. Promise I was typing up important questions or comments and not texting on my phone everyday.

 

You might think after a morning working at a gym and an afternoon spent at Union Fitness I would be ready to head home. Well you would be wrong because 7 pm is time to train and make use of as many specialty bars, chains, and fatbells I could without getting sidetracked. Having Casey there to yell at us when my head was down or Alex’s knees were soft was an extra perk.

 

Alex Pong

 

My internship at Union has been a pretty sweet gig so far: helping out with the #powerful and Cardio Lab classes, having discussions about the various articles we read, training in a dope gym with strong-ass people. But the best thing by far about being here is that the people mentoring me actually care. They’re willing to help out not only with my training, answering any questions I have and giving me tips whenever they can, but with anything. Their advice ranges from how to use MindBody when I’m up at the front desk (which took wayyyyy too long to figure out), to my mental health (I cried at the gym 3 separate times last week), to yelling at me for my (admittedly very large) water cuts for my meets.

 

One of the biggest things I’ve had to work on, and am still working on, is talking to people. Just talking. You know that thing normal people do to communicate with each other? Yeah I’m really bad at that. On my first day, Casey said I was “painfully awkward” … and I mean, he’s not wrong… But I’ve slowly started to find my voice here these past few weeks. Casey told me about how Donnie Thompson turns into “Super D” on the platform – he becomes who he needs to be to get shit done. When I’m here, I don’t need to be the same shy person I am most of the time. I can create a different persona, someone louder, someone chattier, someone more outspoken and confident. Don’t be fooled, I’m still very awkward and softspoken (except when I have to yell over the music during Cardio Lab), and not super talkative, but I think I’m getting better. And who knows, maybe by the end of the summer you’ll have to tell me to shut up because I’m talking too much.

 

At some point in our lives women have heard “Keep the intensity high!” “Eat Clean!” “Exercise 7 days a week and let most of it be cardio!” These are the mantras from health teachers in grade school, sports coaches, social media, TV, health personalities etc. Do these mantras teach us about taking in enough calories to fuel our workouts and provide for our bodies? Do they teach us the importance of rest and recovery? This is an important concept for individuals who exercise on a regular basis, but it is especially important for females.

 

Why females? They are at a risk of experiencing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea. This is a subject I am passionate about. I have gone through and continue to battle this issue and I want to prevent other women from this experience.

 

About seven years ago I started going to the gym 6-7 days per week. I did not have much education on what to do. I just knew I wanted to lose some weight for an upcoming vacation to the beach with a large group of friends. I did cardio and weight lifted about 6-7 days per week. I ate minimal calories. I remember hearing most of my life from magazines, tv, etc. that I should eat lots of protein and broccoli. I did just that. Of course, I started to see results. Results of me shedding weight week after week. I could see my abs. It became an obsession. I wanted more. I got down to 104 lbs. For reference, I’m just under 5’7”. This led to years of calorie restriction and over exercise. A year into that lifestyle and I completely lost my menstrual cycle.

 

Once I realized what I was doing, how terrible I looked, how upset my mother and family were, I started to make a change. It took 3 years to completely slow it down and increase calories to a somewhat “healthier” range (although I believe I was eating in a deficit for 3 years, at least). Fast forward to today, and I am still fighting to get that back. I was diagnosed with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea a few years ago and this is a result of my years of restriction and excessiveness.

 

What is Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (or “HA”)? This is a condition that is rarely talked about, but is becoming increasingly prevalent in the population of physically active women. HA is a disturbance in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (H-P-O) axis, that ultimately results in the cessation of menstruation. Your hypothalamus is located in the forebrain and is a MAJOR control center of our bodies. It controls body temperature, thirst, hunger, sleep, emotional activity and other homeostatic functions. The hypothalamus receives input from various hormones and chemical messengers in the body and needless to say, it is highly sensitive. At any sign of disruption, the hypothalamus loses balance and essentially protects the body using some sort of defense mechanism.

 

The factors that often cause such a disturbance are stressors including, a caloric deficit, low body fat, mental/environmental stress, and excessive physical activity. The hypothalamus cannot differentiate between starvation and a caloric deficit, or the stress of excessive exercise and the stress from a life-threatening situation. The hypothalamus does not recognize these factors as they are but, rather the stress they exert on the body and immediately goes into a “protection mode.”

 

Why is the reproductive system affected? The reproductive system is considered “secondary” and not a primary need for survival. Reproduction and conception are energy taxing events in the body. This explains why temperate animals do not reproduce or certain animals are infertile in times of famine or low energy availability. In places where food is plentiful in human populations, women can still create a deficit from a higher energy expenditure i.e. strenuous physical activity thus, causing reproductive issues. When in stressful situations or low food availability, the body does not want to “waste” it on non-essential organs and tissues for survival. In the case of HA women, the menstruation stops (Wade & Jones, 2004).

 

To understand HA better, let’s talk further into how these factors affect our bodies in a negative way.

 

A caloric deficit can affect the signals that the hypothalamus receives. Eating restrictions can include caloric deficits or the elimination of food groups. “Fad diets” that restrict certain food groups paired with or without intense exercise can cause catastrophic conditions in the body. Not only eliminating food groups, but overall undernourishment of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates creates a deficit and can lead to HA. Food is paramount for metabolic function such as organ function, cell maintenance, and other physiological processes (Wade & Jones, 2004). The hypothalamus knows how much fat, carbohydrates, and protein your body is receiving. The hypothalamus receives input from the entire body and when energy availability is low, the hypothalamus responds. An energy deficit of both micro- and macronutrients are relevant to neuroendocrine dysfunction. Nutrients such as; fatty acids, amino acids and glucose all have a part in the function of the hypothalamus as well as the gonadal axis (Dupont et. al., 2014).

 

The other variable contributing to the rising prevalence of HA in women is excessive exercise. Let me preface this by saying exercise is important and should not be eliminated however, it is the frequency and intensity that can affect the H-P-O axis. The key here is balance. Exercise activates the stress system, by inducing the release of stress hormones such as glucocorticoids (cortisol). Cortisol plays a MAJOR role in down regulating the reproductive system. To understand this further, Glucocorticoids are anti-inflammatory hormones and are released when stress is sensed. The release of glucocorticoids is the body’s way of protecting itself, i.e. protecting a woman from getting pregnant because the body senses any type of stress as a threat and not an ideal environment for child bearing. I am going to link exercise and mental/environmental stress together, because the body does not discriminate, stress is stress.

 

To understand this even further, I want to bring light to a study that was done at the University of Pittsburgh where they thoroughly examined the step by step process of strenuous exercise leading to exercise-induced amenorrhea. The study took place at a research lab at the University of Pittsburgh. Sixteen adult female monkeys were involved in the study. Baseline blood was drawn and every other day after. The monkeys had their estradiol and progesterone levels sampled. The monkeys ran everyday on a human sized treadmill to do the testing. They increased running to 12.3 km per day. The monkeys developed a stop in menstruation developing exercise-induced amenorrhea and showed changes in their hormonal blood profile.

 

Treatment of HA can be complex if there is not an understanding of what variable is contributing to the issue; stress, exercise, a caloric deficit or a combination. HA is often a disorder without direct evidence, but more so a disorder that has many internal and external variables, and with continuous exposure, the hormonal signals begin to adapt to these responses. HA is dependent of these variables and there is no parameter for each individual, instead, a wide spectrum and a matter of person and their own sensitivity threshold. Often, physicians of western medicine prescribe an oral contraceptive (birth control) as “treatment” of HA, due to the influx of exogenous estrogen and progesterone. However, this will only mask the issue and not actually treat the underlying cause…

 

It is also important to understand what can happen when estrogen is low and menstruation is absent. There is sufficient evidence to prove low estrogen levels from HA can cause many detrimental issues to manifest such as infertility, osteoporosis, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and evidence to prove that there is a correlation between cardiovascular disease and HA. Some may think that not having a period is the best news yet, but when we know the long-term effects and how important estrogen is for our brain, heart etc., I think it helps put into perspective the importance of our periods and self-care.

 

Some of the variables I have changed to see results are reduced frequency of training, increasing my calories by 1,000-1,500, increased sleep, and to focus on rest and recovery on the days I am not training. I slowly implemented this over a period of 2 years, as this was not easy for me, especially lowering my training frequency and intensity. I saw signs of recovery at different stages, but the hypothalamus is sensitive and sometimes requires more efforts to see a change.

 

If there is one takeaway, just know that food, specifically carbohydrates and fats are necessary not only to survive, but to perform your best in the gym and get stronger. Strong is beautiful and remember that the pressures from the outside world should not influence what you eat and nourish your body with. We also need to remember that balance is the greatest gift you can provide yourself with and to not go to the extremes of any spectrum.

 

To anyone who has lost their cycle, this is where we need to truly be honest with ourselves and make comprehensive changes to our lives, and truly understand what variables have changed to the extreme. Your life is valuable and you deserve to live at your best.

 

I want to continue to share this experience with all of you, maybe this will help someone who has not yet shared or discussed their experience with anyone and they are unsure on how to seek help. I was there. This is a process and I want to be as vulnerable and authentic with you as possible. This journey is to be continued.

 

In this week’s blog, we wanted to shift our focus to the men of UF. Guys, I want each of you to take a minute or a less and describe yourself. What is the first thing that pops into your head?

 

How much of your description was based on looks? As a male, I believe that we think about our appearance a lot more than we let on. In social groups, men often get to be known as the Small Guy, the Large Guy, the Muscular Guy or even Small Calf Guy (I’m on this team). All jokes aside, I don’t believe men are as safe from body insecurities as our society tends think they are. With the rise of social media, fitness stars, and super heroes that have bodies like Greek gods, the expectations of what men “need” to look like are difficult to meet. For this reason, body dysmorphic disorder (or BDD) has become increasingly prevalent among the male population.

 

Defining BDD

 

What is BDD? The Mayo Clinic defines body dysmorphic disorder as “being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can’t be seen or appears minor.” There are two parts to this definition that I will be focusing on: (1) the idea of a “perceived flaw” and (2) that “to others can’t be seen or appears minor.” I can guarantee that all of us can find a flaw in the way we view our bodies. But later in this article I will challenge everyone (but primarily men) to focus on your positive features. More than half the time these flaws are so minor that our friends can’t even see them, or even if they do, they barely realize they are there until you point it out. Take my example: I believe that I can fit a truck between the gap in my two front teeth but whenever I mention anything about my gap to my friends, the first thing they say is “I totally forgot you had one.”

 

My Story

 

Growing up as the younger, smaller brother – about 20 to 25 pounds lighter than all my brother’s friends – was a struggle. My appetite was more closely related to a person on a diet vs how most kids were eating as though it was their last meal. I wasn’t focusing on the calories, I was just the kid that didn’t have a huge appetite. This style of eating did not help when we chose to wrestle as kids. Eventually I got fed up with being “the small kid.” I started to lift weights and count calories, but more for the sake of gaining weight than losing it. I was finally getting bigger but still wanting to be known as the local tough kid, which lead me to join an MMA gym. Joining was a great idea at first, but as you could imagine, there I was at age 15 weighing 140 pounds surrounded by guys that had 30+ pounds and 5+ years on me, again being the reminded that I am known as “the small kid.” So I trained hard and started force feeding as much food as I could. I stopped going out to eat with friends or to parties because I felt like I had to make sure that I was getting enough calories. Now, I achieved what I wanted to accomplish after two years and was weighing about 175-180 hanging with the older guys. But even though I could hang with them when it came to grappling, being stronger and bigger didn’t actually satisfy anything. The desire to get bigger and stronger only grew. The thought was that if I looked bigger, I would become more confident. For me, the effects of this mindset meant staying at home while force feeding myself in order to gain one more pound than last time I checked. For some people, the effects of this mindset can be even more detrimental.

 

Taking it a step further

 

Society has conditioned men to poke fun at body image insecurity issues, but there is no comedy in the harm that BDD causes. BDD can create a wide range of problems. An issue that everyone can relate to is feeling uncomfortable wearing certain clothes. When I feel “small,” I tend to wear larger clothes. To me, a large sweatshirt helps me feel larger than I am, or at least keeps people from seeing how small I am. Wearing a larger sweatshirt is just a small example of what BDD and the mind can do to us. BDD can come with much larger issues such as eating disorders or abuse of certain supplements and pharmaceuticals to achieve that ideal body. The abuse can have long lasting effects and can even last the rest of your life.

 

What now?

 

Is it a flaw to not be jacked and tan all year long? I don’t think so. That’s just absurd, especially considering that Pittsburgh gets about much sun as a California winter. So take a long look in the mirror this morning and wink at yourself. Focus on that outstanding beard, maybe that bicep vein that is popping out more than usual, or maybe stand a little taller today knowing that you have been putting the time in the gym.

 

Here’s one more challenge… try to get out of your comfort zone. Either by trying on new clothes that you would normally feel uncomfortable in or eating that last bite that you usually wouldn’t take because you are trying to get super lean for summer. This might sound weird, but my challenge is to try not to panic when I skip a meal or wear a tighter shirt that I feel makes me look small. Since I am always trying to gain weight, I tend to get a little sensitive if I miss a meal. This is partly due to the blood sugar drop, but also the fear of getting “smaller” than I feel I already am. But when I skip a meal now, I breathe. I remind myself that I will not lose every pound of muscle that I have. These are minor steps that will have a large impact on feeling healthier and happier, because in the end, that’s what matters the most: not how you look, but whether you are healthy and happy.

 

 

In the last few years, with the explosion of CrossFit and social media, the sport of Olympic weight lifting has grown in popularity, seeing its USA weightlifting membership numbers more than double since the 2012 Olympic games.  Despite the sport of weightlifting being around for over a century, it has been a relatively unknown sport in the United States. Meanwhile in Europe, it has been a sport that has been taught to youth athletes for years.  In countries such as Iran and China, it is one of the most popular sports. Just like any sport, weightlifting takes years of training and practice to master the two competition lifts: the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. For many of the top weightlifters in the world, they will have up to a decade of experience by the time they reach their early 20’s. Does this mean that it is too late for you to start? What I plan to discuss is how even though you didn’t start when you were 12 years old, it is never too late to become an Olympic weightlifter!

 

 

Over the past several months I have been working with a client who came to the gym looking to compete in his first Olympic weightlifting meet next year at the age of 44. He had no previous experience with the lifts and was a novice to general strength training. In the 4 months that we have been working together the main focuses have been building general strength, teaching technique and improving his mobility. His dedication inside the gym during our training sessions and outside of the gym on his own time has, in my opinion, greatly helped his progress. With each week, I have seen great improvements in his technique and there is no doubt in my mind that he won’t be ready for his first competition 8 months from now.

 

 

Even though you may be in your 30’s, 40’s or even older does not mean it is too late to become a weight lifter. What it does mean is that you may just need to start from a different point in your training. One of the first things to take into consideration when starting this sport is your training age and the number of years you’ve trained. Olympic weightlifting requires a strong base of general strength, but even if you have never lifted weights in your life doesn’t mean this sport is not for you. It does mean that your training will just require a few more steps to build a solid foundation. On the flip side of things, just because you have been picking up heavy things and putting them down for a long time doesn’t mean you’ll be a gold medalist on day one. If you aren’t able to touch your toes, then you will have a lot of work to do on the opposite side of the spectrum.

 

 

There are a lot of perks to coming into the sport with very little experience weightlifting or even without an athletic background at all.  Starting from ground zero is great because the coach will not have the athlete bringing in preconceived notions about the sport, no bad habits and no old sports injuries to deal with. Being a clean slate can be a good thing! This type of athlete may just need a bit more general training and variety of exercises to build a solid foundation. Laying the groundwork here, despite sounding tedious and not too exciting will only pay off more in the long run of athletic development. Building strength will not only help in lifting more weight but also help the body become more durable and able to reduce the risk of injury.

 

 

Now lets look at the veteran of the weight room. You squat 400 lbs, deadlift a house and can bench press your car. This foundation of strength is more than enough to be a competitive weight lifter, however you can’t stick your arms overhead straight enough to snatch or clean and jerk. Does this mean this sport is not meant for you? Certainly not, you will just need to take more time to work on your mobility in order to complete the competition lifts. Again, the mobility work may not be the most exciting of training to do however in the long run it will pay off more than you could imagine.

 

 

So you’ve spent the time to learn the snatch and clean & jerk, your strength is great and mobility is there so what’s next?  Are you ready to compete? In the USA Weightlifting Federation there are masters weight classes up in to the 70’s! Starting at the age of 35, and every 5 years after, there is a new masters division for the standard weight classes ranging from local competitions to nationals all the way up to worlds for both men and women. Competing in Olympic weightlifting is a true test of not only your physical preparation but also your mental toughness where months of repetitions, sweat and time in the gym manifests into just 6 competition attempts. 

 

 

As a closing statement I would just like to say this: the sport of Olympic Weightlifting is a great sport that has unfortunately remained in the shadows of athletics in the United Sates for years. Despite it now just emerging more in popularity doesn’t mean that it is a sport only for the young guns. Weightlifting is a sport that has much to give to people of any age or background, as long as their goals and expectations are within the reasonable realm. However, this is not meant to imply no one can have a high level of success in the sport in his or her later years. I would like to wrap things up with a short story about a friend of mine who came into the sport in his mid 30’s through a few years of Crossfit. With a good strength foundation and dedication he was able to win the master’s US Nationals in his weight class and even moved on to compete at the International World Master’s finals in Italy. With commitment and effort not only can Olympic weightlifting help you build strength and health but potentially give you much more!