Fitness for the Whole Family: One Gym, Every Generation

A Gym That Feels Like Home

Walk into Empower Every Body Fitness, a community-focused gym in Vancouver, on any given day and you’ll see something that can catch people off guard.

• A parent warming up next to their adult child before a group fitness class.

• A grandparent finishing a workout while their grandchild heads into a youth training session.

• Members of the same extended family fist bumping and laughing as they finish up their workout and start their day.

Empower has become a home for families—sometimes across two or three generations—not because we set out to create a “family gym,” but because we built a place where people can belong for the long haul.

Most gyms are designed for a narrow slice of life. They work when you’re young and the body is more forgiving, or when you're middle aged and need to pay more attention to mechanics or when you're older and need to scale your movements. When life changes— the gym no longer fits.

Empower was built differently.

Here, fitness isn’t something you age out of. It’s something that evolves with you. The workouts may change. Your goals may shift. But the community — and our member families — stay.

That’s what makes Empower feel like home. Not the equipment or the programming—but the continuity. The familiar faces. The shared values around effort, consistency, and community. The understanding that fitness isn’t just about what you can do today, but about building a healthy, active life you want to sustain for years to come.

In a world where families are often pulled in different directions, Empower offers something rare: a gym where children, parents, and grandparents can all belong to the same fitness community—no matter their age, experience level, or stage of life.

Key takeaways:

Empower Every Body Fitness is a multi-generational gym where families train under one roof—from kids in youth programs to parents, adult children, and grandparents in group classes. With age-appropriate coaching and a shared community culture, Empower helps families stay active, connected, and strong through every stage of life.

What “Family Fitness” Really Means at Empower

At Empower, family fitness means a range of programs under one roof, all within the same community.

It means kids learning how to move well and build confidence in Varsity, Junior Varsity, or Homeschool PE—while their parents are training strength, balance, and resilience in coached group classes. It means adult children choosing to work out alongside their parents, not because it’s convenient, but because it's a time for them to reconnect, encourage, and even challenge one another.

Here are just some of the families we are proud to have part of our community:

• Member KMT is often joined in group classes by her daughter, Swan. Her other daughter takes personal training with us. And all of them are active members of the community, joining us at special events, such as our annual awards gala.

• Magnum trains alongside his young adult children, Upgrade and 3.0. They often pair up in partner workouts -- and seeing them encourage each other and commiserate together during especially challenging workouts is heartwarming to see.

• Members like Iron Dam and her daughter Boomer participate in our CrossFit group classes. Boomer's child also enrolled in our youth classes.

• Dangers and Peril, Valiente and Fuego, WOD Father and HeeHee, HHH and Smash are just some of the many couples who have made Empower their home away from home.

• Another example: Auto and Dauntless are a couple and take group classes together. Adagio is Dauntless's sister, and she takes personal training with us. Moneypenny is also in group classes and is married to Adagio.

These webs of family connections run throughout our membership and enrich our community.

Parents Inspiring Their Children (and Vice Versa)

You might wonder how different generations can train side by side in the same group class.

It works because our workouts are fully scalable. Each person gets the challenge they need. A parent might lift lighter or choose an easier progression while their adult child dials up the intensity. Or it may be the reverse!

Regardless of who is doing what, there’s something inspiring about seeing your parent prioritize their health. And there's something motivating about training alongside your kid and admiring how they're maturing and growing.

For Empower families, this shared gym experience is an important connection and touchpoint.

Kids and Teens: Building Strong Foundations Early

For parents with younger children, this lifelong commitment to fitness and health often starts with our youth programs.

In these programs, school-aged children learn how to move well, build strength safely, and develop confidence in their bodies. They learn that exercise isn’t punishment — it can be a lot of fun — and effort matters more than performance.

Often, the parents of our youth program participants don't remain spectators. They may eventually join our group classes, inspired by what their kids are learning. Others arrange for small group personal training, where they and their child can work out side by side, under the direction of a caring coach.

Whatever route it takes, fitness becomes normalized—not separated by age, but supported at every stage of life.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Modern life pulls families in different directions. Work, school, schedules, and screens fragment time and attention. A shared gym doesn’t solve everything—but it creates a meaningful anchor in these busy lives.

It's a place where effort is celebrated. Where the coaches and other members know your name. Where consistency and resilience is modeled. And where taking care of yourself is something you practice, not just talk about.

Empower becomes more than a place to work out. It becomes a shared community. It becomes a place that feels like home.

That’s what Empower has become for so many Vancouver families. And it’s why generations keep coming back.

Start the Conversation

If you’re curious whether Empower could be the right fit for you—or your family—the best place to start is a No Sweat Intro. It’s a relaxed, one-on-one conversation where we learn about your goals and help you find the right entry point, with no pressure and no obligation.