Whew! Past couple months threw us all for a loop. But June is upon us and like the start of summer, the promise of better times ahead has us all peeking outside our doors and tentatively stepping out to pick up our lives where we broke off so suddenly mid-March.
First Week Back
We were very excited to welcome Empower members back into the gym this week! Thank you everyone who made this possible by returning equipment and thank you everyone for your patience and cooperation in implementing all the new safety procedures. We learned a lot this week like who sleep walks, who sleep talks, who flies in their sleep and what sleep paralysis is. We found out that no one loves Tuesdays. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays were predictably popular but to our surprise, two people look forward to Mondays because that’s when the next episode of “The Last Dance” is released or because they get to return to work and escape their family. Two people like Wednesdays, the first because he is determined to be a divergent thinker, the second because she wants to be different, just like the first guy. One person likes Thursday because it is almost Friday. But no one liked Tuesdays. Poor sad, lonely, unloved Tuesdays!
Safe Returns
Here’s a demo of some of the safety precautions we’re taking to make your return a healthy one. If you’re ready to make your return to classes please familiarize yourself with our new safety procedures.
Zoom Along with Us
We’re running Zoom WODs along with group classes. Super Mario’s big Zoom screen has made this integration a lot more successful. There have been a few glitches as the coaches learn to adapt to modern technology but please bear with us, old dogs can learn new tricks, it just takes us a bit longer. Please let us know if you are having trouble getting in on Zoom. Our favourite Zoom innovations came on deadlift day with Hawkeye deadlifting her couch, Venom attaching 100lbs worth of gear to his hockey stick and Master Dray lifting a whole horse mounting station with Boomer flailing atop it for added challenge.
Outdoor WODs
Hopefully the weather holds as The Touch’s Outdoor WODs are growing in popularity! They are a great safe alternative to the gym if you crave face-to-face human contact (at appropriate safe distance) but are not yet ready to train indoors with others.
Athletics
This Tuesday night Athletics is back! Shades’ popular classes will be running at 7pm Tuesday and Thursday evenings and noon on Sundays to allow a 1-hour window between classes.
Expanding Classes
As more Empower members return we are hoping to add more classes to the schedule so please start signing up. Wherever we see waitlists we know there is demand. Hopefully we’ll see a gradual easing of restrictions over the coming weeks that will allow us to increase class sizes and eventually run classes back-to-back which will allow for a more expanded schedule.
Wait List
Class capacity is largely determined by the particular workout. Deadlift day we could fit 9 attendees while easily maintaining a 2×2 metre safe distance from one another. Monday’s workout can accommodate 8. We will email folks on the waitlist the day before to let you know if we can squeeze you in.
Thanks to the Team
It is all about community. Thanks to our community for really coming together to make all this possible. Thanks to Shades for introducing us to Zoom. Thanks to D’Knee for suggesting the equipment lending library. Thanks to Peril and Whisper for suggesting the Zoom WOD integration with group classes. Thanks to Doc Disc for recommending coaches get mic’d up. Thanks for Super Mario improving our Zoom integration by hooking up the Zoom screen and mic. Thanks to Fierce for tackling the huge job of planning and supplying our new cleaning protocols. Thanks to our medical professionals for advice and guidance throughout. And I’m sure there are countless others who have contributed great suggestions that I’m forgetting. We were never prepared for this unprecedented circumstance and I don’t believe I had a single great idea of how to adapt to it so I am grateful that you had so many fantastic ideas to help get us through!
Cooking Club
For the month of June Shine will be once again hosting the Empower Cooking Club in her kitchen, this time featuring a main course. Date and time to be announced.
Egyptian Cuisine and Laughs
Friday June 5th 1-3pm South Vancouver Neighbourhood House is hosting a Virtual Cooking demo and Laughter Yoga featuring Egyptian cuisine. For more info please email [email protected]
Monday WOD
150 glute-ham sit ups is enough to make most of us sore at the best of times. After 2 months away, this volume could be deadly. Luckily, most of you will not have access to the GHD as we are not sharing equipment in class. That’s just fine because I do not recommend jumping right back up to that volume. V-Ups will be our GHD alternative. It’s going to be a grind!
Equipment:
Kettlebell or kettlebell substitute
Warm Up
1 min Scap Rock
1 min Scap Rotations
1 min Scap Retractions
1 min Hands & Knee Rock
1 min Elevated Rock
1 min Kneeling Hip Hinge
1 min Russian KB Swings
Tech
V-Ups
KB Swings
WOD
50-40-30-20-10
GHD Sit Ups/V-Ups
KB Swings
Cool Down
1 min Scap Rock
1 min Hands & Knees Rock
1 min Scap Rotations
1 min Scap Retractions
1 min Cobra Rock
1 min Head Nods
1 min Head Side-to-side