True North Strength and Fitness

Have you ever heard the expression Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater? It’s an idiomatic expression for an unavoidable error in which something good is eliminated when trying to get rid of something bad. In other words, before we kick 2020 out let’s do a mini year-in-review. What unexpected milestone(s) did you accomplish in 2020? It can be big, small, family, work, health, and fitness, or home-related, tell us in the comments . Then you have our full permission to shut the door on 2020 and cautiously welcome 2021.

Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the weight! Wishing everyone in-person and online a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to working out with you in the New Year (or next week), whichever comes first. Warmest wishes,... Guy , Sasha , and Stella See more

Do you know which one of our community members would prefer to celebrate their birthday with cake and presents rather than birthday sleds (or slam to squat thrusts), has done like a bazillion squats, which is fantastic because a longer, more technical hike is on their 2021 bucket list? (Hint: Her nickname is Sissy Mitts and she is this month’s member spotlight). Let’s put our hands together, virtually of course, for Suzanne Little. Thank you for your consistency and d...edication in spite of wee accidents, your hard work, and one of our favorite qualities about you, your willingness to try anything, like chin-ups, Turkish get-ups, kettlebell swings, cleans, and everything else that’s shown up in your training program with disbelief, laughter, and a go get ‘em attitude, you are our wonder woman. To read Suzanne’s full Member Spotlight, click the link below.

Do you remember like a gazillion weeks ago (actually eight) when we thought it was a good day to talk about the lateral split squat and lunge? Well today, we thought it would be fun to talk about the Alternating Lateral Split Squat with Single Arm Row. This exercise builds on the lateral split squat by adding a row and in today’s Mini Tute we share two cues to help you slay this exercise. Coaching Cue #1: Remember you’re rowing the bell, not just switching hands.... It’s an exercise, not a party trick. Coaching Cue #2: Make sure you lean forward from the waist, keeping a neutral spine throughout the duration of the exercise, only standing up when you need to grab a splash of water or you’re finished. To listen to the long-winded version click the link below. If this is an exercise you struggle with or would like to master it’s worth the 3 minutes and 33 seconds of your time. (Also, it’s a Sunday, during a pandemic; we know you have the time ).

Throwback Tuesday to this day last year when we were running across the finish line in San Francisco.

It’s January 1, 2021, how do you want to feel? Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about what you’ve told us is standing between you and your health (money is tight, time is precious, and equipment is limited) and showed you how you can still take care of yourself in spite of all those things. You see, it is our most sincere and genuine mission to not only help you improve how you feel right now but also change the course of your health for the rest of your life and we tru...ly believe our VIRTUAL memberships can. There are three weeks left until the end of the year, and like we said last week, that’s a lot of time to get started on feeling better. You deserve to feel confident in your body and energized by a lifestyle you can stick to. It’s time to decide to put yourself and your health first. Click the link below to take the first step on your journey to a healthier, happier you!

For the love of COVID-19 last week felt hard like it was the week where hope decided to hibernate until Spring. It is just us feeling this way or you too? If you share the feeling (and even if you don’t), we have a very serious question for you, what’s going right? Seriously. Like, did anyone hear the news story about the person who managed to get all their workouts in, not lose it on their significant other, be super productive working from home, write letters to everyone they know as pick-me-ups all amidst a pandemic? No? Well, it's time. This Monday, we want to know, what's going right in your life?

Yesterday was hard hearing B.C.’s COVID-19 restrictions will be extended over the holidays (until at least January 8, 2021) and while we fully support doing our part to keep our province safe, let’s be honest, it sucks. And that’s okay, sometimes doing the right thing does suck but we can’t get stuck in the suck. So what can we do about it? How about a fun fill in the blanks? Consider the comments below your safe space to answer the following: ... It sucks that _____ but I’m grateful for _____. We'll go first, it sucks that we don't get to spend New Year's Eve in Calgary with our family but we're grateful for the opportunity to ring in the New Year with Stella. Your turn...

The lives we enjoy today are made possible by those who serve and have served our country. Lest we forget.

We may be out of office these next couple of days but our never ending Monthly Sweat Challenge isn’t. We created this 2 for 1 in August but for some reason it’s not getting the love it deserves , so we decided to keep it around a little bit longer, which works out well for you (pun intended). So, if you’re looking to sneak in a sweat session that requires minimal equipment , and maximum sweat , one, or both of these, are right here waiting for you. Pod Crawl:... A1. Bear Crawl x 5 yards each direction (forwards and backwards). A2. Two-Hand Dead Clean to Squat Thrust x 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 Instructions: Start a timer and crawl five yards forward and five yards backwards followed by ten Two-Hand Dead Clean to Squat Thrust, then crawl five yards forward and five yards backwards followed by eight Two-Hand Dead Clean to Squat Thrust and so on until you finish with two repetitions of the Two-Hand Dead Clean to Squat Thrust. After you catch your breath, make sure to take note of how long it took you to complete. Slam Dunk B1. Medicine Ball Slam to Squat Thrust x 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 B2. Two-Hand Kettlebell Swing x 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 OR Single Arm Kettlebell Swing OR Single Arm Kettlebell Snatch x 5 each side, 4 each side, 3 each side, 2 each side, 1 each side. Instructions: Start a timer and complete ten Medicine Ball Slam to Squat Thrusts followed by your choice of kettlebell exercise (there are three to choose from), followed by eight Medicine Ball Slam to Squat Thrusts followed by your choice of kettlebell exercise and so on until you finish with either two Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings or one (on each side) of either the Single Arm Kettlebell Swing or Single Arm Kettlebell Snatch. As your heart rate comes down, check how long it took you to score this slam dunk. As always, submit your time in the comments below to be added to our Whiteboard of Fame or feel free to express your love of our never-ending Monthly Sweat Challenge in emojis. In the meantime don’t miss us too hard, we’ll see you soon!

We're not crying, you're crying. (Just kidding). We couldn't be more excited for our friends at Pure Form Physio on the opening of their new location this coming December, even if it does mean we don't get to see them every day anymore. Good luck team, we can't wait to visit you in your new home.

Okay, it's time for a serious question... if 2020 were an exercise, what exercise would it be?

Wishing a spooktacular slam-to-squat thrust day to Coach Guy!