Hello Union Fam,

For those of you that don’t know me I used to be a coach here at Union Fitness up until December 2019 (recently returned). In December I had the opportunity to be an intern strength & conditioning coach at the University of Maryland. The teams I was working with include: Baseball, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Women’s Lacrosse, & Wrestling. The goal of this blog post is to reflect on my experience at Maryland, evaluate what sets some of the best athletes in the country apart & what I plan to implement in the future.

For those of you reading this who haven’t been inside the walls of a collegiate weight room and envision athletes performing super complex & specific exercises; let me stop you right there. That is not the case. The three words I heard more than anything while at Maryland were, “Keep it simple!” For the most part, 80% (some would argue higher) of what strength & conditioning coaches’ program is very similar across the country. So, the question I find myself asking is “What sets each program/department/team apart?”

1.) Mind the Gap
“When the truth is blurred, perception becomes reality whether you like it or not.” This lesson is based around being aware of the gap between how you are perceived by others and your reality. You can be as self-aware and conscious as you want, but there is some value in objectively hearing how others perceive you. What people perceive is usually what they believe, and this is based on what they consistently hear, see, & think. I am and most people are guilty of creating perceptions before obtaining full information. This can also lead to a valuable and tough conversation on bridging the gap of how you and others are perceived. Going forward, notice those perceptions but don’t allow them to grow. Instead be intentional and put your best self on display.

2.) What does it mean to be tough?
When you think of tough, you probably imagine a scene from Rocky where he goes round after round, with a bloody face, eyes swollen, broken nose, & still somehow manages to come away victorious. True toughness to me is a characteristic many talk about but few execute.

The best example I have of this comes while one of my teams at Maryland was running shuttles. After already lifting for about 45 minutes we headed down to the basketball court to run our 3rd week of shuttles. The shuttles were 15 yards and back and every rep had to be completed in a certain amount of time. Your foot has to be behind the line at the start of every rep and you have to touch the opposite line every time. I was positioned at the baseline/start line, blowing the whistle to start, checking to make sure everyone was behind the line, & calling out times. First set no problem. Second set no problem. Halfway through the third set the female DIRECTLY in front of me says, “Connor my foot wasn’t behind the line. We owe an extra rep.” I missed the person two feet in front of me and instead of just cruising past it she held herself and the team accountable. Over the course of all of my strength and conditioning experiences, I can count this type of event on one hand. Speaking up, holding the individual and team accountable, knowing the result will make your teammates suffer more. The funny thing is after we finished the shuttles and debriefed; no one held a grudge or had any ill feelings towards her. So why doesn’t everyone hold themselves and others accountable?

To me the answer is habits. If you don’t not have the daily habits built in of doing things correctly and completely you will surely not hold yourself or others accountable when it will receive blow back. In the future I will look into team building activities specifically designed to get athletes to speak up and hold each other accountable. Secondly, I think debriefing is crucial. This is an opportunity for a coach to give honest objective feedback, but also an opportunity for your athletes to give feedback. Not just to you, but to each other. These micro events will be my attempt to get them to engrain and establish these habits and create an environment that is player led.  I would much rather have them remind each other to pause their reps than me. 

3.) Slow Cook
For someone who enjoys training hard, this is tough for me personally but is always in the back of my mind when coaching & training others. Harder is not always better. With Olympic sport athletes, coaches typically have them for 4 years. With that being said don’t try to throw everything at them their first year. This is also true for a private gym. It may feel like a big accomplishment to barely walk out of the gym but is it unnecessary. Yes, there are times to push the envelope but not all the time. It is our responsibility as coaches to regress you when you do not have the proper movement literacy to perform an exercise and progress you when you are crushing it. Remember, slow is smooth and smooth is strong. Put your ego aside and remember that one step back & two steps forward still get you ahead. 

4.) HAVE SOME FEEL
In the words of Cej, “Just be a dood!” Now what does this mean? To me it means: be authentic, be vulnerable, support & praise others without expecting anything in return, & know when to listen. At the end of the day strength & conditioning, personal training, & the fitness industry is a relationship industry.  Knowing your audience and what they respond to will build a client faster than any “perfect program”. I have seen some coaches and interns do this really well and others not so well. Do they always need you in their ear or do they just need an occasional cue? Do they like picking apart every detail or are they going to do anything written down? Do they need you hyping them up for every set or do they just need feedback?

An example I am reminded of takes me back to my time interning with Pitt’s Strength & Conditioning Department. It was a 6:00AM summer lift. A few of the wrestlers had to train early before heading to their summer internships/jobs. They had squats as one of their main lifts. One of my fellow interns was not typically loud but was trying to get them ready for their working sets. As he is spotting one of the wrestlers, he starts yelling & cueing the things that look like they need improvement, “UP, CHEST UP, KNEES OUT”. Finally, the wrestler finishes his set, racks his weight, and my fellow intern goes to help the next athlete. At this point I am still by the wrestler’s rack when he turns and says to me (in a little different language) “Why was intern X yelling. It’s just squats.” LIGHT BULB MOMENT. This particular wrestler didn’t need any external motivation or encouragement. He just wanted to be coached up without the yelling. He was going to give his best effort regardless.

The importance of conversation is nothing new, but often overlooked. A training session is much more enjoyable for a coach and client when everyone is on the same wavelength! Having some feel comes down to keeping in mind that the conversation is not about the relationship; the conversation is the relationship. And if you can’t hold a conversation what does that say?

Connor Keenan

Like many of us, I recently took a 2 month hiatus from training while much of the country was shut down. Of course, I could have found multiple ways to gain access to equipment, but I saw it as an opportunity to take the time to focus on other aspects of life that I wanted to address. Although the forced time off was great and helped me gain a new perspective, it has since been nice getting back into the swing of things over the last month or so. I set some goals and opened my mind to a new style of training focused on slowly building upon the foundation that I’ve previously established.

For the first 2-3 weeks I started by getting re acclimated to simply having weights in my hands and on my back again. I kept the intensity on my main lifts around 50-60%, and focused my accessory work around basic bodybuilding style movements. I also incorporated the use of supersets and circuits in order to reestablish a good level of conditioning before jumping back into higher intensity training. Now that I have gotten back on my feet, I feel as though I’m not too far off of where I was prior to quarantine. Except this time, I’m trying something new. 

Recently, one of my training partners recommended that a few of us do a training block in gear. If you aren’t sure of what I’m referring to, it basically consists of the use of supportive equipment designed to help both protect the body and aid in lifting more weight than you normally could without using it. This can consist of supportive briefs or suits for the squat and deadlift, and a supportive shirt for the bench press. In addition to this, when used correctly, gear can help teach you a good deal regarding your form, as well as what you should be feeling throughout the movement.

A big misconception is that using gear only makes lifting the weight easier. Gear is like any other tool or piece of equipment. It has a specific purpose, and when used correctly it can help you to progress in certain aspects of your training program. When I explain to people what it’s like training with gear, I typically use the analogy of driving a race car vs. a daily driver. If you take your Honda Accord around a race track, it’s going to be fairly easy to handle, and you aren’t going to be reaching very high speeds. However, when you take a race car around a race track, you have to be very precise with your actions. The speeds are higher, and you may always be on the verge of out of control. Well, that’s how gear can be. You have to focus on controlling your body and controlling the weight. This process has the ability to have a great carryover to your raw training.

Incorporating the use of gear into my training has given me a greater understanding of my form, technique, body awareness, patients, and approach going into each lift. Concepts like this are a great way to build momentum going forward with your training. If you’ve been lifting for a good length of time, it can also help you to push through plateaus, all while gaining a greater appreciation for what makes lifting unique and fun. As with changing anything within your training program, start slow and focus on addressing only one variable at a time. If you try to change to many things at once, you will have a hard time understanding what’s working, what’s not, or what affect each thing is having on your body and on your progress. Remember that training and achieving your goals is not a track meet, but a marathon. Take your time, progress at your own pace, and focus on the things that you can control and build off of each day. And always remember to have fun in the process! 

Dear Union Family,

Your health & safety are at the upmost importance to us and we want to give you the best environment possible to train and workout at. That being said, due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County, we will be requiring  everyone to wear a face mask while working-out in the facility beginning Wednesday, July 1st. Everyone has been doing a wonderful job at cleaning the equipment after use and respecting social distancing and for that we thank you very much for your efforts in keeping our home clean and safe.

We apologize for this inconvenience but we are doing this for your safety, our staff’s safety and the safety of our family and friends. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us. Thank you for keeping everyone safe.

Wear your mask, wash your mitts and let’s crush COVID, so we can high five on some PRs again.

Cheers,

CeJ

T’was a hot day in the land of the Northside. As our quarantine was coming to a close some of us braved this heat to begin our training cycles. During the time away many of us (mainly me, Ham) were not able to keep up on our training. Others (CeJ) did, mainly because his girlfriend is tougher than CeJ.

With our return we have decided it’s time for us to train together again. A little history of our relationship, CeJ and I have known each other for 6 years and have trained together many a time. We pretty much know what to expect from one another.

Our day…

Today is our first “conditioning day” back together again. The plan was 3-5 sets of the following,

Farmers 320 lbs total walked from UF to Building 4 (no clue distance).

5 Box Jumps.

8 D Ball Throws over shoulder 80#.

Luckily our good friend and UF superhero WARD jumped in with us as he thought it looked amusing. The first set was hotter than a pepper sprout (as my southern friends would say). After my first set I placed my body in the shade and top a nap. Set two I began my full body cramps, set 3 was a dark place for me. CeJ decided to remind me that I am a full decade older than he is and he did two more sets.

Morale to the story is when we return be who you are and accept that you may not be ready to train the way you were back in March. The road to strength is a long and windy one, respect the trip and have some fun.

Keep improving my friends.

Todd Hamer

Like many of you I have found myself at a stopping point and asking the hard question, what am I working towards now? As complex beings we are built on the bases of looking for the next thing, it could be a vacation, a performance goal whether professional or personal or finally getting to that home project we’ve been pinning on Pinterest for about a year. Whatever it is to you, getting started is the most agonizing part of the journey.

In todays blog I am going to talk steps related specifically on redefining your goals:

#1: Start Where You Are

Analyze where you are in your life in the present moment. What are you wiling to do during this time and what aren’t you willing to do, there is no right or wrong answer. Understand that where you are in the present moment isn’t a place you will be forever and have empathy for yourself, knowing there isn’t a time limit on when you have to remove yourself from this space.

Let’s start with a 5-minute journal every morning, here are some questions you can ask yourself:

• • • How am I feeling? Why might I be feeling this way, good or bad.
    • Can I be accepting of this feeling? If the answer is no, what is limiting me from accepting this feeling?
    • What is one thing I am grateful for today?

One thing I’ve noticed over the past few months is when I take time for myself in the morning it sets the tone for my entire day. I used to coach CrossFit at 5:30AM Monday to Friday, for 2 years straight then go to my day job and it was draining. At the end of the day when it was time for me to workout and give to myself, I found that I had nothing left to give. It was only when I started slowing down, even just to enjoy my coffee in the morning that I felt fuller day by day.

#2: Action Creates Momentum

Any small action will ultimately create momentum towards the final goal. With this in mind, what is one action you can take today to move you closer to tomorrow? It could be as simple as folding that laundry basket you’ve been avoiding or going for a 10 minute walk. Folding that laundry basket could turn into getting to those dishes from last night or that walk could turn into doing a Union At Home workout. All you need to do is start, even if it’s just getting out of bed in the morning, that in itself could be everything. 

#3: Find Your Routine Again

So we’re journaling, we’re taking small actions within our lives and maybe we’re just feeling better overall. Like I said in #1, taking time for yourself will help keep your cup full because if we are continually emptying our cup over and over again something is going to break. We’ve all been clearly thrown out of our routine and probably getting eager to get back to it, so what does that look like? 

Grab your phone or a piece of paper and draw out your ideal week:

• • Label it for Monday through Friday
  • What time do you wake up at? How do you start your morning?
  • What does taking time for yourself look like? Is it working out or just enjoying a few extra minutes in bed with your favorite book?
  • Do you have kids? Have you wanted to find things as a family to do together?
  • Are you single? Have you wanted to make more time for your family/friends?
  • Are you in a relationship? What does a date night look like to you?

When was the last time you really sat down and looked at your entire week, start to finish. I’m sure most of you go through the paces much like myself and let the days blend together but sometimes a little structure goes a long way, even if its just writing it down.

#4: Pick One

Without essentially picking a goal we’ve starting analyzing our own lives and doing things to move us closer to tomorrow. We’ve done this by, understanding where we are presently and taking time for ourselves that turns into small daily actions that make us feel better. This allows us to dream up what could be and results in attainable goals to choose from. Your current goals could essentially be finding fun things to do with your partner, kids, family or friends. It doesn’t need to be something that so far out of reach or a goal that takes months to achieve. 

All we need is to understand that the world we live in now is so different than the one we had a few months ago and our goals should reflect that. It is also of the upmost importance to realize that where you are personally is different from someone you see on social media, put yourself first and take the steps you need to keep your cup full.

Disclaimer: 

Obviously I’m no expert in any one thing but I’ve found as an athlete and coach that there are tools I’ve obtained over the years that have helped me grow, I’ve learned these from coaches, mentors, close friends and even podcasts I’ve listened to. If anything I hope one of these four things help you look inward and find your growth even if its just looking at tomorrow.

Much love,

J

The body is fascinating. I am typing this and eating almonds, and despite being extremely sedentary, my body is still working. Clearly not difficult work but there are still jobs to be done, like keeping myself in good posture, engaging my fingers to type, and digesting my food. Although the intricacies may not excite everyone, I believe there is benefit for those who invest a certain amount of time and energy into transforming the body to understand an overview of its efforts.

I will continue to dive in a bit deeper to specific muscles and their role, provide a few tips for relieving pain without a massage, and similar topics that pop into my head or that you request. The thought of summarizing something so complex seems daunting, but my hope is that if you know nothing about the body you learn something and if you know it all you are reminded that the body is neat. Let’s get to it.

The muscular system consists of skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells. Cardiac and smooth muscles are part of the autonomic nervous system and work involuntarily. Cardiac muscle cells are found in the heart and smooth muscle cells line the walls in hollow organs such as the stomach and passageways such as arteries. In the skin these cells cause your hair to stand up when you are cold or scared, aka goosebumps. Skeletal muscle cells are under voluntary control of the somatic nervous system and are composed of bundles of cells called muscle fibers. Muscle fibers are composed of many myofibrils which contain sarcomeres. These are the block-like units that appear adjacently down the entire myofibril and each have alternating thick filaments (myosin) and thin filaments (actin). The myosin latches onto the actin pulling it so the proteins slide past each other. This causes the sarcomere to shorten thus creating a muscle contraction, known as the sliding filament mechanism.

I’m going to stop there with the actual contraction of muscles. I hope that gave you a glimpse of the internal happenings of muscle cells, but now I want to introduce something a little less #science-like and a bit more practical if you want to get the most out of training.

If you have worked with any of our coaches or trainers, I am sure you have heard the terms isometric, eccentric, and concentric contractions. I would like to bet they even taught you the meaning and benefit of each. But, if you haven’t used them yet or don’t quite get it, let’s take a peek now.

Isometric: the muscle fibers do not change length during contraction. Examples are exercises with a pause or a plank. Training isometrics are beneficial because they require you to maintain the proper position even when you are “on the breaks”.

Eccentric: the muscle fibers lengthen during this phase. An easier way to think of it is the part of the movement when your body wants to accelerate. Lowering the arm from a biceps curl, the downward motion of the squat, or the upward phase on the leg curl machine are a few examples. Training this phase of the movement can be done with negatives, or slow eccentrics, by using a count to slow the movement down. This is helpful for maintaining tension even when you are “stepping on the breaks” and for beginners learning the movement. Oftentimes, the eccentric phase will be prescribed for rehab exercises, although they do not always need to be slow reps.

Concentric: the muscle fibers shorten, creating the force to move an object. If training speed work, it is performed during this portion of the movement as we “step on the gas”. Examples are the upward portion of the biceps curl, standing up from a squat, and pulling yourself up during a pull-up.

Have you ever wondered why muscles received their name? Most are very easy to figure out and can be helpful during training. Muscles are named for a variety of reasons but here a few of the most interesting:

Arrangement of the muscle fibers: the fibers run lengthwise through the muscle and can be named dependent on their direction. Example: the deltoid is rounded and triangular on the shoulder. The transversus abdominis is the deepest abdominal muscle that runs horizontally across the abdomen. Knowing the direction of the fibers can help guide you in the action of that muscle and exercises to target it best.

Number of origins: The origin of a muscle is the attachment site that does not move and some have more than one. You might be able to guess. The (bi)ceps with the long and short head; the (tri)ceps with the long, medial, and lateral heads; and the (quad)riceps with four parts named the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. This can be helpful because although we typically group the three heads of the triceps into one word, each section can be targeted better through different movements. If you want bigger or more useful muscles, it helps to make them well rounded.

Location of origins and insertions: insertions are the movable attachments. An example of this is the sternocleidomastoid, a neck muscle that originates on the sternum and inserts on the mastoid (a part of the temporal bone near the ear). With any muscle, the insertion is pulled toward the origin when a muscle contracts, which can help guide you to the movement of the muscle.

Size of the muscle: examples are the gluteus maximus (the largest muscle in the body) or the extensor digiti minimi (the muscle that extends the pinky finger).

They can also be named for their action, but instead of listing a few examples I want to talk about those actions.

Flexion: a movement that decreases the joint angle (think biceps curl as you bring your wrist closer to your shoulder or hip flexion as you bring your knee closer to your chest).

Extension: a movement that increases the joint angle (think triceps extension as you straighten your arm or hip extension as you bring your hips through in a bridge).

Abduction: a movement that brings a limb away from the body (clamshells, side steps, or lateral raises). Adduction: a movement that brings the limb close to the body (return from abduction or cable crossover).

Elevation: a movement in the upward direction (shrugging).

Depression: return from upward movement.

Rotation: think rotator cuff exercises such as internal rotation and external rotation.

Performing any of the above actions will consist of the primary mover, the opposing muscle, and the helpers – and they all have special names. I will use the classic bicep curl as an example. The bicep, which is the muscle on the front of the arm performs elbow flexion, so it is the agonist; however, the triceps which is the muscle on the back of the arm performs elbow extension, so it is the antagonist in this situation. The brachioradialis and brachialis, two forearm muscles help the biceps move through elbow flexion so they are called synergists. I will redefine as needed again, but I will most certainly use these terms in the next few blogs.

Well, that covered a lot and very little all at the same time. The body is complex and it can seem overwhelming, but knowing even a little can make it seem less arduous. I encourage you to learn more about the body and here is my recommendation: each day you train, take a few minutes to search the exercises you plan to do and answer a few questions. What muscles are used during the movement? What are the actions? What is the antagonist and synergist of the agonist? If you are extra curious, read more, ask any of us your questions, and continue to learn. The more you know, the more effective your time in the gym will become, which is always valuable. 🙂

If you’ve spent a bit of time around a barbell, there’s a good chance you’ve either heard of or have incorporated tempo training into your program. If this is your first time hearing about it, then welcome. Tempo training can be extremely beneficial when it comes to building strength, muscle mass, and preventing/ overcoming injury. First, let’s dive into exactly what we mean when we refer to the term tempo. When used while performing a particular movement such as a squat, benchpress, deadlift, etc., the tempo refers to the amount of time that our body is performing an eccentric, isometric, and concentric contraction. In other words, this is the amount of time that it takes us to lower the bar and then return it to the starting position.

If you are following a training program that utilizes tempos, you will most likely see it written next to the movement that you are performing in the form of three numbers. For example: Barbell tempo front squats (3:2:1). In this example, the first digit refers to the number of seconds required for the eccentric (lowering) phase. The second refers to the isometric (pause) phase. And the third refers to the concentric (upward) phase. So, with a 3:2:1 tempo, the individual would lower the weight for a 3 count, pause for a 2 count, and drive the bar upward in a 1 count. This is just one of the many combinations you can use when incorporating tempos.

So what makes this method so beneficial? Although there are many benefits, the simplest answer would be that it increases the time under tension during the movement. Through this, you have the ability to improve in areas such as muscle hypertrophy, body awareness, motor control, and stability. On top of that, it’s a great way to challenge yourself and add variety to your training. Personally, I have seen all of these benefits from incorporating tempo work into my programming. As a high level powerlifter, it has allowed me to address my weaknesses within my lifts, gain a better understanding of my form and technique, and has helped me to prevent and overcome injuries in the past.

Now let’s go ahead and discuss how we can incorporate them. First and foremost, understand that tempos can be performed with any lift, not just the squat, bench press, or deadlift. They can be performed with free weights, machines, and even bodyweight exercises. There are 3 main ways to implement them into your training. Slow eccentrics, pause reps, and speed work.

Slow eccentrics: The eccentric portion of a lift typically places the most amount of stress on your muscles. So by using a slow tempo, you have the ability to improve hypertrophy and strength. It also allows you to focus on controlling the weight as it is being lowered, which will help to improve your technique. To achieve this, incorporate eccentrics of anywhere from 3-5 seconds, and start with using around 60% of your 1 rep max.

Paused reps: Pausing a rep at the bottom of the movement will teach you how to stay tight and control the load at what is considered the toughest point of the lift. With pauses, a tempo of 2-3 seconds is usually ideal, and like with slow eccentrics, starting with 60-70% of your 1 rep max is best.

Speed work: Working on explosive speed can allow your body to produce greater force over time, which will increase overall strength, speed, and muscle mass. When performing speed work, the load should move throughout the concentric portion of the movement as quickly as possible while also staying under control. Because of this, the tempo would look something like (2:0:0). As with eccentrics and pauses, start with 50-60% of your max.

The best way to learn what works best for you is to try it out for yourself and see. Regardless of what you go with, you will see nothing but benefits from incorporating tempo training into your routine.