Tag Archives: powerful

Why Team?

Fitness, Life Health, Training, , , , , , , ,

When I was younger nothing stuck for me, it wasn’t until my mother forced me into swimming that I eventually learned to love it. I started on a summer swim team, it was an outdoor pool and this less than 100lb girl would shiver like no other, my lips were blue and I was always and I mean always cold at practice. It was so bad that my mother had to buy me a wetsuit just so I could withstand an hour plus of practice. The Colby Sailfish is what started it all for me and from there my parents decided to put me into winter swimming, I remember it being a huge deal and caused so much drama. Back then moving from summer swimming to winter meant you wanted to be more competitive and looking back I realized if that never would have happened then I wouldn’t have been as competitive as I am today.

 

Swimming was a big part of my life and it helped me learn the importance of routine and structure. I followed swimming with cross-county and paired those together for the remainder of my school years. It didn’t leave much room for anything else but my life was sports and for as long as I can remember, even at 27 thats how it has always been. I’ve always enjoyed putting my all into something that gave me results based upon what I put in, it was entirely up to me and how hard I wanted to work. It showed me that work ethic didn’t throw out favors and it didn’t give away trophies for participation, there was a clear winner based upon time that was spent grinding.

 

My biggest takeaway from swimming was relays, it didn’t occur to me until later in life that I absolutely enjoyed the rush of being on a team consisting of four people. I’d always push myself harder, I’d swim faster and I’d leave it all out there in the pool for my teammates. This translated fluidly to when I started competing in the sport of Functional Fitness, being on a team consisting on two males and two females took pushing myself to a whole new level. In all my years of being an athlete I have never pushed myself to the point I continue to push myself on a day to day basis with my current teammates. 

 

This is why I think playing sports when you are younger is so important, it truly is part of what makes you who you are in this present moment. It teaches you things that you will carry throughout your life and give you skills that you can apply to many situations that aren’t even closely related to sports. When I was put on a relay in swimming I knew that I had a part to play in the outcome and with that being said, in life you play a part alongside many people. This can be your relationship, as a daughter, brother or sister, it could be as a parent or a coach. We are all constantly surrounded by opportunities to showcase our ability to work within a social structure and create something beautiful alongside others.

 

So, to answer the title of this blog, why team? I think it all comes down to being able to share something greater than yourself with other people. When working within a team generally you know your teammates abilities and they know yours so you’re able to jump in when they need a break and vise-versa. To be able to have this understanding amongst three other people is so rare and to even be able to communicate in such a way that you all understand what each individual is feeling is a learned skill from your younger years of competing. 

 

At the end of the day I absolutely love being on a team, it has given me a sense of belonging in a world that makes it so hard to be yourself. It’s also more than a team, they are your friends, your family, not because you spend so much time together but because you truly do care about each individual. I think I’ll always choose to be on a team in every aspect of my life, not just my athletic pursuits. If the life lessons of team sports taught me this much that it carried through till my 27th year around the sun then there is something to be said about the kind of person you turn into when you learn to let people help you and they let you help them in return.

 

Much love,

 

Jocelyn

Understanding the Basics of a Training Program: Part 1

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Designing or following a training program can be challenging in its own ways. Different words, numbers, and exercises, all have a specific purpose and need to be incorporated correctly. Today we are going to go over a few of the major aspects of a training program that will benefit anyone, regardless of experience level or goals.

 

Main movement:

 

The main movement is the first movement of the day after completing your warm up. This will consist of a squatting, pressing, or deadlifting variation, and sometimes can also consist of a power variation including the snatch or clean. This movement is the priority of the day and will dictate the rest of the training session. It is important to understand that the main movement should demand a great deal of focus and dedication. These are the movements that are the foundation of your training program, and require the most attention to detail.

 

Assistance movements:

 

Assistance work is directly intended to “assist” the main movement. If you have a very noticeable weakness that is showing through your main movement, then your assistance exercises should be selected accordingly in order to correct that weakness. Assistance exercises are typically in the form of variations of the main movement, and should be performed once the main movement is finished. For example, If your main movement is a barbell back squat, but you noticed that you were getting loose when coming out of the bottom, then your assistance movement could be something along the lines of a paused squat, with an emphasis on keeping full body tension and positioning.

 

Accessories:

 

Accessory exercises should come later in the workout and are intended to build the areas that are used to perform the main movement of the training session. They usually come in the form of isolation or “bodybuilding” exercises such as dumbbell work, machines, and bodyweight variations. Think of these as your shield of armor. They are intended to “bulletproof” your body by building muscle and staying injury free by developing overall balance.

 

Volume:

 

Volume is the measurement of the total amount of work performed. It is typically calculated in the form of sets x reps x weight. Tracking volume can be very important in the overall effectiveness of your training program. If your total volume is too high, then you might have a hard time recovering from session to session, or at worst, it could lead to injury. If your total volume is not enough, then you will have trouble getting the stimulus needed to progress. Keep an eye on your volume, see how you feel and how you respond, and make adjustments as needed.

 

Intensity:

 

Generally, training intensity refers to the amount of effort that you are putting into whatever movement or exercise that you are performing. When performing a barbell movement, intensity refers to the amount of weight or “load” that is being lifted. We often see this written in the form of weight, or in a percentage of a one rep max. Like volume, intensity is also very important to keep an eye on. The point is to produce the necessary amount of stimulus in order to acquire progression. Too much intensity too often and you risk over-training and injury. Too little and you risk a lack of progress.

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 as we dive in a little deeper.

 

 

Welcome to the NEW UF

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Union Family & friends,

 

We are pumped to see your smiling masked faces and tossing around all of the elbow bumps as we get back into the kettlebell swing of things.

 

We have great news, huge news, the best news coming your way, Saturday 13th from 9am-3pm we will be having a day of outside socially distanced classes to show off our addition to our main UF location. “What will be there President Bumps-a-Lot?” Well let me tell you my friends, we will have Pittsburgh’s DJ truck providing jams, Fit Fresh Kitchen meals, Come Ready Protein Drinks and You of course! “Wow, how cool, tell me more”! You got it buddy, check out the schedule below and come get bumpy with all your favorite UF Coaches.

 

Saturdays are for Social Distance and Getting Bumpy

 

9am: Powerful w/CeJ

 

10am: Yoga

 

11am: Cardio Lab

 

12pm: Powerful w/Curty

 

12pm: Yoga on the Lawn

 

1pm: Bootcamp

 

2pm: Yoga

 

2pm: Bike Adventures w/Hamer (BYOB) (Bring Your Own Bike)

 

We are very excited to show off our new space and have our UF family back together, so excited that if you want to bring a friend, please do (just give us a heads up please). We will also use this time to come together and donate to the Pittsburgh Food Bank, any canned goods are welcomed and appreciated. Any of our members that are business owners and would like to join us in this event please reach out.

 

Let’s have some fun, stay safe and come together as a UF community.

 

Cheers,

CeJ

Welcome to the Green Phase

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As per the governor’s announcement today, we are now moving into the green phase of re-opening. What does this mean to us? It means Union Fitness will be re-opening! Before we can re-open, we have some house cleaning to do. 

 

Equipment loan program.

 

If you borrowed equipment from the gym, we ask that you return it next week. We will have staff in the gym from 12-3 every day for you to drop off any equipment that you borrowed. When you drop it off, make sure the staff checks off what you are returning. If you have issues with drop off times, email todd@unionfitness.com and we can work with you. 

 

Expanded UF.

 

Our expansion is nearing completion. We were planning on having a party to open this space, yet we feel it is inappropriate to host a large event right now. Instead we are doing a day of outside classes on June 13th. We will have a schedule posted next week for our kickoff. We will have free classes all day and they will all be held outside on our new turf.

 

Iron City Open.

 

The meet we host every year has been postponed, and we are planning on hosting this meet in August. Let’s keep our city healthy so we can get back to doing what we love!

 

Finally, we will have new policies for everyone entering the facility. Here is a list of the new policies we will be enforcing.

 

Re-Opening Procedures Union Fitness

  1. Everyone entering UF will have their temperature taken. Anyone with a temperature above 100 degrees will not be allowed to enter.
  2. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 we ask you to stay home and observe the CDC guidelines regarding quarantining periods before returning to UF.
  3. If you test positive for COVID-19 or become aware that you have been exposed to someone who has the disease we ask that you promptly inform Todd Hamer so that we can have the sanitation procedures recommended by the CDC completed for the impacted areas.  We will keep this information confidential and will not identify you.  Our staff will be following the same procedures.
  4. Everyone who enters must first go to the locker room and wash your hands.
  5. Please respect everyone and wipe down equipment before and after each use using the disinfectant wipes provided by UF.
  6. All staff will be required to wear masks while inside the UF space.  All clients must wear masks when entering and exiting Nova Place, until they are within the UF space.
  7. Personal equipment cannot be left within the facility until further notice. 
  8. Gym capacity will be 20 people maximum in fitness center, 15 people maximum in strength lab, 10 people maximum in cardio lab and 12 people maximum in performance lab.
  9. A maximum of 5 people will be allowed in the locker room at any one time. We ask that you do not spend unnecessary time in the locker room. If there are 5 people or more in the locker room, please wait your turn.
  10. Use the hand sanitizer provided.

 

Please be patient and understand that we are all getting through this together. We will  do all we can to assist our members and work to resolve any issues you may have.

 

These procedures will be updated as the situation evolves and we receive guidance from applicable governmental authorities.

PGH FRESH

Clean Eating, Nutrition,

Too busy for meal prep? Look to Pittsburgh Fresh.


A few weeks ago, we wrote about the many benefits of prepping your meals for the week. Nothing makes sticking to a healthy diet easier than being prepared! However, I’m sure quite a few of you wrote off that advice: “I’m waaay too busy to spend 3 hours cooking every weekend!” I get that, and I’m not here to shame you. Over the past few months, I found my schedule quickly filling up: more hours at work, attempts at a social life, studying for new certifications, plus trying to keep my house in order. I can’t even imagine how hard that would be if there were kids in the mix! Something had to give, and that something was starting to look like my weekly meal prep. Luckily, a local meal delivery company contacted me on social media, and I decided to give them a try. I am so, so happy I did!


Pittsburgh Fresh, (https://pghfresh.com/) based out of Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood, is a meal delivery company committed to providing their customers with food that is both healthy and truly delicious. They deliver meals to a number of locations in and around the city, and will even deliver directly to your home on Sundays! I got a chance to talk to Ling Wollenschlaeger, Pittsburgh Fresh Founder and Head Chef, about how the company got started, her feelings on healthy food and living, and her favorite place to eat in Pittsburgh.


Q: What inspired you to start Pittsburgh Fresh?
A: I wanted to help busy families and professionals maintain healthy eating habits and make eating healthy easy!!


Q: What is your healthy eating philosophy?
A: I try to eat everything fresh and avoid processed food.


Q: What is your favorite Pittsburgh Fresh meal so far?
A: Definitely the chicken bruschetta with spaghetti squash primavera.


Q: What services besides meal delivery does Pittsburgh Fresh offer?
A: We offer catering (corporate, weddings, etc.), as well as some grab & go items that you can pick up at Faster Pittsburgh in the Southpointe Town Center.


Q: Where else do you like to eat in Pittsburgh?
A: Easily the Strip District. It’s a place with a melting pot of great food.


Q: What’s your favorite way to work out?
A: I like to stay busy and active throughout the day and try new workouts: spinning, yoga, CrossFit, hiking, group exercises, and always having fun!!!


We are so excited about Pittsburgh Fresh and we want all of our members at Union Fitness to have a chance to try them out! On Tuesday, February 28, Pittsburgh Fresh will be in the gym doing a free dinner tasting after our 5:30-6:30pm #powerful class. Come in and give the barbell and some really tasty post-workout food a try! We’ll see you there.