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 13-17

Varsity

Ages: 13-17

Prerequisites: Prior assessment

Start date: Monthly

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: Monthly

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: April 2

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.

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.

Youth Fitness Program Calendar

Our Coaches Talk About How We Empower Youth Athletes

making time for health

When Life Gets Loud, Choose What’s Important Anyway

May 08, 20253 min read

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen Covey

training consistency

Thought of the Day

Fitness is something we all know is important. Yet, when we have a busy week, drama arises, or we get buried by work or school, we often neglect our training. I’ve seen this happen to people from all walks of life—training when it’s convenient but not staying committed when the road gets bumpy.

There have been many days I’ve dragged myself into the gym or onto the mats—not because I wanted to, but because it is important. Without my in-gym training, I wouldn’t be able to do the things that matter outside of it. Knowing this doesn’t make the commitment easier, but it does help me better balance other areas of life—even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

Your child may not fully grasp how important it is to balance fitness with school and other activities. As adults, we should strive to model this effectively ourselves. Have a crazy deadline at work? Preparing for a massive family event? Show them you can still make time for what’s important, even in the chaos of life.

If you’re not managing your own fitness, the least you can do is help your child manage their time so they can stay consistent with theirs. Support their fitness journey as they navigate school and life.

Lately, I’ve heard so many reasons why fitness needs to take a back seat “for now.” Guess what—there will always be a reason not to train, and some of them will seem totally valid. While reviewing material for my upcoming NCCP course, I was reminded of something I learned years ago: “Miss one day of training, and it’s easy to miss another… and another.” That road leads to excuses, not progress.

It won’t always be easy, but showing up and committing when it’s not convenient is what keeps you moving forward. If you need help showing your kids how to stay committed to important things like health and fitness, reach out to the Empower team. We’re here to model how to balance fitness with all of life’s demands.

We all get busy. We all get pulled in different directions. Don’t get bogged down by every urgent thing that comes your way. Get out there, take care of what truly matters, and keep building your fitness. That effort is not only important to you—it’s important to the people who look up to you.

Thursday

H: 03-08 Warm up (5 min)

Upper body:

wrists, chest, elevated triceps and lats stretch

 

Leg:

90-90 and up

Cossack lunges

Hamstring stretch with sumo deadlift stance

 

H: 08-24 Tech (16 min)

Sumo deadlift high pulls

  • Sumo deadlift

  • Sumo deadlift with an acceleration

Then,

The Sumo Deadlift High Pull

 

Push presses

  • Shoulder mobility

  • Dip-drive practice

Then,

The Push Press

 

Points of performance of:

Wall-ball shots, box jumps and rowing

(Adjust screen for calories before start)

 

H: 25 (27) WOD 3 rounds for max reps of:

1 minute of wall-ball shots

1 minute of sumo deadlift high pulls

1 minute of box jumps

1 minute of push presses

1 minute of rowing calories

Rest 1 minute

♀ 14-lb medicine ball to 9 feet, 55-lb barbell, 20-inch box

♂ 20-lb medicine ball to 10 feet, 75-lb barbell, 20-inch box

 

Other weight and box height options:

♀ 6-lb medicine ball to 9 feet, 35-lb barbell, 12-inch box

♂ 10-lb medicine ball to 10 feet, 45-lb barbell, 12-inch box

 

Stagger 1 min if more than 6 people in the class

(Total time: 18 min)

 

H: 50 Cool down (5 min)

fitness motivationbalancing fitness and lifetraining consistencystaying committed to fitnessbusy life fitness tipsfitness and parentingtime management for trainingimportance of daily exerciseovercoming fitness excusesmaking time for healthYVR FitnessFamily FitnessYouth Fitness
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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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Infusing Students With a Belief in Themselves

"While Coach Barb’s knowledge and enthusiasm are immediately apparent, it is her unique way of connecting with young people that really sets her apart. Not only does she keep them engaged and interested, but her calm confidence in their abilities infuses them with a belief in themselves. Thanks to Coach Barb’s support, we have seen our teenage son push towards accomplishments he might otherwise avoid. And he loves every minute of it!"

-Chris H.

Transformed Athletic Ability

"My children attend ELEV8 and Varsity classes with Barb (Coach OG). For my younger son, working with Barb has transformed his athletic ability. Barb is an intuitive coach who has supported him in gaining his confidence in the gym and this has transferred to school as well. Both kids look forward to attending their classes!"

-Carmine S.

Empower

Contact Us

235-2083 Alma Street

Vancouver, British Columbia

[email protected]

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