Youth Fitness & Development Programs

Empower Your Young Athlete

Give your child, middle-schooler, or teenager the confidence to tackle whatever the world throws at them through fitness and development.

Our Empower Youth Fitness Programs in Vancouver are designed to develop strong, adaptable, resilient athletes with superior physical literacy. These programs are designed to meet the neurological and physiological needs of the each respective age group. Because these functional fitness movements are scalable, the athletes can safely train at their level.

Whether your child is just starting their fitness journey, is playing sports at a recreational level or is an experienced elite athlete, our programs will help them excel.

In the gym your young athlete will develop self-awareness, discipline, focus and perseverance that will help them overcome obstacles outside the gym. We want to help create a passion for fitness that your child will carry with them throughout their lives.

Group Classes, Small Group Training, and 1:1 Coaching for Youth

Choose from any of the following programs or call for a custom option

Youth fitness programs: varsity

For athletes aged 8-12 and 13-17

Summer Varsity

Start date: July 2 and August 6, 2025

Classes run on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 4–5pm. The programming includes all weight lifting movements, gymnastics and metabolic conditioning.

All weights are scaled appropriately to the correct stimulus and intensity for the athlete. We work on injury prevention and strong core conditioning in addition to providing a positive confidence building environment.

Prerequisites: all senior varsity athletes must have pre-approval or attend a 1:1 session with Coach Leon prior to attending a Varsity class.

This assessment and review of movements allows the athlete to transition into the group setting easily and sets them up for success in the program.

Youth fitness programs: varsity

For athletes aged 13-17

Varsity

Ages: 13-17

Prerequisites: Prior assessment

Start date: September 2025

Our Varsity program includes all weight lifting movements, gymnastics and metabolic conditioning. All weights are scaled appropriately to the correct stimulus and intensity for the athlete. We work on injury prevention and strong core conditioning in addition to providing a positive confidence building environment.

Prerequisites: Coach assessment and approval to ensure you can transition to Varsity classes safely and easily. One-to-one coaching sessions are available if needed to set you up for success in this program.

Register now and we'll arrange for an assessment at a time convenient for you prior to joining class.

Youth fitness programs: junior varsity

For athletes aged 8-12

Junior Varsity

Ages: 8-12

Prerequisites: None

Start date: September 2025

The Junior Varsity group learns all the foundational movements of CrossFit. This includes weight lifting, gymnastics and metabolic conditioning. The PVC pipe is an excellent tool for teaching complex movements like clean and jerks without load until the athlete is ready to handle a barbell. If you stop by during class time you might see us playing games like shoulder tap cone grab or tabata hot potato hollow holds. These games help develop the smaller stabilizing muscles as well as make it fun so the kids work hard without realizing it!

Prerequisites: none at this time. All youth athletes welcome. Athletes who have participated in Junior Varsity can graduate to Varsity level when they age up.

Youth fitness programs: homeschool PE

For young athletes on an alternative education path

Homeschool PE

Ages: 9-17

Prerequisites: None

Start date: September 10

Homeschool PE is a CrossFit-based program that incorporates cardio, strength training, and gymnastics movements for complete body conditioning. All weights are scaled appropriately to the correct stimulus and intensity for the athlete.

We work on injury prevention and strong core conditioning in addition to providing a positive confidence-building environment. Best of all, we have fun doing it, by incorporating partner workouts and games.

Early bird pricing ends August 25.

Youth fitness programs: team training

For teams between seasons

Team Training

Ages: 9-18

Prerequisites: None

Start date: Let's talk!

Empower offers dryland training for teams that are coming off the ice, out of the pool or are in between seasons. Bring your team in for strength and conditioning sessions and set them up for success when they return to sport.

Talk to us to set up a training program for your team.

Youth fitness programs: personal training

For all athletes aged 8-17

Youth Personal Training

Ages: 8-17

Prerequisites: None

Start date: Let's talk!

Our Youth Personal Training program is custom built to support the needs of your athlete. These custom programmed sessions can be built to support youth athletes in specific sports with a focus on strengthening, injury prevention, and injury recovery.

Personal training can be done 1:1 or in small groups (1:2, 1:3, 1:4, etc.) so kids can train with their friends.

Whether the group class time doesn’t fit your schedule, your athlete works better one-on-one, or your elite athlete is looking for more specific training, we are here to help meet those needs.

Our Coaches Talk About How We Empower Youth Athletes

CrossFit training mindset

The Courage to Grow: Why Getting Better Means Getting Uncomfortable

July 03, 20253 min read

“Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement. Get a little bit better every single day.” – Brian Tracy

Thought of the Day


As an adult or late adolescent, it’s easy to make excuses to stay comfortable, stuck in place, and avoid trying things that will help us expand and grow in different ways. This can show up in subtle ways—like excuses for why you don’t need to work on a less desirable movement such as overhead squats—or in bigger ways, like avoiding changing harmful habits or taking control of your fitness routine and making it a priority. But each day, we get to choose what we will invest in. Will you choose to challenge yourself with growth or continue down the path of comfort?

The reasons in your head may sound convincing, but will following them move you toward growth—or keep you stuck in the mud?

Last Saturday, we had Olympic silver medalist Hiroaki Hiraoka teaching a seminar at Steveston Judo Club. It was run in two two-hour sessions with a lunch break in between. To say that Sensei Hiroaki and I have different styles may be an understatement. He is very graceful, a smaller guy, and makes every subtle movement and detail stand out. I, on the other hand, have less grace and more of a crushing style in my judo movements.

The first throw that he taught us, and is an expert at, is one of my worst throws. Imagine being in a new CrossFit space, and your least competent movement is all you’re working on. That was me at the seminar.

Luckily for me, I had a great partner and sensei’s to help. Even with my lack of grace, we both made improvements and left better than we came in. In the next judo class I teach, we’ll use some of the movements and skills we learned on Saturday. And yes, that means teaching a throw I’m not as good at and getting mildly uncomfortable. But many of the athletes I teach really like this throw and are working hard to improve it.

The coaching isn’t about me—it’s about how I can give the participants the tools they need to improve. Have you ever resisted something that could benefit those around you because it made you uncomfortable?

At Empower, we offer a safe space for you to get out of your comfort zone. In tomorrow’s workout—squat cleans, power cleans, and front squats—these may not be your best movements. But how will you use the session to improve? Will you work on racking the bar, getting underneath, or minimizing the early arm pull?

These lessons in the gym, for both ourselves and our youth athletes, aren’t just for the gym. They are opportunities to foster a growth mindset in everything we do. Will you hide from a challenging project at work or school, or are you willing to put yourself out there and get the support and help you need to grow?

The youth and people you care about are watching. How will you use today’s discomfort to make gradual improvement for tomorrow?

As adults and adolescents, it’s easy to hide and stay in our comfort zones. But the lesson we should be living and modeling is one of continuous and gradual improvement. That only happens when we allow ourselves to step outside of comfort and take on things that stretch us.

The workout of the day, or a seminar with an Olympian, are just two opportunities to answer that call. The real growth happens when we carry those lessons into the things that matter most.

 

Thursday

 

Warm up

Dynamic warm up

 

Tech

Squat clean

Front squat

Power clean

 

Wod

5 sets

Squat clean + Front squat

 

5 sets

3 Power cleans

 

Cool down

Continuous improvementGrowth mindsetFitness motivationGetting out of your comfort zonePersonal growth through discomfortOlympic judo seminarEmpower gym VancouverCrossFit training mindsetSquat clean techniqueCoaching for progressVancouver Personal Training
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Coach Leon

Leon will help you create a fitness practice that will allow you to excel at the activities you enjoy inside and outside of the gym. Leon started coaching at Delta Kaigan Judo Club in 2007, branching out into leading personal safety and fear management courses. Leon competes in CrossFit, Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has been coaching CrossFit since 2012.

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Accomplish Personal Bests

"Empower has provided our son with a safe and supportive environment in which to test himself, accomplish personal bests and celebrate the results among peers."

-Chris H.

Incredibly Supportive Environment

"Empower has become a gym for our family. The coaches are so knowledgeable and can also scale weights/movements to your fitness level. Smaller group classes allow coaches to ensure all movements are performed safely. It is an incredibly supportive environment which makes Empower Youth unique."

-Carmine L.

Empower

Contact Us

235-2083 Alma Street

Vancouver, British Columbia

[email protected]

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