Category Archives: Uncategorized

Better Posture at the Office and Gym

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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

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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

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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

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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

May Member of the Month!

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Congratulations to Jeff, our May member of the month! Whether you come at lunchtime or evenings, you’re bound to see this local North Sider here slaving away on the elliptical or gettin’ swole on the bench. Don’t be fooled by his big bulging biceps though, he’s the sweetest guy around and more than willing to lend a friendly ear as you burn cardio calories together.
Jeff stole our hearts here at Union Fitness with his witty charm & banter, always smiling face and dedicated two-a-days. Congratulations Jeff! We look forward to many more double days with you!

Pittsburgh Marathon Expo Recap

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It’s been almost an entire week since the Pittsburgh Marathon Expo and I feel like I’m still recovering! We had an amazing time talking to all of this year’s participants about their running and fitness goals (and how our Fatbell class will help them achieve those goals)! We were especially happy to meet so many local Northsiders! You all gave us some great ideas for outdoor and weekend classes and events that we can’t wait to put in place.

We were sure to take full advantage of all the other vendors at the Convention Center for the Expo. We were lucky enough to be situated right across from the Pro Bike + Run storefront, so we ate tons of Honey Stingers during those long Expo hours. We were also in smelling distance from the Jenny Lee Cinnamon Swirl Bread tasting station which was EXTREMELY tempting, and got to taste some Sierra Nevada beers around Happy Hour! I even walked away with some Pittsburgh-themed compression socks that I can’t wait to deadlift in. I would encourage every single Pittsburgher with any interest in fitness to stop by the Expo next year!

Th best part of the whole event? The Northside won the 2017 UPMC Health Plan Steel City Spirit Social Media Challenge! I like to think it was our relentless tweeting and instagramming, but who am I to say? The Northside will now get a free outdoor yoga class courtesy of Fitt and UPMC, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it might happy right here in our backyard. We’ll keep you posted on the blog as soon as we have more detail.

For any runners taking a break from the increased mileage needed leading up the race, now would be a great time to start adding in some dedicated resistance training workouts. The most effective way to make that transition? Hire one of our coaches to make sure your form is on point and your program suits your specific needs. You can check out more info about our coaches here, and about personal training packages here. Otherwise, come on in to the gym and we’ll chat about it. See you soon!

Workout Wednesday: Mother’s Day Edition

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Hey there Moms! It’s Wednesday, also known as Hump Day— that semi-terrible mid-week day that seems to drag on for twice as long as normal, the day where you honestly don’t believe you’ll make it to Friday. Between lack of sleep, packing lunches, doing endless laundry, cleaning something you JUST cleaned two minutes ago, helping with homework you have no idea how to actually do or you know, having a full-time job— literally the last thing you can imagine yourself doing right now is working out. We get it! Whether your kids are newborns or adults themselves, we here at Union Fitness know that mothering is a workout in and of itself! And it’s not just a physical one but a mental and emotional one as well.
Trust us here— taking time for yourself, breaking a sweat and enjoying some endorphins (whether they be yoga endorphins, barbell ones or just a good old fashioned run) will do you some good. I’m gonna say it again, because I know sometimes us tired mothers need a little coaxing— GO DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF.
If you just so happen to be so tired and drained that you can’t think up a good workout or make it to your favorite class here at UF, we’ve got you covered! The following workout can be done solo (read: NO KIDS, PRAISE THE HEAVENS!) or with a little one in tow (read: Ok, sure, sometimes this little monster can be kinda cute!)
As Many Rounds As Possible in 12 minutes:
5 Push Ups OR Weighted Push Ups (Kid on your back!!)
10 Burpees OR Burpees with a High Five at the Top with your child!
15 Jump Squats OR Frog Jumps with your little
20 Plank Shoulder Taps OR Plank Hand Claps with your child!
:30 Water Break OR Snuggle your kid break!

Meet us at the Marathon Expo

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The wait is over! Marathon weekend is finally here, and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of it. Your favorite Union Fitness staff will be at the Marathon Expo on Friday, May 5 from 10am to 8pm and Saturday, May 6 from 9am to 6pm. We’ll be at booth 136, along the left side of the Convention Center, right across from Pro Bike + Run. You can get your UF fix AND stock up on all your running and biking needs!
We’ve got a few surprises planned for the day too! We’ll definitely have some freebies to add to your Marathon goody bag. Plus, keep an eye out for a Fatbell contest: maybe some swings, maybe some push-ups, maybe both! Winners at the end of the Expo will get a special prize (read: some free classes or personal training) and the satisfaction of knowing you can throw a Fatbell around better than anyone else!
We are so proud of our UF runners who made it to their 5k, half marathon, relay, and marathon goals this year. This is what you’ve been training for over the past few weeks and months, so get out there and run your heart out!

Workout Wednesday

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Today we’d like to share with you one of our favorite style of workouts: EMOM’s. This little guy is guaranteed to be seen here in one of our classes or maybe you’re already familiar with this killer style workout. So what the heck is it?!?!

An EMOM stands for “Every Minute on the Minute”. This is a type of interval workout where you perform a specific task at the top of every minute for the designated time. What’s great about this setup is that you can combine any types of movements to create an intense timed workout with brief periods of planned rest. Its many benefits also include the ability to teach yourself how to pace during a workout, to prevent burnout or redlining, as well as enabling you to track your progress throughout the weeks.

So without further ado, we introduce you to what we aptly dubbed “Killer Core”.

EMOM for 15 Minutes:

Minute 1: Russian Twists (with or without weight)
Minute 2: :45 second Plank
Minute 3: Straight Leg Situps
Minute 4: Leg Raises
Minute 5: Rest
(Repeat 3 times)

At the start of the clock, begin with Russian Twists for the full minute. This exercise can be performed without weight or with a medicine ball, plate, kettlebell or dumbbell. Work for the full minute, minimizing rest breaks.

At the start of the next minute, switch to a Plank position (or forearm plank) and hold for 45 seconds. Rest the following 15 seconds.

At the start of the next minute, perform Straight Leg Sit-ups for the full minute, minimizing rest breaks.

At the start of the next minute, switch to Leg Raises and perform until the following minute where you will rest completely.

Body Rock! Rebuilt Edition: An Interview with Amy W.

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If you’re unfamiliar with what mobility is, or you just don’t know how to become more mobile, you’ve come to the right place! Amy is an expert in helping people recognize their body’s strengths, weaknesses, and imbalances. Mobility work is a great way to increase flexibility, decrease chance of injury, and get stronger. Everyone can benefit from working on their mobility! The human body craves movement and works best when there are no restrictions. If you’re feeling like you can’t get into certain positions or postures whether its at home or work, in yoga class, or in the strength lab, Amy is the person you need in your life!

How did you become interested in working on mobility and movement?
I had the opportunity to work with and learn from some amazing people over the past few years. Two specific mentors of mine, Mike Whiteman and Mike Guffey, spoke of the importance of being mobile and moving well first. My interest led me to study movement experts such as Ido Portal, Carl Paoli, and Kelly Starrett.

What is the difference between mobility and flexibility?
To me, being mobile translates to a certain quality of life overall. Mobility and flexibility got hand in hand. Mobility allows for greater flexibility and flexibility allows for a greater quality of movement.

How has your personal fitness benefitted from practicing mobility?
I’ve been learning about the basics of power lifting over the past 6 months. Oddly enough my quality of movement has improved my positioning, my strength as well as my recovery.

What is your favorite mobility movement to practice?
I love practicing things that mimic play. I do these animal walks, which are challenging to perform. They are dynamic movements that aid in strength training and flexibility.

What do you think is the biggest challenge of working on mobility?
Mobility isn’t something that is finite. It’s something that transcends age, ability, gender, or sport. It’s a life long endeavor.

What should people expect at your Rebuilt class?
My goal for everyone is to feel better overall. I have a head to toe approach with my class. I also challenge the practice of mindfulness. I am always asking people to think about what they are doing as we move through out class.

What would you say to someone who isn’t sure if a mobility class is right for them?
Every single person can benefit from mobility. From those who are looking to become active for the first time, to someone who wants to try something different, there is something for everyone.

Why is introducing mobility work into training important?
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.

Come check out our Rebuilt class with Amy on Wednesday and Friday from 12-12:30 & 12:30-1.