Hi everyone!    My name is Alicia and I am a new summer intern here at Union Fitness. I am a senior Exercise Science student at Slippery Rock University and I am also in the process of becoming a NASM certified personal trainer. My long-term goal is to become a Physical Therapist and I will be applying to PT school this June!    I have had a strong passion for exercise since a young age. Growing up I played softball and did gymnastics. As of now, I focus primarily on full body weightlifting and I would like to get into yoga in the future as well! Outside of the gym I enjoy ..read more

Stretching is an essential component of any fitness routine, often overlooked or rushed through. It not only improves flexibility but also plays a crucial role in injury prevention and performance enhancement. There are two primary types of stretching: static stretching and dynamic stretching, each serving different purposes and best suited for specific times in your workout routine.       Static Stretching    Static stretching involves holding a stretch for a prolonged period, typically 15-30 seconds. It helps improve flexibility by elongating the ..read more

Hey Friends!   I’m Hannah, a NASM certified personal trainer. I am a Pittsburgh native and have over two years of experience with individual and group training within the city. As a coach I strive to help each person I work with to create their OWN version of a healthy and happy life. I am from an active household and was taught how important it is to live a healthy life through movement. I grew up playing softball and golf. When I’m not in the gym I still love to get out on the course in my free time and I’m always looking for new hikes to go on with my dog Quinn. My biggest piece of adv ..read more

Hello to all members of Union Fitness!!    We have some very exciting class schedule changes happening starting this upcoming Monday, May 6th. Read on to find out what’s coming!    We unfortunately are saying our goodbyes to all of the ryde classes, so the bikes are currently up for sale. If you or anyone you know may want one, please let us know asap! Since that class will no longer be offered, we are adding in some extra “mobility” and cardio lab classes! Here is the new weekly schedule below.    Monday  6:00-7:00am #Powerful  7:00-7:30am Cardio Lab&nb ..read more

Hey everyone!   With summer rolling around, I thought I would share with you all a few fairly easy high protein foods that I like to cook when I meal prep.   Spicy Salsa Chicken- Dense in protein, low in fat, and is a good mix up if you are tired of eating plain grilled chicken. Ingredients- 1-2 cans/glasses of salsa. 1 Franks hot sauce, salt and pepper. 1 package of chicken breast Get a crock pot and throw in the pack of raw chicken breast. Season it as you would like while it is in crock pot. Dump all the salsa into the crock pot and ensure all the chicken is covered. Add as muc ..read more

As the great poet of our time, Limp Bizkit once said ” And if my day keeps going this way, I just might break something tonight”.    Well another way to keep that energy rolling in a more productive manner, why don’t we try incorporating the sledge hammer into our training. Sledgehammer training will put your strength, power, coordination, endurance and chutzpah to the test. From a 4lbs sledge to a hulking 65lbs sledge, there are various movements to utilize this tool. A classic staple is the tride and true slam to tire, but you can use the sledge to complete ..read more

Everyone has those days or weekends where we do not feel like meal prepping, whether it be constraint in time, money, or motivation. However, having adequate nutrition after training hard is crucial to make new gains or to lose pounds. So today, I will write about how to plan out super simple prepped meals so you can reach your goals in the gym.   First meal is a crock pot chuck roast. The ingredients you need are: chuck roast, obviously, I like to get it from Aldi as they have the cheapest option. 1 table spoon of olive oil for searing, salt and pepper – season roast with a fair amount o ..read more

Hello everyone! My name is Mary Howski, and I am a new trainer at Union. I am a student at Pitt, studying Exercise Science. About 90% of the people in my program want to pursue Physical Therapy, but there are a few of us, myself included, who want to follow a strength and conditioning route.     There are two main things that led to me choosing this career path. First, I grew up playing year-round, super competitive volleyball for school and for club teams. I was a libero as well as the person who chose the warmup music and gave the pregame pep talks for my club team. This team ..read more

Human beings have been able to move bipedally for thousands of years, a little fun fact is that humans can outrun cheetahs, wolves and even horses when it comes to long distance running, but when it comes to speed we are some of the slowest animals out there. Today, I’m going give you some programming to help you increase your speed and maybe you will be able to outrun a wombat (25mph) or at least at Black mamba (14mph).   First, we want to start with a warm up. Sprinting is tough on the body, especially if you are going 100% speed – you have to make sure your body is ready for impact. He ..read more

From an early age most of us have been taught or programmed to think that comfort equals happiness and that we should take the path of least resistance. While comfort can help with unwinding after a long day and may give temporary relief, it can do more harm than good if comfort is the only thing you seek. Comfort is like a drug, and once you have it, it is extremely difficult to change that habit. What can tend to happen is that we bleed our dopamine system dry of happiness through constant scrolling, drugs, alcohol, binge watching tv or gambling because it gives us that temporary comfort or ..read more