Congratulations to our January Member of the Month: Amy Bistocchi!

 

 

Amy has been with us for a little over 6 months now and her work is really showing (look at those arms)! She jumped right into our Strength Lab offerings and quickly picked up on the big movements we come back to again and again. As of this writing, her best deadlift is a huge 205lbs and will surely continue increasing this year.

 

She also made the jump into working with a registered dietitian after attending a nutrition seminar we hosted last summer. Amy knows how to work hard but also knows how to lead a balanced lifestyle. We can’t begin to explain how excited we were to have a drink with her during our member happy hour over the holidays!

 

Amy is a familiar face here at Union now. She’s always quick to help out newcomers to our women’s #powerful class on Fridays. We can’t wait to keep watching her get stronger and healthier in 2018. Cheers to you Amy! Enjoy a little massage on us.

 

Let’s talk about what everyone wants- those washboard abs. By now you might be getting bored of doing a thousand crunches every workout without seeing much result. Not only is this method ineffective, it also puts your lower back at risk. To be honest, when it comes to abs there are other factors that are more important in giving you those dream abs (see: DIET). But the benefits to strong abdominals only start with aesthetics: a solid core will allow you to move more comfortably through your day-to-day life, will make you a better runner, and will protect you when you’re lifting heavy. A diverse arsenal of ab exercises will spice up your training and bring some new, functional strength to your core. 

 

Here are a few of our favorite exercises to get you started: 

 

MB Transfers

 

Banana Rolls

 

Jack Knives

 

Hollow Body Hold

 

Side Plank

 

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: nutrition is the foundation for achieving your fitness goals. And making sure you have a healthy and nutritious meal available at all times can help you avoid those greasy quick options you turn to in times of desperation. Meal prepping not only helps you avoid unhealthy meals but also takes the pressure off of planning to cook when you come home tired from a long work day. Imagine a day with all the cooking is already done and all you have to do is pop the food in the microwave! Now I know the meal prepping can be frustrating, but here are three tips can help make meal prepping the easiest part of your fitness journey:

 

Buy in bulk

The best way to make meal prep easy is to always have food to cook. If you run out of food to cook the chances of you just snacking all night or buying food out goes waaay up. So, when you are at the store, buy in bulk. Buy the frozen pack of chicken or the large frozen pack of vegetables. Buying frozen also helps since it lasts longer. This allows you to limit the number of times you go to store as well as always having the food you need to cook.

 

Plan a day to cook

Sunday Funday! This is the stereotypical meal prep day in the fitness industry. But you will need to have a day that you can cook all of your meals. This day can be spent at the house with the family playing board games while everything is cooking in the oven. If you are trying to gain muscle then you might need two days to cook. Ideally you want to have these meals ready for times that you are on the run.

 

Cook meals that you will eat

This one is the most overlooked but probably the most important. I find that when people start meal prepping they tend to cook boring meals. You know, chicken breast that usually tastes like rubber, brown rice, and broccoli. Yes, these will help, IF you eat them.  This doesn’t mean you should overdo it will the sauces, but do try to add some variety to the meals. Get creative with it, add some spices, maybe different carbohydrates, and bring some color to your vegetables.

 

Hopefully these tips take some of the annoyance out of meal prepping. We promise getting in that meal prep habit will help you reach your goals faster.

 

We know you’re busy, but we also know you still value your workout time. To help you keep your training interesting this winter, we’ve got a few quick cardio workouts to add to your schedule. No excuses: whether you have a full 45 minutes to dedicate to a grueling cardio class or just 5 minutes to spare between conference calls, there’s something for you here.

 

If you have 5 minutes:

Get in a quick Tabata! Tabata intervals will tax your cardiovascular system and allow you to burn calories even after you finish your workout. Best part? You only need 4 minutes. Get on the cardio machine of your choice (we love the spin bike or elliptical for this) and prepare yourself mentally. All you need to do is 8 rounds of :20 as hard as you can, then :10 full rest. It gets hard quickly, but also gets the job done.

 

If you have 15 minutes:

Work some hills into your cardio. Hop on the treadmill or a bike and spend 2 minutes warming up at an easy speed with the inline on 0. After that, you’re going to increase hat incline by 1% every minute for 12 minutes, ending at a very steep incline that’s a challenge to keep up with. Spend the last minute backing your incline back down to a 0 for a quick cooldown. You’ll feel great after.

 

If you have 30 minutes:

Let’s work on your 5k time! You may not be able to complete a 5k run in 30 minutes yet, but with some consistent run/walk intervals over time, you’ll get there. We love the Couch to 5k program for this, which you can find here. There’s even an app you can download to walk you through it while you listen to music!

 

If you have 45 minutes:

This one’s easy: take a Cardio Lab class! Classes range from intervals intermixed with mobility to straight up HIIT to some tough endurance circuits, so there’s something for everyone. Even better, we’re now offering classes in 7 different time slots each week, and there will hopefully be more to come soon. You can check out our schedule here.

 

As a fitness professionals, we often see people slaving away and working hard at the gym only to sabotage their progress with poor eating habits. We preach that diet, nutrition, rest and recovery are equally as important as the time you spend here at the gym. So what are the best and worst diets out there?  The following, in no definitive order, are what we believe to be possibly the worst diets in history.

 

The Baby Food Diet:

Designed to promote weight loss, this plan entails eating 16 jars of baby food per day instead of regular meals and snacks with only one “regular” meal per day. Although one of the “safer” diets on this list, it’s still not recommended. While it may help you shed some pounds, it is most likely a short term success and definitely on the “fad” list.

 

The Tapeworm Diet:

As crazy as the name suggests, at the turn of the century these little parasites were sold in pill form to help you lose weight. Besides lacking any evidence or research that this is even slightly effective, it can be downright dangerous.

 

The Cotton Ball Diet:

Yep, you guessed it— eating straight up cotton balls. The idea is that you fill up on these calorie-less puffy beauties and you aren’t hungry for much else. Considering that there are essentially no vitamins, minerals or other macronutrients in cotton balls, you can add this to the dangerous diets list.

 

The Vinegar Diet:

Made popular by Lord Byron in the 1800’s, this diet included drinking massive amounts of vinegar and water daily.  This, in turn, caused spells of vomiting and diarrhea.  It’s really no surprise this famous poet started shedding pounds.

 

The Fletcher Diet:

Originating in San Francisco by art dealer Horace Fletcher, this diet involved chewing each bite of food 32 times and then spitting it out.  “The Great Masticator” declared his body would absorb the nutrients without packing on the pounds.  False information like this diet is not bound by science or logic and is inherently dangerous. Yet another add to the “Do Not Attempt” list.

 

The Cigarette Diet:

Before Surgeon General warnings, this diet was made popular by, you guessed it, cigarette companies. Ad campaigns swirled around touting the many benefits of smoking, including suppressing the appetite and weight loss.  One company said “Light a Lucky and you’ll never miss sweets that make you fat.” This should go without saying, but avoid this diet at all costs. Bottom line is it is dangerous and deadly.

 

 

So after a mind blowing and crazy list of bad diets, what are some good and healthy diets to try?  Our answer here at Union Fitness will always be: Ask the professionals! See a nutritionist or registered dietician.  Unlike all of the crazy diets above, this is a surefire way to promote a healthy lifestyle through diet changes while remaining safe. Each and every body is unique and has its own obstacles to overcome when it comes to safe and effective weight loss. A nutrition professional will help you navigate those issues without tapeworms, baby food, cigarettes or any other unhealthy or dangerous means!

 

New year, new UF! Or at least some new classes, a new coach, and a greatly expanded schedule. Here’s what you need to know:

 

1. We’re happy to welcome Ryan McUmber to the team! Ryan moved here from California to be part of our UF family. He earned his BS in Exercise Science and had been coaching strength and conditioning classes closer to home until his move here. He’s already jumped right into our #powerful and Fatbell Revolution classes and has proven himself to be an excellent coach. Come test him out sometime this week!
2. Introducing the Cardio Lab! We tested this concept out a little bit last year, but we’re now fully up and running for 2018 with a bunch of new equipment and classes offered 5x per week. Stay tuned to a future blog post with more details on this one.
3. Power Nap with Alison! If you’ve ever been interested in trying meditation, now’s the perfect opportunity. Every Wednesday at lunch Alison will be guiding you through a quick meditation practice, followed by a relaxing power nap. As she likes to say, this class is BYOB: bring your own blanket.
4. We’ve seen the attendance in our #powerful classes slowly rise all through 2017, and in response we decided it was time to offer it 5 days per week! We’ve added two 5:30am classes for our early risers, and now have options for #powerful every weeknight at different time slots. What’s better than lifting with friends?

 

If you’re new to UF (or new to our classes), we’ve put together a class trial pack just for you. For $15, you get to try every type of class we offer! You can purchase this trial pack online, through our app, or by stopping by the front desk the next time you’re in. See you soon!

Union Fitness is built on a community. So anytime Union can contribute back, we will. A friend of the Pittsburgh fitness community unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer. After brainstorming some ideas UF decided that the most effective way to raise money is do what we do best, share our knowledge and passion of lifting.

 

The seminar was an absolute success. We had fifteen attendees that were curious about the art of benching and deadlifting. People were overly generous with their time and monetary commitments and it gave the #powerthroughcancer series a great jump start. The seminar was split into two sections. The first section of the seminar went over proper bench press technique and the second section was deadlifts. In each section Casey and Yessica first went over main technique points followed by letting the people perform the exercise. While performing the exercise Casey and Yessica walked around to give specific cues for the athlete’s needs. Some of the cues that Yessica and Casey went over for the bench press were to externally rotate your hands,  drive your legs and keep your back as tight as possible. You could tell from the look on each of the athletes faces that there was some confusion in the cues but each person was determined to work on the technique. After some reptitions, more people started to understand what each cue meant and the confusion soon changed to excitement. After grabbing lunch at the Federal Galley we headed back for the deadlift session. This is where the intensity picked up. AC/DC started blasting while a fog of chalk filled the room. Casey and Yessica went over important cues such as keep your hips down, drive your feet into the ground and keep your chest up during the lift by flexing your triceps. After the cues were said people started putting on the plates. One of the athletes decided to go for a Personal Record and ended up hitting 4 reps instead of one! Overall the seminar went very smoothly with people walking away feeling good from the new personal records and the feeling of helping a friend.

 

This seminar is a great example how here at Union fitness is able to bring people together to help other people in the community. Casey and Yessica plan to continue doing these seminars every weekend this month to help further raise more money. The next seminar will be at Arsenal Strength on Sunday January 14 at 9 am.

 

With New Year’s Resolutions in full effect, I’ve begun to put away the computer, phone and television in exchange for healthier habits.  It’s not exactly the brand new year that’s encouraging me to ditch the zombie-creating devices (although it definitely helps!) but rather an innate need or quest for knowledge.  Trying to skip the fake news and clickbait articles, I’ve opted for good ole fashioned books.  Here’s what’s currently on my reading list:

 

Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance by Dr. Kelly Starrett

Although I’ve read this book numerous times before, I always come back to it.  It is a must have resource for coaches and gym goers alike.

 

Weightlifting Programming: A Winning Coach’s Guide by Bob Takano

If you know me, you know that one of my greatest loves is Olympic Weightlifting. Learning the lifts are one thing.  Learning how to coach, program and implement them in training is a whole other ball game, which this books describes in depth.

 

Conscious Coaching by Brett Bartholomew

This one has admittedly been on my list for a couple months (Sorry Casey!) but I’m excited to dive in to explore the psychological and emotional sides of coaching.

 

Whole 30 Cookbook by Melissa Hartwig

Ok so it may not be a page turner, but having a healthy cookbook handy certainly helps with keeping the nutrition and healthy meals in check.

 

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Satchidananda

Here is another one that is a constant on my reading list.  I see this book as a day by day guide to living a meaningful, purposeful life through the guidance of ancient yoga philosophy.

 

Restorative Yoga For Life by Gail Boorstein Grossman

Restorative or recovery yoga is something we love here at Union Fitness! I’m constantly searching for new poses and techniques to implement into my own personal practice and into our Slow Flow Recovery yoga class here on Wednesday nights.

 

So it’s great to have someone’s current reading list but the real question is: What are the best fitness books to purchase? The answer is simple— whatever you’re interested in! My list will look a lot different than yours so I encourage you to head to your local library or book store or Amazon and just browse! See what catches your interest.  Happy reading!

 

It’s almost a brand new year and we know what that means— new goals and new resolutions.  Some of the top resolutions each year are to get into shape, lose weight, and be healthier.  Most of the time those goals come with a brand new gym membership.  While the staff here at Union Fitness is always here to help you accomplish those new goals, the first step is often a literal one— walking in the door. Just the thought can be overwhelming and anxiety producing. So how can you overcome gym-timidation?  Here are a few tips to help you take that first step.

 

1. Schedule a free New Member Orientation

 

Did you know Union offers a free introductory course to the gym? It’s our New Member Orientation and any member is welcome to schedule a session with one of our staff members. Afraid you won’t be able to find the water fountain? Or when you can use the Cardio Lab equipment or use the room for stretching? This brief orientation will take you around the gym, giving you the basic details of where, how & when of the inner workings of Union Fitness.

 

2. Schedule a session with a Personal Trainer

 

Still a little unsure? Schedule a private one-on-one session with one of our  certified Personal Trainers.  This in depth session will include things like discussing your goals and how to achieve them, your health history and of course, safely leading you through a goal-crushing workout.  Plus, the consultation will always be free! So there’s no harm in just meeting with one of       our trainers to see if you jive!

 

3. Take one of our Group Fitness Classes

 

There’s nothing quite like a group of like minded individuals (future friends!) to keep you motivated. Whether you’re in our strength classes or yoga or cardio lab classes, you’ll get help from one of our coaches and encouragement from everyone else.

 

4. Ask for help!

 

There will always be a staff member available to answer any questions or give you a little guidance.  Need a spot? We got you.  Need to vent? We got you. Can’t figure out how to work the leg press machine? We can show you.  Please don’t ever hesitate to ask any questions, whether you think they’re silly or not, we are a family here at UF and will always be supportive without judgement!

 

5. Don’t compare yourself to others

 

It can be easy to walk into a new place and instantly compare yourself to everyone around you.  Remember that everyone is on their own fitness path and as soon as you walk in the front doors, you’re with friends.  No one here is judging you.  Everyone wants to support and encourage you.

 

6. Be confident!

 

Yes, you may be new to the gym scene but be confident as if you’ve been doing this for years (But don’t forget, safety should always be your number one priority so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it!) Remember the age old advice, “Fake it til you make it!”

 

So how can us veteran gym-goers help out the newbies? Leave the resting gym face at home.  Yes, we know that your back squat sets can be grueling and burpees can remove any trace of friendliness from anyone’s face but try to reserve those faces for just the mirror.  A smile can go a long way, not only to show those burpees who’s boss but to encourage all of our novice members.  Here’s to a brand new year, new goals, new resolutions, new PR’s, new badass-ery, and overcoming gym-timidation!

 

Watch out 2018, here we come!