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: junior varsity

For athletes aged 8-12

Junior Varsity

Ages: 8-12

Prerequisites: None

Start date: September 2

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: 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.

This program is currently full.

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

Lift Over Forty

Laying Tracks

July 09, 20253 min read

High Five! Lift Over Forty hits the one year mark. 👊

Lift Over Forty was launched last summer to help women over forty build a stronger base. The goal o the class was simple: create a way for women to carve out time for themselves to focus on building muscle in a consistent, straightforward way.

The class is designed around the basic lifts: front and back squats, shoulder press, push press, conventional and sumo deadlifts, and floor press. We’re now adding power cleans and hang power cleans to the mix. The goal is to lift with intention, adding weight incrementally as form is dialed in. Slow and steady wins the race is our motto. There’s no screeching rush to a finish line. It’s about building a lifelong practice.

Lift Over Forty

Hats off to all the women who’ve come through this program. Some have been with us since the beginning. Others used the class as a springboard, reconnecting with lifting and moving forward in their own way. Every path looks different, but they all share one thing: grit.

Because this isn’t just about lifting. It’s a way to prioritize our health during a stage of life that often requires heroic effort just to get through the week. Competing responsibilities, shifting energy, and physical changes can make it easy to lose sight of your own needs. This class is a way to take a time out and grow stronger in the midst of it all.

Over the past year, we’ve witnessed serious strength gains, improved range of motion, and a deeper commitment to health and fitness. We’re now moving to a monthly format, with no breaks between sessions. Women can choose the time frame that fits: a month, three months, a year. Hit repeat and see what happens! There’s power in sticking with one thing. In showing up. In laying down tracks.

To every woman who’s been part of this class, thank you!

Strength. Sometimes, it just walks through the door, lifts, and comes back next week.

Lift over Forty

Lift Over Forty runs on Sundays at Empower from 11am-12pm. Next session starts Aug 3.25.

Reality Bite: Nutrition Tip

Don’t have time for a full meal and need to do the best you can, quickly? If you’re on the road, in a ferry line-up, or between meetings, a protein bar with some fruit and vegetables can do the trick.

Look for a bar with around 200 calories and 20 grams of protein. To get those 20 grams, you're eating about 80 calories from protein and 120 from carbs and fat. Not the worst, in a pinch.

For context, a small cooked chicken breast provides 20 grams of protein with little to no carbs or fat, but isn't always at the ready.

Warning: some protein bars taste very close to candy bars. Eat slowly. Barbells are delicious!

Fast Food

Wednesday Make-Up Day!

Make-up days are an excellent opportunity for you to catch up on a workout you missed, work on a skill you’ve been wanting to improve, or get in some extra movement. 

Tuesday's WOD

15-foot L-sit rope climb, 4 ascents
15-foot legless rope climb, 8 ascents
15-foot rope climb, 12 ascents

Alt:
4 min L-Rope Pull Ups
8 mins Floor to standing climbs
12 mins Foot pinch practice

Monday's WOD

40 min AMRAP
800m run
50 squats
30 push ups

Note: Running alternatives include: 400m loaded carry @20% bodyweight, 800m Ski, 1000m Row, 2.4K Airbike

Sunday's WOD

4 rounds of:
3 minutes of rowing
1 minute of muscle-ups


strength training for women over fortyVancouver Westside Fitness for WomenWays to build a consistent fitness routine over fortySummer Nutrition Tips
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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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