Welcome, Coach Bill!

Having grown up in Northeast Philadelphia, Bill majored in Broadcasting.  He worked as a radio show producer in Detroit for five years before making his way back to the city of brotherly love, where he discovered his passion for health and fitness, losing 50lbs in the process!

After achieving early success in helping a number of clients change their lifestyles for the better, Bill was convinced that his destiny lay in motivating others to reach their personal health goals.  He joins Unite with years of experience and integrated knowledge ranging from exercise to nutrition.

What’s your favorite exercise?

I like intensity, there is no doubt about that!  Total body exercises are the best.  Not only are they functional, combining different muscle groups to work together, but they also train the mind because they make you think! It’s hard to pick one, but one of my favorite combos is “step up to balance to curl to press then step down” … and repeat!

If you could pick one superpower, what would it be?

My superpower would be x-ray vision.  I have been working with clients for 8 years now and it would be nice to see the muscles and joints inside their bodies as they move.  This could help me direct them to the proper corrective exercise, if there is a muscle imbalance or tightness somewhere.  It would be a great way to prevent injuries for my clients and help them work out correctly.

What’s your favorite tattoo, and why?

I only have one really big tattoo at the moment.  It started with just a simple arm band that has grown in the past two years.  My next tattoo starts soon and will be completed by the end of this summer on my left arm.  It’s always an exciting and scary experience, but mostly exciting!

What’s your favorite cheat meal?

Fatterday is the day I have my cheat meal.  That is usually one of the weekend days – cheeseburger and fries is my guilty pleasure.

Who would play you in a movie of your life?

It would have to be Jerry O’Connell.  He plays the chunky Vern Tessio in Stand By Me and reminds me of myself as a kid.  He grew up, got thin and found good health, a lot like myself.

 

We’re excited to add Bill as the latest member of our Unite Fitness family!  If you see him around, introduce yourself, his energy is contagious, and who doesn’t need a little more of that!

 

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HEAVY DAMN DUMBBELLS
 

“You’re stronger than you think and this workout is all about moving your weights up and getting out of your comfort zone”

- Coach Jesse

Phase: Strength & Conditioning 
Muscles: Legs, Shoulder, BicepCARDIO:

  • Perform 3 min, 2 min, and 1 min intervals increasing speed with each and recovering for 45 sec in between.  
  • Do these three intervals on a small hill, then repeat on medium hill and steep hill.

STRENGTH:

  1. Squat curl press & ab pikes (8-12 reps x 3 sets)
  2. Heavy squat, strict shoulder press & side pikes (8-12 reps x 3 sets)
  3. Sumo squat high pull & heavy bicep curl (8-12 reps x 3 sets)
EXERTION – Momentum starts with a big first push

Momentum is what we need to start building, which starts with a big first push or effort. To get the ball rolling is the hardest part because as an object at rest stays at rest, but once you get the energy moving it wants to stay moving. A habit or routine is the same way, so with old unhealthy habits or just engrained routines it is gonna take an initial exertion to make a change in your diet, daily schedule, socializing, workouts, etc. So get yourself psyched up with our videos, transformations, prep steps and lets dive deep into the program with faith that only good things will come out.

Instant gratification isn’t were its at when it comes to true health and happiness, that is the siren song of debilitating distractions and temporary fixes. The path of fitness and nutrition is slower and longer with more subtle gratification in the moment and rewards that are built over time not handed out cheaply like a drug. But like a strong fort built brick by brick, a healthy mindset and lifestyle becomes nearly impenetrable once the walls are set.

- Coach Gavin
BROILED SALMON / GINGERY CUCUMBER SALAD

“This zingy side dish is full of veggies with cucumber, radishes and sweet onion tossed in 

a ginger-honey vinaigrette.”

- Coach Juliet


INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 sweet onion (such as Vidalia)
  • 4 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/4 lb skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

PREPARATION:

Heat the pan on medium heat and cook the salmon for ~3 min per side.  Chop vegetables and add the sauce mixture.

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Coaches Healthy Restaurant Picks in Philadelphia

At Unite Fitness we encourage people to prepare their food more in order to really provide quality control over
what we put in our bodies.  However making all our food at home can be a challenge at times and we are forced
to get take out or eat at a restaurant. This is not the time to let your health goals disappear with abandon. You
can still eat healthy. We luckily live in a city that has a lot of options. Here are our coaches’ favorite healthy
spots to help you make the right choices.

Fast Eats

  • Pure Fare- 119 S 21st St  Philadelphia: 100% gluten free. lot’s of options for vegans, paleo lovers and more.
  • Eat-A-Pita-128 S 12th St  Philadelphia: They use stevia and greek yogurt, instead of sugar and cream in their salad dressings. Need I say more?
  • Animo Juice Bar and Burrito Bar-1701 Arch St  Philadelphia: Healthy Burritos, Quinoa bowls and green juices. Oh my!
  • Essene Market and Café-719 S 4th St  Philadelphia: All vegetarian salad bar, that’s super fresh and delicious.
  • Whole Food Hot Bar and Salad Bar- 2 locations: 929 South St and 2001 Pennsylvania Ave Philadelphia: They have just about every kind of food you can imagine. Make your own delicious, healthy dinners here.
  • Sweet Green-3925 Walnut St  Philadelphia: Mostly local and organic. A great place to make your own salads. And they have no sugar added organic frozen yogurt.
  • Agno Grill-2104 Chestnut Street Philadelphia:  A sister restaurant to Pure fare. Clean eating at it’s finest for Mediterranean food.
  • Chipotle-  2 locations: 1200 Walnut St Philadelphia and 3925 Walnut St Philadelphia:If you’re going to do fast food. This is the place to go. They have free-range chicken and they are about to start  labeling if  anything is GMO.

 

Sit Down Restaurants

  • Zavino-112 S 13th St  Philadelphia: Not just for amazing pizza. Try one of their kale salads and the veggie platter.
  • Mi Lah Vegetarian-218 S 16th St  Philadelphia: Kale in a miso broth and sweet potato home fries!
  • Fare Restaurant-2028 Fairmount Ave  Philadelphia: The portions for their brunch are right on. No more over eating!
  • White Dog Café-3420 Sansom St  Philadelphia: Mostly organic and local. Can’t get any better than this.
  • Vedge-1221 Locust St  Philadelphia: A great place to reconnect with a love of veggies.
  • Dmitris- 3 locations: 795 S 3rd St , 944 N 2nd St and 2227 Pine St Philadelphia: The food here is so fresh. Order the tilapia or a whole fish with the greens, instead of the rice.
  • Fork-306 Market St  Philadelphia: Holiday brunches with the family? This is the place to go.
  • Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar-200 South 40th Street Philadelphia: Awesome place for a date night. The movie theater is right next door.

 

 

 

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OPENNESS – Being Happy Is An Opening Process

When we try something new, look upon something in a new way or learn something new we feel exhilarated and fulfilled.  We feel happy.

Often times as we learn and experience more over the years, we mistakenly pre-judge and box up future people and experiences that seem similar in some effort to optimize what we want to gain and avoid. We can bias the present, and sometimes even the future, with our opinions about the past and seal off all chance of feeling curious and happy about it.  It becomes “ho-hum”, “been there, done that”.
Prejudiced mind is not just missing the joy and education the present moment can have, it actually feels tight, irritated, miserable. Just look at the grimacing face of a know-it-all versus the wonder of a child. Who has the right approach to being happier more of the time?

A true master knows that the more you learn, the more you realize just how much you still don’t know. Instead of categorizing the world as we go, we stay open and let each moment reveal its own truth. Sometimes your bias will prove correct, but in equal measure you will be surprised and delighted. Either way we can laugh at how untrustworthy our prejudice is. 

Seek new uncomfortable experiences, welcome new strange people, consider differing perspectives and be curious about everything. Be open to be happy.

- Coach Gavin

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Pure Tonics: Delicious and Vibrant Elixirs Supplement Your Journey to Better Health

To juice or not to juice?  The trend is certainly popular, and your options are growing by the day.  So why choose Pure Tonics?

As of late, juicing has been commonly thought of to be a cleansing and detoxifying method.  Many persons juice as a short-term replacement for meals.  Pure Tonics has a different philosophy.  If you already maintain a healthful diet, then Pure Tonics is intended as a supplement to your routine.  If you hope to have a healthy diet, then Pure Tonics can be a transitional step for you; with Pure Tonics, the idea is to develop a sustained taste for fresh fruits and vegetables instead of sugar, salt and refined carbohydrates.

Pure Tonics is inspired by how fresh vegetable and fruits have improved my health and that of loved ones.  A few benefits we’ve experienced: grey hairs growing back dark, glowing complexions, fewer wrinkles, sustained energy levels, effortless weight loss, improved concentration and being more resistant to illnesses.  Some people juice with the misconception that they are assisting their body in the detoxifying process.  Luckily, we already have built-in detoxifiers to rectify this problem – our liver and kidneys.  Unfortunately, many of the juices on the market only aggravate this natural process.

Currently, the majority of juices have a high fruit: low vegetable ratio.  In other words, they are high in sugar.  It is Pure Tonics’ goal to provide you with low-sugarelixirs with just enough sweetness to consume more fresh greens.  The average modern juice has 25-30 grams of sugar per 16 oz. bottle.  The majority of Pure Tonics’ products has under 15 grams of sugar per 18 oz. bottle, which is at least 50% less than other raw and commercial juices.

Pure Tonics is cold-pressed, meaning no heat (molecular modification) has been introduced in the juicing process and more phytonutrients are concentrated per bottle.  Pure Tonics is 100% organic and unpasteurized, and is bottled in glass, not plastic.  Pure Tonics has three lines of tonics from which to choose: Rejuvenate, Rehydrate, and Rebuild.ts has under 15 grams of sugar per 18 oz. bottle, which is at least 50% less than other raw and commercial juices.

Pure Tonics = the next step towards optimal health!

 

 View the complete line of Pure Tonics at puresweets.com

Produced in a 100% gluten-free, vegan, organic, kosher facility.

Allergen warning: tree nuts and peanuts present.

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CRAZY 8′s

“Don’t skip squats, they burn more calories per rep than almost any other move.”
- Coach Jesse

Phase: Athletic Power
Muscles: Legs, Back, Biceps

CARDIO:

  • Warmup
  • On a Medium Hill, Sprint for 90 sec, 60 sec, and 30 sec. Recover between each sprint for 30-90 sec.
  • Rest and repeat Sprints (90, 60, 30 sec) on a Flat and on a High Hill

STRENGTH:

  1. 8 min AMRAP: Heavy squat x 8, squat jump x 8, Suspension back row single arm x 8 each arm
  2. 8 min AMRAP: Heavy back row single arm x 8 each arm, Suspension lunge jump x 8 each leg
  3. 8 min AMRAP: Front lunge weighted x 8, Suspension bicep curl single arm x 8 each arm

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Setbacks Are Normal, Just Keep Moving Forward

Determination is finding the inner strength to get to the goal or to a point where you realize your goal needs to change. If we don’t set the details of our goal in concrete and allow them to shift than it becomes a lot easier to be determined.  We are head towards a general area and time, not a finite point. 

Setbacks are normal and happen to everyone, in every endeavor. Don’t take setbacks too personally, they are really just feedback from the world. Its up to us how we use that information.  
Feedback does not have to be scary. It might come with a punch in the face but after that initial shock there is always a big lesson to be learned. If we are a determined in our mission than we will use that feedback to adjust and keep moving forward. We do not stop, or cower, or complain, or run away. Those are traits of the unsuccessful, the unhappy so choose to be determined instead.

Being steadfast in who you want to be, continually coming back towards the vision when you fall off. Determination is not something you have, it is something you practice. Think of someone you admire for their determination. What does a determined person tend to say/think to themselves when times get tough?
- Coach Gavin

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CONTENT – To Feel Free Be Content With What You Got

We have been taught to be goal driven, but when does it become goal obsessed?
The advertising of luxury goods, trips, etc. has conditioned us to aspire to want more, but at what cost?
Goals and desires inspire us to make things happen so they themselves are not the problem, our attachment to them is what causes us to suffer.  If we attach our happiness to these external achievements and things, then we feel fear of failure, anxiety, and speediness trying to always get that thing. When we get in this state we loose the ability to enjoy the process, each other and be happy with where we are and what we have right now. We are essentially rejecting the reality of this moment as not good enough, not “right”, and fighting, struggling to make it different. Mental struggle creates unnecessary stress and blockages.
Contentment is simply stopping the struggling and allowing this moment to be imperfect. Allow yourself to be imperfect. Allow others to be imperfect. Allow the situation to be “unfair”. Contentment is a quick mental shift from focusing on all that is wrong to being essentially neutral or unbiased by your personal desires so you can actual see all sides. We don’t think of being content or neutral as a good thing, but neutral feels free, neutral is balanced, neutral sees reality, neutral is amazing!
Being content is working hard and heartfelt in this moment, without a solid expectation of what the result must be in order to maintain your peace of mind. Remember so much is out of our control so don’t fight those things head on, work with those things.
- Coach Gavin

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Butts & Guts

“Dig into your super strong legs for some sick toning.”
- Coach Jesse
Phase: Strength and Conditioning
Muscles: Legs, Butt, Abs

CARDIO:

  • Warmup on a flat, increasing the incline every minute for 5 minutes.
  • Recover 1 min
  • High hill climb 3 min, followed by a flat for 2 min
  • Recover 1 min
  • Repeat series 3 x

STRENGTH:

  1. Squat to alternating back lunge 10 reps/leg, holding med dumbbells. Superset with Suspension pikes 20 reps. Repeat 3 sets
  2. Single leg deadlift balance 10 reps each leg. Superset with 10 side pikes/side. Repeat 3 sets.
  3. Donkey kicks 20 each leg. Hold a plank for 1 minute. Repeat 3 sets

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Why We Use Cardio Intervals

 

If you’ve trained at Unite Fitness, you know we love to use interval training, especially for cardio, but maybe you didn’t hear why exactly our cross-training workouts use them.

Increase Metabolism “Calorie Fire”: When you integrate short bouts of intense exercise (above target heart rate) into a “regular” workout it causes larger uptakes of oxygen, both during and after exercise. You notice the need for more oxygen as a huff and puff after a sprint, which you might correlated to blowing air on a “calorie fire”. to get it really cooking! Over time your body adapts to this higher intensity and becomes more efficient at burning calories, which signifies the raising of the metabolism. It also means it is simply a time efficient way to burn calories and get the cardio benefits vs super long sessions.

Increase Speed: For the many endurance athletes, the cardio intervals at Unite are key because they help break through the plateaus you will hit if you simply train at the same intensity all the time, i.e. long paced runs/bikes/rows. With that big oxygen uptake you improve your overall respiratory capacity, i.e. you can work at higher intensities and faster paces without getting out of breath, so it will seem easier to take on long runs at a faster pace.

Aerobic improvements can be felt within two weeks, motivating continued training, but significantly greater benefits are realized after several months of training, so start now!

 

 

Gavin McKay & Mark Donahue

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