posted on March 1, 2018
We’re going to try something a little different with one of our blogs each month moving forward. You’re going to hear straight from me about what I see and hear every day in our gym. My goal is to make it easily digestible and worth your time. If you find that it is, tell us. If you find that it’s garbage, tell us. We’re just like you- trying to improve at everything we do.
Our staff at UF has done a tremendous job putting our blogs together to get information across to our members each month. Most of it is what we preach daily to you all. Some of it was fun. Starting in February we went from 8-12 blog posts per month down to one per week. Like we preach in training- quality over quantity. So, if there are things you’re interested in learning more about, email us and we’ll write you your own blog post.
To keep this coherent, I’m going to use our values at UF to organize this information. That may change over time, but I think this is a great way to start. If you’re interested in reading more about those, click here: https://unionfitness.com/about/
UF values- EPIC: Education—Passion—Integrity—Community
Education
Earlier this month our staff took a trip to Columbus for an RPR clinic (Reflexive Performance Reset). Admittedly, I went for selfish reasons. I’m trying to fix my hips because my training has been suffering as a result of some dysfunction. However, my staff jumped at the opportunity to go (spending their own time and money) to help better serve our members with their performance and recovery. The basis of RPR is to use very simple techniques to reset your nervous system, allowing your muscles to do what they were intended to do. Traditional methods- massage and Active Release Therapy (ART) and rehab are all great tools, but they’re focus is limited to the muscle. RPR focuses on the nervous system, which controls the muscle.
One common application is back pain. We live in a world that our bodies are not designed for (sitting all day, eyes glued to phones or computers, etc). It causes bad compensation patterns including tight hip flexors and tight psoas. So when you walk in to train, your nervous system keeps your psoas and hip flexors tight because that’s what you’ve taught it to do. I can explain why that leads to back pain but the point is moot because you have back pain and you don’t care why, you just want to fix it. So if you’re seeing some new warm ups in class, it’s a result of this clinic. If you have any questions, please consult one of our coaches.
Google “psoas” and “hip flexor” for reference.
Read more about RPR here: https://www.reflexiveperformance.com/about/
Passion
I’m going to try to make this as inclusive as possible, but understand I’m only one set of eyes. And I don’t get to see everyone in the gym each week let alone every day. With that being said, I want to take a moment to acknowledge Piyush Gupta for his commitment and passion in training. He comes in every day and busts his ass, but more importantly, he sticks to his goals outside of the gym. He and I have worked together over the last few months to tailor his training and nutrition. He’s responded really well already adding a few pounds of muscle in such a short time period. He understands that this is a process and there are no short cuts and for that I admire his work ethic. So thank you, Piyush, for you passion.
Integrity
There are two definitions of integrity. (1) the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles and (2) the state of being whole and undivided. Both apply to Union Fitness. We try to uphold honesty and integrity through our everyday interactions with our members. You and your experiences in our facility #1 and #2 priorities for us. Without you, there’s no us. Which leads me to the second definition- wholeness or oneness. I want to take a moment to publicly commend Coach Ali and Coach Lindsey. They’ve both poured themselves into coaching over the last year, but specifically empowering the women of Union Fitness. They’ve created a wholeness in our community that welcomes women of all backgrounds and ability levels. Through their hard work and our members’ trust, they’ve strengthened the integrity of our community at Union Fitness.
Community
Last but not least, I think this might be my favorite part of Union Fitness. So let me publicly thank you all for your contributions to our community. This is the first facility that I’ve managed, but I’ve been to every size and style gym across Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Austin. Very rarely do I have to stop someone from doing something dangerous or disruptive. More often than not I see members in both the Fitness Center and Strength Lab supporting each other and that means the world to me. It’s hard enough to get to the gym some days. Having a friend, training partner, coach, or even an acquaintance can make this process easier. Stay accountable to yourself, but lean on this community that YOU ALL have built to hold yourselves accountable.
Casey, Manager Union Fitness
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