PERSONAL GROUP TRAINING IN DURHAM–WE’RE BACK AT IT!
We are so super excited to announce that we are adding 2 IN STUDIO group training sessions to our schedule as we tip-toe back toward “normal”! YAY!!
We would love to have you join us. You don’t have to be a client or have a membership to attend group training sessions!
STARTING THIS WEEK!
💪🏽 Mondays 12:30pm – Empower Circuit with Brooke – Sign Up Here
🧘🏾♀️ Fridays 9am – Barre to Yoga Fusion with Judy–Sign Up Here
Our Group Training sessions differ from classes in big box gyms or even group fitness-focused studios because you are not just a number in a crowd. At Empower we strive to personalize every experience. Our group training sessions are led by certified trainers who know you (and your body) and can help change every exercise for every person in the group.
Get an excellent personal trainer-led workout, sweat with friends, get fit together!
Whether investing in a personal trainer isn’t in your budget right now, or you don’t live close enough to Empower to come in to our studio, or you simply need the convenience of working out anytime and anywhere – Empower On Demand Membership is the perfect fitness solution for you!
Empower On Demand Membership allows you to stream expertly designed workouts whenever and wherever you need them…
Unlimited access to over a hundred workouts
Wide variety of exercise formats from strength training and cardio circuits to balance and yoga – we have it all!
Dynamic mobility videos for a pre-workout warm-up
Stretching sessions perfect for post-workout cool-down
New content added weekly
Guidance and motivation from the expert trainers at Empower
If you want well-programmed workouts from a team of professionals but need the convenience of an on-demand format, this can very much be your stand-alone fitness solution to help you achieve a stronger and healthier lifestyle.
So, how is Empower different from any other streaming fitness service out there?
At Empower, fitness is personal! We are designing this membership just for you, so if you would like a certain type of workout that you don’t see in our library, simply send us an email and our team will create a workout based on your request! You will have 24/7 email access to our team so we can help change workouts and motivate you along the way. Just another way we personalize every Empower experience.
Are you ready for committing to YOU, your health, your fitness with the help of the Empower Team?
For less than one dinner out per month – you can have unlimited access to a wide variety of workouts to help you become stronger, healthier and happier. Plus, we add new content every week so you will never get bored.
What are you waiting for? Give this a try this month and don’t forget to let us know how we can tailor any workouts to your specific needs.
Our team is excited to announce that our Empower On Demand Workout Central – a workout video library built by our expert trainers just for you – has gotten A LOT more user friendly. This new membership site offers a large variety of workout formats, intensity levels, and durations – so you will find sessions that fit your goals, your fitness level and your schedule.
Empower On Demand Workout Central is the perfect solution for your off-day workouts (when you are not meeting with your trainer) or as a standalone fitness solution (you do NOT have to be a current Empower client to take part). For less money than 1 dinner out to eat ($30/month) you can have the expertise of our training team on demand.
We are very excited to be launching this new membership option! Also, we’ll be adding new content regularly and because we want this to be THE BEST solution for your fitness needs, please let us know if there is anything you would like to see added.
Interested in learning more? Email me and I can answer all of your questions and put you on the waitlist for when it goes live.
May is the month we celebrate Mother’s Day and all the LOVE and nurturing our moms (and mom figures) pour into this world. They are strong beyond our concept of strength, loyal to the end of time, busier than an industrious bee, and they are our biggest fans, our rocks, and our peace. In their arms, we know no greater love.
Empower wants to help you show your special Mom (or mom figure) how much you care about them – by offering this Mother’s Day Gift Card special.Buy your favorite Mom, Grandmother, Friend or Aunty a gift of health and fitness and SAVE with these special Mother’s Day Gift Card offers. Gift cards can be purchased and delivered electronically – simply click the one of the offer links below to purchase a gift of 5 personal training sessions (either 30 minute or 60 minute sessions) with one of our expert fitness professionals and then personalize your gift card with a message and graphic of your choice.
And . . . with Empower’s virtual training services, she doesn’t have to live locally!
Special Offers5–30 Minute Personal Training SessionsNormally $245–Special offer $2155–60 Minute Personal Training SessionsNormally $400–Special offer $350
Coming Soon! New and Improved Empower On Demand Membership Site.
Our team is excited to announce that our Empower On Demand Workout Central – a workout video library built by our expert trainers just for you – has gotten A LOT more user friendly. This new membership site offers a large variety of workout formats, intensity levels, and durations – so you will find sessions that fit your goals, your fitness level and your schedule.
Empower On Demand Workout Central is the perfect solution for your off-day workouts (when you are not meeting with your trainer) or as a standalone fitness solution (you do NOT have to be a current Empower client to take part). For less money than 1 dinner out to eat ($30/month) you can have the expertise of our training team on demand.
We are very excited to be launching this new membership option! Also, we’ll be adding new content regularly and because we want this to be THE BEST solution for your fitness needs, please let us know if there is anything you would like to see added.
Interested in learning more? Email me and I can answer all of your questions and put you on the waitlist for when it goes live.
As we moved into this new year, with so many changes afoot, I felt it was important to check in with you, our loyal clients, to see how we could serve you better.
We asked, you spoke, we listened!
Now, I would like to share some responses we received and our solutions to the requests or issues you raised, because after all – we do what we do for YOU! This is YOUR EMPOWER.
**These are paraphrased, and similar requests combined.
How Can We Improve In-studio Sessions?
Feedback 1: Would like an area where I could warm up before an appointment.
Our Response: We have two rooms (the smaller and larger group fitness rooms) that can be used for general warm up. The small room has a Peloton bike, ankle bands, and foam rollers. The larger room has a row machine, ankle bands and foam rollers. Please, just notify your trainer that you would like to arrive early to warm up and they can tell you which room is available.
Feedback 2: Would like general access to the studio at times I am not working with a trainer.
Our Response: We have taken the COVID-19 pandemic seriously and have tried to create the safest possible environment for our clients and trainers. With this goal, we created workout area “pods” for each client (or client small group) – so we could limit the amount of space sharing. Therefore and likely until positive test rates drop below 4% and the vaccination rate increases significantly. If we were to allow open studio access, we could not maintain our workout pod set up. However, we have other ways to help you stay active on the days you are not working with your trainer. Please see Your Off-Day Workout Options section below.
Feedback 3: I would like to come in to use the treadmill on days I am not working with a trainer.
Our Response: Our team has decided that we can make a special case for clients who would like to come in on an off day to use a piece of stationary cardio equipment with a few stipulations. Please contact your trainer to “reserve” time on a piece of cardio equipment. They will make sure someone will be present at the studio to let you in and be there for the duration of the time you are exercising. You must use the screens to create a workout pod around the piece of equipment you are using and if another client is in the studio working out you must keep your mask on. Again, our number 1 goal is your health and the safety of our community.
How Can We improve Virtual Sessions?
Feedback 1: I get better visuals when my trainer uses an iPad or computer versus a phone.
Our Response: Luckily, Empower supplies all trainers with an iPad and we addressed this issue in our last team meeting. The only time trainers might need to use their phone instead of an iPad or computer is if the Wi-Fi signal is weak or breaking up and they need to use the cellular signal on their phone to connect with you.
Feedback 2: It would be nice if the trainers had a better set up for the virtual appointments.
Our Response: We agree and as we recover from the financial effects this pandemic has had on our business, we imagine creating space within our studio with better visual and audio tech for virtual appointments. However, currently many of our trainers are training using this format and often are doing it from their homes. We will keep you posted as we improve and evolve our virtual training services.
Feedback 3: I worry about my form and getting injured if I am not doing the exercise correctly and my trainer can’t see me from all angles.
Our Response: This is definitely a concern of ours because seeing you on a screen makes you 2 dimensional and not 3 dimensional and sometimes clients go outside the camera view while exercising. Giving good cueing and helping to ensure suitable form is tougher when we are not in person, but we have addressed this issue at multiple team meetings and believe that a couple things can help. For starters, your trainer can give both verbal cues AND visual cues – so if you are not sure what to do, please ask for them to demonstrate the exercise. Also, our trainers will make sure they have a good view of how you are performing the exercise and ask you to reposition the web cam if they cannot see you. Hopefully, with a focus on form and diligence, all workouts will be safe and effective.
Feedback 4: Need more low-intensity workout videos.
Our Response: Oh, just you wait! We are completely revamping and reorganizing our Empower On Demand video library, and it will be so much more user friendly. And we will definitely add more moderate level and lower intensity workouts in all areas (yoga, strength, cardio circuit, mobility, balance). Stay tuned!
Feedback 5: I would like to know ahead of time what equipment I need for my workout, so I don’t waste time gathering things once the appointment has started.
Our Response: We totally get it, and anyone who feels this way just needs to let your trainer know. They can easily send you a quick text before your appointment so you can be set up and ready to sweat when the virtual sessions starts.
What other service or offerings would make us (more) excellent fitness partners for you in your health journey?
Feedback 1: Would love water-based workouts or if Empower had an affiliation with a local pool.
Our Response: This is a great idea! Empower will probably never have a pool of its own, but partnering with a local pool is definitely doable. This is something we can investigate later this year when COVID-19 is less of a threat and other organizations may be more amenable to having outside members coming into their facility. Thanks for the suggestion!
Feedback 2: Would love partner-based workout videos on Empower On Demand (both exercise and stretching videos)
Our Response: We love this idea – partners working out together at home! We are adding this to the list of videos to produce and will post them when they are ready. Again, we will upgrade the whole Empower On Demand service – stay tuned!
Feedback 3: Would love full locker rooms, sauna, steam room, cold baths etc.
Our Response: You might remember that just a few short weeks before this pandemic hit, we had just signed a lease extension that included an expansion and renovation of our studio. We were hoping to do a big locker room make-over. However, with months of forced closure and decreased business, it would not be fiscally responsible for us to take this on at this time. Our focus turned immediately to our employees and keeping their income stable. That remains the number one goal, but hey it never hurts to dream and put big goals out into the atmosphere. While we might not be adding a steam room soon, see the next section about recovery sessions.
Feedback 4: Would love boxing classes or individual workouts
Our Response: Boxing workouts are great exercise, fun and allow you to vent any pent-up frustrations (which we all have after a year of Covid-life). Almost any trainer should be able to create a fun but serious boxing workout for you, but we have a couple trainers in particular who have great experience and love this style of fitness. Please just let your trainer know this is your jam and they will either serve you up some hard-hitting boxing workouts or get you scheduled with Chuck or Amanda.
Feedback 5: Would love mindfulness or meditation videos
Our Response: YES! We all need more peace in our lives, and this could definitely help. I will reach out to three fabulous meditation guides I know to see if they would take this project on. Stay tuned, I will let you know what I get worked out.
Feedback 6: Would love recovery sessions where a trainer spends a full 30 minute passively stretching me and using the Thera-gun massage tool on problem areas.
Our Response: You read our minds! We are converting the small fitness room into more of a Recovery Zone and all of our trainers are already proficient or training on passive and PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching techniques. Soon you will be able to purchase add-on Recovery Sessions to make your workout experience complete. If you need pain relief, increased range of motion, reduced muscle stiffness and soreness, or faster recovery from workouts these sessions, that incorporate corrective exercise techniques, total body stretching or massage gun percussive therapy, are just what your trainer ordered.
We are launching a new Nutrition Services arm of Empower in 2021 – would you be interested in working with an Empower dietitian to bring more focus and attention to how you are fueling your body?
Feedback 1: 43% of survey participants said “Yes, please!”
Our Response: I am excited about expanding our Nutrition Services and I am meeting with a potential Registered Dietitian partner tomorrow! Again, stay tuned for details coming soon.
Thank you to all who took part in this survey. Your thoughts and opinions mean so much to us and we strive to provide the very best service possible. I always have an open door and ear so please email me anytime: Jessica@becomepowerful.com.
Okay, I am going to sound like that nagging mom who reminds you to eat your vegetables, but this missing component of fitness – MOBILITY – is as important as veggies (almost). No matter your age or your fitness level, maintaining or increasing your mobility is very important, especially if you want to prevent injuries, correct muscle imbalances, build more muscle, or even simply move well and pain free.
While HIIT studios and heavy lifting gyms are super popular right now and those intense workouts are a bit more “sexy” for social media posts, there is a lot more to overall fitness than pools of sweat and big muscles. In fact, having good mobility may be one of the most important factors as you age. There are 5 really important components of fitness, and all of them deserve some time and attention in your overall fitness plan.
Let’s review:
5 Critical Comments of a Well-Rounded Fitness Plan:
Strength Training
Cardiovascular Endurance
Mobility Training
Corrective Exercise & Balance Training
Rest and Restorative Practices
Today we are focusing on MOBILITY because it is often the forgotten component (or the one we skip out on). One of the first things you need to understand is that mobility differs from flexibility. Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to temporarily stretch when needed, whereas mobility is the ability of a joint to actively and with control move through its intended range of motion. So while flexibility helps us become more mobile – it is only one part of the equation.
Other contributing factors are the structure and biomechanics of our joints, tendons and ligaments, and the strength we have to stabilize and control motion around each joint. There is little you can do about the structure of things, but here are some things you can do to help your overall mobility:
3 Ways to Increase Mobility
Perform soft tissue work like self-myofascial release (foam rolling, for example).
Perform full range of motion compound exercises. Compound exercises are big multi-joint movements like push-ups, pull-ups, bench press, squats and deadlifts.
Perform isolated exercise for specific muscles or body parts. Especially where you have muscle imbalances or weakness. Focusing on stretching what is tight and strengthening what is weak.
Do you know what areas of your body need some work? If not, talk to your trainer so they can help you develop a mobility plan – and then it’s up to you to make it happen. We promise it will pay off in the long run. All you need to do is dedicate a few minutes a day to doing a little mobility work. One of the simplest solutions is to add the recommended exercises to your pre-workout warm up or post-workout cool down.
Here is one of many mobility exercises that can help with movement at the hip, which is essential for almost everything we do – from standing up to walking, climbing, and jumping – to sitting back down.
As I mentioned above, MOBILITY is not the same thing as FLEXIBILITY and therefore not all mobility exercises are stretches.
Please check out this video and the others we have included in our Mobility Exercise Library. Start incorporating these into your weekly routine and be on your way to more fluid and pain-free movement!
Boxing is an impressive addition to your fitness toolbox. Benefits include increased hand eye coordination, upper body/ core strengthening, and boosted endurance. Try these Fab 4 moves and see.
Use these Fab 4 Boxing Moves in the Workout:
Back hand x 15ea Jabs x 30 Upper cuts x 30 Monkey x 20
Welcome, Empower Community. WE ARE OPEN, and now is the perfect time to get your fitness on track! We are following all state and local guidelines, and are now serving our clients in these ways:
