Category Archives: Uncategorized

Open Streets After Party

June 23, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

I have to admit, if it weren’t for working at Union Fitness I may have never heard of this event called Open Streets. You see, when I’m not working (which is fairly often) I’m apparently hiding living in a bubble under a rock I like to call “Parenting”. This summer though I’m determined to get myself and the twins out from the bubble to explore this amazing city we call home. The Open Streets event is the perfect way to do this! If you’re like me and have no idea what Open Streets actually is then you’re in for a treat!

This amazing event put on every year by Bike PGH is actually based off a movement called ciclovia— a Spanish term meaning “cycleway” where the streets are closed off to motorists and completely open to cyclists and pedestrians. Once the streets are closed off, the festivities begin! Along this carless three mile route from Downtown to the Northside to the West End there will be yoga, fitness classes, dancing, shopping, children’s activities, running and just general lounging in the sun while enjoying the city and its people. Mark your calendars: Sunday June 25th from 9am-1pm (Check out openstreetspgh.org for full route & schedule of events).

Union Fitness will have a tent on the event route and will be hosting free Bootcamp Classes on the street. Up on the plaza we will be down dogging in the park with our free community yoga class and swinging some fatbells in a free Fatbell Revolution class. But the fun won’t stop once the streets open back up! This time around Nova Place & Union Fitness are hosting the After Party from 12-4 so be sure to stop by for some food trucks, music, games & beer for purchase from Penn Brewery. And don’t forget to stop by to cheer on the lifters in Union’s first ever deadlift competition!

Go on, pop that bubble with me!

Perfect Gifts for Your Gym Buddy This Summer

June 21, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

Summer is here and you’ve been working for your summer body the past six months. You know your goals would not be possible without that one person that pushes you to your limits and makes you better. It’s time to say thank you for their support. Here are some cool gifts you can get your gym buddy to show how thankful you are for helping you throughout your fitness journey.

1. Ropeless Jump Rope

For the partner that loves to travel and work out in tight spaces, this rope tracks your performance, calories, exercise time and more!

2. Smoothie Blender That Turns into Workout Bottle

Perfect for the gym buddy that is in a hurry but always tries to stay healthy. This bottle attaches directly to the blender and eliminates the hassle of transferring the smoothie to another bottle. Perfect to take on the go.

3. Tory Burch Fit Bit Cover

For the fashionable partner, this Tory Burch metal hinged bracelet will add some style to their favorite fitness tracker.

4. QardioBase

This smart scale not only tracks your weight but also measures your heart rate, BMI, bone mass, fat percentage and can even be connected to your smart phone. Perfect for the gym partner trying to lose weight.

5. Protein Pancakes and Baking Mix

Your partner doesn’t like taking their protein each day? This is perfect for those picky eaters out there trying to gain some muscle.

6. Sense Sleep Tracker

Getting your sleep is a very important part of anyone’s fitness journey. This sleep tracker avoids wearing any equipment. All your partner has to do is slide the small pill into your pillow case. Sense makes sure to track, set alarms and provide ways on how to improve your sleep routine.

7. Contigo Kangaroo Water Bottle

This water bottle is everything they need. It serves as a wallet and assures they stay hydrated and their belongings stay safe.

8. Mini Foam Roller

With this mini-foam roller, your gym buddy will never go another vacation without stretching after working out.

9. PocketBands

This wrist band helps your fitness partner hold on to their keys while they go on their daily runs. They even glow in the dark!

10. A Spa-Gift Card

You more than anyone knows how hard your gym partner has worked to reach their fitness goals. Giving them a spa-gift card is a great way of letting them know that hard work pays off.

Afraid You Won’t Last the Whole Day At Open Streets?

June 19, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

This Sunday, June 25, Open Streets is coming to the North Side! This is a huge event, going from 9am to (at least) 2pm, with a TON of opportunity to get some group classes in on top of free-for-all biking all over Downtown and the North Shore. Getting worried you might not make it till the end? We have the answer, and the answer is SPIN!

Our spin classes are taught by the expert instructors at Steel Revolution PGH. In 45 minutes, you’ll get in more of workout than most people can in 90 minutes when left on their own. You pedal along to the curated playlist put together just for that class. The best part about spin? It’s you against yourself. There’s no competing with the cyclist next to you, just you pushing yourself to go a little harder, turn that resistance up a little higher, and get your RPMs sky high! If in doubt, just keep pedaling. If you keep moving through an entire spin class, you’ll be in good shape.

We offer 4 spin classes each week (Monday and Friday morning at 6:45am, Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6pm), and the first one is on us for all new members! We encourage everyone to give it a shot at least once. We bet you’ll be hooked after.

Spin is obviously a little bit different from the Bootcamp and Fatbell classes we normally teach, but is a great way to cross-train for runners and group training enthusiasts. Nothing will get your cardio up quite like a Spin class!

Get out there and pedal for Open Streets, and we’ll see you at one of our many events! We’ll be holding Bootcamp on the street, doing Fatbell and Yoga classes on the plaza, hosting a Deadlift meet, and throwing the official after party starting at noon!

Baseball Workout

June 16, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

Game day is not an excuse to sit on the couch anymore! Don’t strikeout this baseball season. Show your pride and stay fit by working out to your favorite team. All you have to do is follow these simple guidelines.

Pitch	2 Push-Ups
Ball	5 Sit-ups
Foul	5 Squats
Single	10 Sit-Ups
Double	15 Jumping Jacks
Triple	20 Burpees
Home Run	60-Second Plank
Grand Slam	25 Squats
Strike Out	10 Sumo Squats
Double Play	10 Jumping Jacks / 10 Burpees
Triple Play	5 Squats / 5 Burpees / 5 Push Ups
Steal	15 Sit-Ups
Walk	10 Second Rest
Error	5 Push Ups
Broken Bat	5 Jumping Jacks
Change of Inning	Stretch

Modify if needed to fit your personal endurance.

Do’s and Don’ts of Leg Day

June 14, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

Leg day. You either love it or completely hate it. Getting over that mental barrier can be tough at times, but in the end, training legs is a necessity if you want a strong and well-proportioned physique. There are a few key points to keep in mind when going into leg day, to learn more, read below!

DO:

Do fuel and hydrate. Training legs is extremely energy intensive, so properly fueling and hydrating are essential components to a successful leg day prior to stepping foot in the gym.

Do warm up with incremental sets at lower reps to prime the system rather than create fatigue. For example:

Ramp 1 – 45 x 6

Ramp 2 – 95 x 4

Ramp 3 – 135 x 4

Ramp 4 – 185 x 2

Set 1 – 200 x 6

Do incorporate unilateral exercises. Split squats, walking lunges, single leg extensions, and single leg presses will help stabilize (and prevent) muscular imbalance.

Do keep it simple. Focus on executing fundamental exercises with proper form and technique. If you’re unsure, ask! We are here to help and want you to succeed!

DON’T:

Don’t do too much of one exercise. For instance, too many quad-dominant exercises (squats, lunges, leg presses, leg extensions) and not enough posterior chain exercises (hamstrings, glutes) can cause muscular imbalance over time.

Don’t let your knees cave inward. Focus on keeping your knees out and as stationary as possible. If this is something you struggle with, practice holding a deep squat or using a resistance band above the knee to force the knees outward.

Don’t round your back. Maintaining a flat and neutral back while properly bracing makes a world of a difference in having good form.

Don’t avoid mobility work. Best said by our own Amy Wisniowski, “Mobility training helps keep athletes of all kinds healthy and moving forward. I like to describe it as maintenance work for your body. Everyone can use a bit of maintenance work from time to time.”

Don’t skip leg day. Just. Don’t.

The Biggest Training Mistakes (and What To Do About Them)

June 12, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

Feeling like you’ve hit a rut in your training? If you’re no longer making progress towards your goals, you’re probably making one of these major training mistakes. Read about what they are and how to fix them below!

1. Not having a training plan

Often when people start working out, the number one goal is to just get to the gym and do something. This works really well for awhile, but eventually you’ll need to be a little more structured. You need to have a plan to reach your goals, and you’ll need to keep track of what you’re doing along the way. If you squat 95lbs for 5 reps on day 1 and you’re still squatting 95lbs for 5 reps on day 45, something isn’t working. The best way to get on a training program? Let the experts design one for you. At Union Fitness, all Strength Lab members get personalized programming and coaching in addition to the rest of the membership perks (unlimited access to the training room, unlimited yoga and spin classes). We work with each member to adjust their programming as they go, and change things around to work towards new goals!

2. Lack of sleep

Given how fast-paced our society has become, it’s no wonder people are sleeping so little. As of 2013, the average American reported getting just 6.8 hours of sleep per night*. A full 40% are getting less than 6 hours per night! Sleep is vital to recovery, both from day-to-day stressors and the workouts your hitting so hard. That lack of adequate sleep accumulates as well, so you may be feeling fine for a week or two, but you’ll eventually hit a wall. If you find yourself struggling through your training AND at work, it’s probably time to start prioritizing your sleep. Check out our article on being a morning person here.

3. Your nutrition is off

Once sleep is addressed, the next big issue most people run into is their diet. We’ve talked a lot about addressing your diet on the blog (like this one on meal prepping and this collection of amazing healthy summer recipes), so I wont get into the details. But suffice it to say, you may just be spinning your wheels at the gym if you’re not addressing your diet. If you’re interested in taking the next step towards fixing up your diet, our Coach Beth Holmes put together an excellent guide to flexible dieting here.

4. Being on team #norestdays

You’ve definitely heard the phrase “less is more,” and often with training, that is definitely the case. When you’re super excited about getting into your workout routine, it can be really tempting to try to go hard every single day. In reality, that’s just going to hold you back. The work you do in the gym isn’t fully realized until you actually recover from it – by sleeping, eating well, and taking rest days! You don’t need to be totally lazy on your day off though. Leisurely walks, stretching, foam rolling, and some Slow Flow Recovery Yoga are all great ways to get some active recovery.

5. Forgetting the little things

Those last few suggestions up there, about stretching and walking? Those are usually the easiest to skip. Stretching and foam rolling aren’t (usually) super fun, but over time really add up to make you a better athlete. Try to set aside 15-20 minutes every day to work on your mobility and recovery (and even increase that on your rest days). We promise you’ll notice a difference!

Better Posture at the Office and Gym

June 5, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

Good posture matters! It means that your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints, and ligaments can work as they are meant to. It also means your organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency while also allowing for normal functioning of the nervous system. Posture is the core of many issues of pain, dysfunction and injury in the body. Sitting in front of a computer or looking down at a cell phone takes its toll adding up over time to fundamentally alter the body’s natural state. Check out some of these tips to help improve your stability, balance, alignment, and confidence!

Look down with your eyes without bending your neck when looking at a phone or computer— hold your phone out instead of down in front of you
Move your head from left to right several times and use your hands to provide resistance and push your head against them, first forward and then backward
Stand in a doorway with your arms extended and push your chest forward to help correct and strengthen slouched shoulders
Sit up straight and align the ears, shoulders, and hips in one vertical line
Alternate between shifting forward to the edge of the seat with a straight back and sitting back against the support of the office chair to ease the work of back muscles
Footrests, portable lumbar back supports, or even a towel or small pillow can be used while sitting in an office chair, on soft furniture and while driving
Deep squat while holding on to the edge of a desk until you’re able to hold this position without the support of a desk

For a visual guide of specific structural imbalances and a postural guide, check out this link! —> https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/posture-power-how-to-correct-your-body-alignment.html

Two Events That Will Help You Switch Up Your Yoga Routine This Summer

June 2, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

We all know Yoga in the Square is pretty popular and fun, but when summertime rolls around, all you want to do is adventure and try new things. Here are two events that your inner yogi will die to attend.

1. Wanderlust Snowshoe

Wish you went to Coachella? We have the perfect solution. Check out Wanderlust at Snowshoe, WV, for an even better line up to listen to while doing yoga.

Wanderlust brings together different yoga and meditation instructors, motivational speakers and music performers for a weekend, with the mission to help attendees help find their true north.

Different activities and speakers can be scheduled depending on the type of admission tickets purchased.

Three-day ticket, which has a cost of $380, includes:
– Three activities and one Speakeasy talk per day
– Access to all musical performances
– Premium activities, lodging and food available separately
– Option of paying $89 for a campsite destination

One-day ticket, which starts at $105, includes:
– Three activities and one Speakeasy talk
– Access to all musical performances the day of your ticket
– Premium activities, lodging and food available separately

Music-only ticket, which has a cost of $20 includes:
– Access to main stage on day of ticket
– Lodging and food available separately
– No access to activity or Speakeasy talks

For more information visit: https://wanderlust.com

2. The Beer Yogis

Date:
June 19, 2017
Place:
East End Brewery
Pittsburgh, PA

Are you one of those yogis that gets too caught up on happy hour to hit yoga practice? We have the perfect solution. The Beer Yogis will be stopping by East End Brewery Monday, June 29, to host part of their tour.

The practice will start at 6:30 p.m. with a 60-minute flow class, which will then turn into a beer tasting event at the brewery.

Admission is $25 a head of time, or $30 if bought at the entrance day of.

You will need to bring your own yoga mat, water bottle and towel.

For more information and tickets: http://bit.ly/2r93oxy

Workout Wednesday: Outdoors Edition

May 24, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

Now that the weather is getting to be consistently beautiful, we thought it was time to start encouraging everyone to go outside to get their workout in! We’ve been incorporating some outdoor sprints into a group classes here at the gym, so now we’re going to lay out a similar quick but brutal workout you can do at home.

15 Minute Crusher
This is a 15 minute long AMRAP (as many rounds as possible). You’ll need to measure out a place to sprint (or find yourself a track, or just choose some landmarks), but otherwise you won’t need any equipment! Record how many rounds (and reps) you complete so you can try it again in a few weeks.

10 Straight-Leg Situps
20 Jumps Squats
Out and back sprint (at least 100m)

Share your times with us on social media!

Bike to Work Day

May 17, 2017Uncategorizedadmin

May is National Bike Month, so if you’ve never given biking a try, now’s a great time to do it! Not only will you have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Pittsburgh scenery on your way to work but you’ll also be reducing vehicle pollution and avoid the increasing cost of gas, all while getting a great workout!

Join the rising number of bicycle commuters in Pittsburgh and support local bike shops in Lawrenceville, South Side, North Side, or Shadyside. If you’re not sure that you’re ready to commit to purchasing a bike, there are Healthy Ride bikes conveniently located and available to rent all over the city!

If safety is a concern, Pittsburgh has become a very bike friendly city and created bike lanes in most neighborhoods surrounding the city as well as downtown. There are also trails all over the city including the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, Eliza Furnace Trail, South Side Riverfront Trail, Riverview Park (in the North Side!!), Montour Trail, Frick Park, Schenley Park, and North Park.

If ya don’t know, now ya know all about biking in Pittsburgh.

Check out the following links for more information!

Where to get a bike!
https://fitt.co/pittsburgh/bike-shops-pittsburgh/

Where to ride your bike!
http://www.bikepgh.org/resources/maps-guides-more/map-routes/

Commuting to work!
http://www.bikepgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/bikecommuting101-1-2-1.pdf