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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
One Year Stronger: The Promise You Owe Yourself
“Without continuous growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin
Thought of the Day
While I was at a seminar, I remember one of the speakers saying, “My biggest fear is to be in this exact same spot a year from now.” For this speaker, it wasn’t because where they were was bad, it was the understanding that if we stop growing, we are actually dying. This can apply to fitness, life, or any area that truly matters.
Are there places in your life where you feel stalled, or where your actions are keeping you safe rather than challenged?
In the gym, complacency can look like doing the same weights we're comfortable with or being satisfied with less-than-optimal movement patterns. As we train more and improve, it’s important to challenge ourselves appropriately. If you're feeling lost or unsure of how to challenge your current movements, reach out. I'm happy to help create a plan and work on skills that can elevate your gym experience and progress.
With the heavy schedule of judo, jiu-jitsu, and my Empower workouts, I’ve had the opportunity to go back to basics. Believe it or not, getting thrown to the ground and choked as a hobby can be tough on the body. This means that movement quality is key to keeping me progressing and staying on the mats.
Not being in the same place next year as you are right now isn’t just a goal for when things are going wrong. We should be aiming for one percent better each day. Whether in or out of the gym, continuous improvement is required to take the next step forward.
How will you answer the call and take that first step toward continuous growth?
Tuesday
Warm up
2 rnds
Back lunge
Bar hang
Goblet squat and press
ring row
Tech
Thruster
Pull ups
Wod
15-12-9
Thrusters 65/95#
Pull ups
5 min rest
12-9-6
Thrusters
Pull ups
5 min rest
9-6-3
Thrusters
Pull ups
Or
Team version in pairs rest while your partner works
Cool down
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
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