Category Archives: Uncategorized

Set Some Goals, Reach Some Goals, and Fail

Fitness, Life Health, Uncategorized

Back in January I decided to set some goals for myself. It is now April, the year is 1/3 over and I am no where near reaching my goals. This could easily be seen as a bad thing, yet I could not be happier at how this year has turned out. The goals I set assumed that life would not happen and stand in the way of me reaching my goals.

 

Flashback.

 

January stared strong and I was feeling good. Then I had my first injury in years. When i say injury, I mean can’t train injury. I have had run of the mill bumps and bruises. This was the first time in about 5 years that I was in bad enough shape that I had to change everything that I was doing. The beauty with this injury was that I was able to look at what I was doing, look at my goals, and decide where I needed to go from there. I am very lucky to have people much smarter than I am to bounce ideas off of as well. 

 

As I look back at this injury it was the best thing to happen to my training in years. I have not competed in years and needed a new focus. This led me to being able to work on movements and weaknesses that I have not addressed in years. 

 

As for my goals?

 

I reached none of my January goals. Well, I did reach my reading goal, yet that was never really in question. As far as movement goals, I was not even close to any of them. My question for you is, do you think I would have been better if I had reached my goals and not be injured? I know what my thoughts on this are. 

 

I have never been a person who says, everything happens for a reason. I have twisted this saying to my own view, I believe, wise people learn lessons when things happen. The world and all of its happenings can be random and if we try hard enough then we will learn lessons from all these happenings. 

We can do it all this week if we

Now go out, set some goals, fail, learn, growth , and set some new goals. Fail better and maybe one day you will reach those goals. Whether you reach your goals or you don’t does not matter as the journey is really what matters and you’ll remember the struggles more then the goals. 

Northside’s Strongest Bench Press & Deadlift

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We are coming up on two weeks out from the North Side’s Strongest bench press & deadlift push/pull competition on Sunday April 3rd. We currently have 28 people signed up, and will be capping the sign ups at 45 spots. So be sure to fill out that registration form on our website before it is sold out. As previously mentioned, the fee for competitors will be $20 for Union Fitness members and $30 for non members, with no charge for spectators.

 

Weigh ins will be held from 8:30-9:15am, followed by a quick rules meeting at 9:30am with warmups to follow, and lifting will begin at 10am. For weigh-ins, we will be meeting in the cardio lab of the gym. Weight classes will be based off of standard powerlifting weight classes and are as follows: 

 

Women: 97 lbs., 123 lbs., 132 lbs., 148 lbs., 165 lbs., 181 lbs., 198 lbs. and anyone over 198 lbs. lifts in the unlimited category.

Men: 114 lbs., 123 lbs., 132 lbs., 148 lbs., 165 lbs., 181 lbs., 198 lbs., 220 lbs., 242 lbs., 275 lbs., 308 lbs. and unlimited class.

In order to make a weight class, you must be at or under the weight class you sign up for. If you are over, then you will be placed in the next weight class up. After you weigh in, you will tell the staff member what your opening attempts will be for your bench press and deadlift. As I’ve mentioned before, a good opening attempt is something that you feel you could do for around 3 repetitions to competition standards, but it’s always good to be on the conservative side if you are unsure. Once we receive everyone’s weigh-ins, we will organize everyone into groups known as “flights”. This will dictate when you will begin warming up for each lift. While the first flight is competing, the second flight will be warming up in the warmup area. The first flight will go through all of their attempts, and then the next flight will begin.

 

Each lifter will get three attempts for each lift. An opening attempt, a second attempt, and a third attempt. After the first attempt, each lifter will go to the designated score table and submit their second attempt, and the lifts will cycle through the rest of the flight before coming back to them for their second. If the first attempt was successful, then the lifter will go up for their second. If the lift was unsuccessful, then the lifter must either stay at the same weight, or still go up, but cannot go down. Keep in mind, a lifter must complete a successful attempt for the bench press event in order to continue onto the deadlift event. So choose wisely.

 

As for the rules of the competition, there are specific commands that you will need to follow in order to have a successful lift. For the bench press, you will unrack the bar and wait for the judge to give you the “start” command. Once they do, you will lower the bar and touch your chest, pause it until it becomes motionless, and then the judge will give you the “press” command. Once you lock out the weight, you will hold it under control until the judge gives you the “rack” command. During that time, you must keep your glutes on the bench. If these are successfully done, then the result will be a “good lift”.

 

For the deadlift, there is only one command. You will walk up to the bar, and when you’re ready you will lift the weight and stand with it locked out. This means legs straight, hips into the bar, and chest tall. Once you are completely locked out, the judge will give you the “down” command. During that time you will lower the bar to the floor under control, and if all steps are done correctly, you will receive a “good lift”. As far as equipment goes, a lifting singlet WILL NOT be required. No lifting gloves are allowed, along with lifting straps. Footwear is completely up to the lifter. Chalk will be provided, but you can bring your own if you would like. As always, do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions at all. We look forward to seeing you all enjoy yourselves. 

 

– Curtis Miller

Biceps

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Biceps are an underrated muscle to everyday life. Especially now with a lot of people working from home and sitting at computers . Your biceps are constantly in a shortened state for 5-8 hrs a day. When you finally break from that repetitive motion you will more then likely have stiffness, less flexibility, and some pain/discomfort.

 

The bicep muscle has two tendons that attach at the top of the arm and scapula. These tough bands of tissue can become very sore and painful if they are over worked. Athletes , like baseball players, swimmers, golfers etc. Sometimes develop tendinitis. The connective tissue and muscle should work harmoniously together. There is a balance that needs to happen between not enough use and over use.

 

As a massage therapist when a client comes to me with discomfort at the top of the arm/ shoulder joint I think about,

 

  1. What action is causing the pain?
  2.  What does the muscle need?

 

I would take the client through range of motion exercises to see how much flexibility the client has, and to determine where exactly the tension is originating . I would then spend more time working on the tissue to help create space and openness in the joint allowing the fascia(tissue) to glide over each other properly. Cups can really help with this!! But that’s another blog.

 

Sarah Paladin

RYDE Instructors Part 2

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We have 4 more Ryde instructor introductions to share with the UF Community on today’s blog. Please welcome Bill, Natalie, Mallory and Meagan! 

 

Bill Battistone

 

I am originally from Chicago, Illinois, but went to school in Des Moines, Iowa, where I studied education and met my wife. I was a teacher and football/wrestling coach in Des Moines before moving to Iowa City to begin work as an Assistant Principal while my wife finished graduate school. I am currently the Principal of Avonworth Elementary School in Pittsburgh, PA, and have been there for the past five years since our family relocated to Pittsburgh. When I am not working, I enjoy golf, watching, playing, and refereeing rugby, and being a big Pittsburgh sports fan! I live in Troy Hill with my partner, Martina, and our newborn daughter, Zadie (born November 12, 2021). We also have a dog (Remington) and a cat (Blitz). I started teaching ryde and bootcamp classes at Urban Elements in 2020 and have really enjoyed continuing to teach at UF! I pride myself on fun playlists, structuring my classes around the songs, trying to create an environment where the time just flies by!

 

Natalie Paoletta

 

Hey I’m Natalie!

 

I currently am a Master in Business Administration and work as a healthcare recruiter as my day job. I started teaching just over a year ago and teaching fitness classes has become a huge passion of mine!

 

I have always been active and enjoy a good workout but fell in love with teaching after I received my certification in February of 2021. Shortly after my teaching journey in yoga started, I was encouraged to start teaching Ryde and HIIT classes.

 

My classes are designed with all fitness levels in mind. They will challenge you but keep it fun at the same time. I like to have an energetic teaching style that will help you push through to achieve your fitness goals. Come Ryde with me Tuesdays at 5:30!

 

Mallory Fallert

 

I started using the ryde bikes in a small studio in the south hills and fell in love instantaneously with them! I soon began teaching in 2019 at Urban Elements in the North Shore. As a registered yoga instructor, I love the connection I was able to have with these bikes physically, mentally, and emotionally. Every ride is YOUR ryde!

 

I encourage you to come as you are on the bike and while riding. All I want is for you to feel lighter than you did when ending my class. Whether that be a big sweat puddle or letting go of the negativity that doesn’t serve you! I am always up for the perfect kinds of beats that make my classes fly by! With my high energy and cues you won’t even realize how hard you just pushed yourself!

 

Meagan Gnibus

 

Meagan is a RN currently finishing a graduate degree in Nurse Anesthesia at the University of Pittsburgh (December, baby!).  She moved back to PA after living in Florida for over a decade where she attended The Florida State University.

 

Meagan began her fitness instructor journey in 2013 when she was invited to take a spin class taught by Sharon Skittle.  It was the ass kicking workout that pushed her to pursue Real Ryder Certification with Urban Elements and Cycology. She would go on to complete her 200-hour yoga training with Urban Elements as well and continued to teach there for 8 years.

 

A little over a year ago she joined Union Fitness as a substitute yoga instructor and when Urban Elements had to close their doors, came to us as a scheduled Ryde instructor.

 

You can catch Meagan every Sunday morning where she blends a variety of music genres and mixes up traditional Real Ryder moves with playful combinations to keep your heart rate up and balance your muscle groups.  Every workout is different and guaranteed to leave you feeling ready for brunch and good about the work you put in!

Unsure about changing Sunday from a rest day to a play day? Take the gamble…you won’t be disappointed.

 

You can catch Bill teaching bright and early Mondays, Natalie and Mallory teaching Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Meagan every Sunday morning!

Meet the Interns, Tristan

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Hello everyone, my name is Tristan Hillebert and I am currently a junior at Chatham University.  During this spring semester I will be hanging out around Union Fitness completing my internship.  I will be graduating next year with a major in exercise science along with a minor in nutrition.  I am also a part of the Men’s Ice Hockey Team, due to this I have been lifting and training at Union quite frequently over the past two years.  Along with training for hockey I have a big passion for the weight room particularly bodybuilding. 

 

I’m excited to be working with everyone at Union and gaining knowledge about operating a gym along with working with athletes, teams, and all types of clients! After school I would love to open a training facility of my own to work with athletes and other forms of competitors.  Outside of the gym I enjoy being outdoors, hunting, fishing, and watching movies.  I look forward to seeing/ meeting everyone around Union over the next few months! 

Meet the Interns, Allison

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Hey everyone! My name is Allison Ream and I’m an intern here at Union Fitness for the spring semester. I am a senior at Robert Morris University, located in Moon Township. I’m majoring in Sport Psychology and I’m also getting a minor in Sport Management. I was born and raised in Indiana, PA in a big family of seven. I am passionate about physical fitness and have always had a sport-oriented lifestyle. Growing up I played volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball, danced, and did gymnastics. I got into psychology because of my fascination for the mind-body connection and how big of a role your own mentality plays in your everyday performance. Sport psychology gives me the opportunity to combine many of my interests all into one. I hope to become a certified mental performance consultant in the future. My dream job would be to be a team psychologist for a professional sports team, specifically in the NFL. Some things I enjoy when I’m not working out are coffee, sneakers, rap music, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

I chose to intern at UF to see athletes first-hand be motivated and reach their goals mentally and physically. I love the family feel you get when you step in the gym and can’t wait to get more knowledge from the employees here. I’m super excited to be a part of the Union Fitness team!

 

Editors Note. Allison trains at the same gym that Skylyn trains at in Indiana PA.

Ham’s Rehab and Recovery

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As I wrote about last week I have been dealing with a minor injury. Anyone who trains will eventually deal with some injuries. Today I am going to lay out what I am doing to recover from my injury.

 

My injury occurred Tuesday January 18th, this puts me about two weeks out. The first week I did nothing. Week two was rehab and all machine lifts. I am going to show you want I will be doing this week to begin to work my way back to training.

 

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

Bike 10 minutes

Rehab stuff 

90/90 hip stretch x10

DeadBugs x10

Single Leg Raise x10

Toe Touch Heels Elevated, Toes Elevated, Feet Flat x3 each

ISO Squats 10 count at bottom x5

3 sets of each of these.

Chins 20×1 with 10 sec rest. This is done as escalating density training. The goal is to keep volume static yet get more work in less time over the month.

Then off to machines. At this point I just do each machine we have for 4 sets. First set 20 reps, second set for 15, third is 12, final set is 10 reps.

 

Tues/Thur

 

Bike started at 20 minutes and add 2 minutes each day. This week I’ll start at 26 minutes. After this I repeat the entire rehab cycle I do on M/W/F, the only difference is I add 30 seconds of battle rope between each set. The goal is keep HR between 120-135 for the entire session.

 

I feel much better after last week and hope that I keep progressing. The goal is to be back squatting and moving 100% in about 8 weeks.

 

 

 

 

Meet the Interns, Zain

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Hi my name is Zain Skalos. I am 25 years old, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, and a Navy veteran. I found my passion for fitness during my time in the Navy. At that time, my goal was to become a Naval Officer so that I could be a pilot. I found my passion of working out and love for the community of fitness while pursuing this goal. I knew then that I did not want to become a Pilot and I decided that I would finish with the military and apply to colleges.

 

This led me to the University of Pittsburgh where I currently am working on receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. However, my future goal is to end up as a Physical Therapist. During my first semester at Pitt, I completed two men’s physique shows. After giving a go at bodybuilding, I decided to try Powerlifting. So I joined the Powerlifting Club at the University of Pittsburgh and made many great memories with many awesome friends. Through the experiences with the team and being able to better myself, I fell in love with powerlifting. These experiences would later lead me to the opportunity of training at Union Fitness. While training at Union, I enjoyed the environment, the mentors, and the community that Union creates. I felt that this is where I had to be. So as part of my senior internship at the University of Pittsburgh, I applied for the internship at Union. I am looking forward to learning from every single person that comes into Union Fitness and creating more memories!

It’s a Hockey Night in the Burgh’

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This Friday January 14th, it’s a Chatham Hockey night in Pittsburgh!

 

At Union we have had the opportunity to work with The Chatham University Men’s Hockey program for 2 seasons now. They were Union’s first collegiate program to train at UF through a prior coaching and work relationship made at Robert Morris University. The men’s hockey team brings exciting energy, hard working attitude and team support to every training session at Union, long story short they work hard. During the off season the men would train 5 days a week performing, maximal lifts, explosive jumps and throws, powerful olympic movements, athletic exercises and much more to gear up for their season. The men are still working hard in season to stay buzzing on the ice and fuel the tanks for a seek and destroy season. All their hard work and dedication to making each day better, learning from the last play is paying off and we are excited to see the team grow and to continue to build our relationship with the players, coaches and Chatham community. The Men’s hard work, enjoyment and success training with us at Union has sparked 9 more athletic teams from Chatham to join us this year. We are more than excited to Roll with the Cougs!

 

So now is our chance to show our support and love for our student athletes and watch some good old fashioned and historic hockey being played in Pittsburgh. This Friday get to the Hunt Armory on 324 Emerson Street in Shady Side at 7pm puck drop and let’s scream for our Cougs! This will be the first ever NCAA hockey game to be played at this site.

 

See ya Friday,

 

CeJ

Welcome to UF Katie

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Hey Union Fitness! My name is Katie Jones and I have been working at Union since November. You can catch me coaching Cardio Lab bright and early at 6 am on Thursdays and Friday (and the occasional Saturday morning)! Soon I will start coaching strength & conditioning for Chatham’s swim team. I am super excited!

 

I am from Saxonburg, a small town about an hour north of Pittsburgh. I have been living in the city for just about 5 years. I am a 7th and 8th-grade math teacher at Propel Homestead. I graduated from Westminster College in 2017 with a degree in Early Childhood and Special Education.

 

While in college, I was on the swim team and the cross country team. I was a competitive swimmer for the majority of my life. I started when I was 5 years old! I have been a runner since 6th grade when I started cross country. Swimming and running have taught me so much about dedication, hard work, and perseverance. They also opened the door to many coaching opportunities. I coached a local community swim team for 3 years while I was in college. When I moved to Pittsburgh, I coached for Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics for a little over a year. I have also coached countless running clubs within the community I teach. Coaching brings me so much joy! I love working with all levels and different types of athletes.

 

When I am not teaching or coaching, you can find me training at Union or running! I started competing in Powerlifting this past year (shout out to Jared Caroff for convincing me to do the Push-Pull meet!) I also run marathons for fun- crazy, I know. This past November, I completed my 9th marathon while keeping up with my Powerlifting training. Keep your eyes out for some blog posts about the combination of endurance training and strength training!

 

Outside of training, I love going to breweries, hanging out with my friends, & their dogs, and finding the best nachos in Pittsburgh (if you have any recommendations, hit me up). Thanks for reading a little bit about me! So happy to be a part of the Union Fitness Fam!