Monkey Bars and Milestones: How Small Wins Build Lifelong Confidence

"There is nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn’t." – Amy Chua

Thought of the Day

We brought them here because we weren’t very athletic as kids, and we wanted something different for our children. Our big goal? Helping them conquer the monkey bars.

When the two little humans walked into Empower for the first time, their shoulders were slumped, and they avoided eye contact. That changed with the first game. After a session of swinging from rings, picking up medicine balls, running around, and playing What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?, you could see their confidence grow. Months later, they would run from the car, excited for the session, shouting, “Hi, Coach Leon!” as they b lined for the rings. One of my favorite coaching memories is receiving the text: "They just did the monkey bars for the first time!"

Confidence is built through discipline. As adults, we know this, and it’s important to teach our children the same lesson through action. When those two little faces first stepped into the gym, I didn’t know when they would master the monkey bars, but I knew how we would get them there. The coolest part was, watching this lesson translate into other life goals and challenges they’d take on. Now, years later, it’s amazing to see those same kids—now much bigger—taking on new athletic endeavors and truly enjoying sports and movement.

Instilling lifelong habits and self-esteem is at the heart of what we do with our youth athletes. Through games, drills, and skill-building, we help them grow—not just physically but mentally. They don’t need to arrive with confidence, but they will definitely leave with it.

If your child is struggling to reach the next level or feels like they’re falling behind their peers, we’re here to help. At Empower, we are committed to building discipline and confidence. All they need to do is step through the doors, and we’ll work to show them they’re capable of more than they ever imagined. Confidence isn’t given it’s earned. And we’re here to help build the habits that lead to success in and out of the gym.

Thursday Workout of the Day

Programming for the group class:

H: 00 - 02 Intro (2-3 min)

H: 03-10 Warm up (7 min)

Shoulder and arms:

Wrist rotation, arm circles (small and large)

Stationary:

10 air squats

10 scapular push-ups

10 inch-worms

Dynamic leg stretches

Knee to chest, leg cradle, pull quads, open/close gate

hamstring scoop

H: 10-15 Tech and strategy (5 min)

Run: Do not sprint, steady and controlled

Push-ups: Tight midline; break early

H: 15  For time: (TC 35 min)

2,400-meter run (or equivalent distance on a cardio machine)

50 hand-release pushups

2,400-meter run

H: 50 Scoring and cooling down: 5 min

Child's pose (middle, then side), couch stretch, hip flexor, calf raises