Members of the community who are coming in to use the facility are required to follow the new Proof of Vaccine procedure:
We will need to see both a valid form of identification that shows your name and date of birth as well as proof of full vaccination.
Both of these pieces can be presented to our front desk crew at any time. You will only need to show us this once from Sept 22nd to Oct 22nd. We will mark your names as well as note that you have presented your information on your Wodify accounts. We will not be recording any details of your vaccine receipt.
Starting Oct. 22nd, assuming the rolling out of the QR code and app, we will switch over to that new form. If any changes to our procedure (i.e. amount of times to present to us) changes between Sept. 22nd to Oct 22nd, we will update the community.
Vaccination Policy
Starting , Academy of Lions will be implementing the Vaccine Certification checking process in our facility.
All community members participating in training at the facility must present to us a receipt or proof of 2nd vaccination along with government issued ID just once.
At no point will we be recording details of your vaccine information, we are simply marking when we have confirmed presentation the receipt.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact us!
Back indoors
In-gym classes are starting on Wednesday, July 21!
A little bit of transparency for you all. The process of the municipal government launching both the FitTO and the waiving of park permits is a bit of a challenge with everyone trying to grab spots, time frames, scheduling and sharing. Luckily we've been able to nab a few spots for specific time frames but it does mean we have to roll out things slowly in terms of classes and time slots.
With that mind, starting on June 21st, we'll be launching with morning ParkWODs at Trinity Bellwoods (at the Dundas/Shaw corner) on the weekdays (Mon., Wed. & Fri.) from 8am-9:30am, Saturday at 9am-10:30am and Sunday 10am-11:30am. Later we will be launching evening classes (we will make an announcement before putting them up!)
How it will work
Like last year's ParkWODs, we ask that all athletes meet at the Academy a few minutes before hand to check in, fill out Covid surveys and help pick up equipment for the workouts. Members will be able to sign up for classes via Wodify like any other class.
We will be following all current outdoor gathering protocols:
Masks until you arrive at the park
2 meter distance between athletes
No more than 9 athletes/class
Equipment will be sanitized before and after classes
If you are experiencing any Covid symptoms, we ask that you do not attend class. Any covid related cancellation will not impact your membership.
We are still waiving late cancellation fees BUT we do ask that all members PLEASE cancel ahead of time to free up spots for others if you cannot make it
Memberships
For now, anyone with current Zoom memberships will have access to the ParkWODs as well. For those who wish to do ParkWODs that do not have an active membership, you can purchase a Zoom Membership to have access. For those who have memberships on hold, if you would like you are welcome to reactive but we do plan on running indoor classes once we are allowed to do so in the near future (assuming all goes well with the phases).
With Phase 1 of the reopening for Ontario, we're starting our personal training outdoors again!
For those interested, please check out our coach profiles to see who you'd like to train with (or fill out the general form) and let us know what you're looking for!
We're so close to indoor training we can almost HEAR the barbells dropping again! But we still have a few months until that is official (assuming all goes according to plan).
Until then, we're planning on getting some outdoor training going in the next few weeks when the Ontario phases open up.
First phase will allow personal training and small group (10 people) classes outdoors. If anyone wishes to do personal training with our coaches outdoors, please check the "Personal Training" link below to fill out the form!
As for classes, we're looking at setting up some times to hold classes at the nearby parks. We'd like your feedback on what times and days would work best for all of you! Please check out the quick survey in the "Outdoor WOD" link below!
You’ve loved our coffee to brighten up your mornings or to keep you warm in those cold winter months. Fret not, we’re still serving coffee, but we’re trying out new beans! Introducing the People’s Liberation from Social Coffee!
Part of their Signature Blends lineup, the coffee beans originate from Brazil, Ethiopia, and Mexico. A little fun and a little adventurous, the creamy smooth cup is a blend of fruity flavours with hints of chocolate.
We’d love for you to come on over and try it out. Let us know what you think!
We all wish you a happy and healthy start to your March month and can't wait to see you soon enough!
Many in the community have messaged us over the months in regards to our position for the CrossFit Open and we wanted to take the opportunity to address the competition and our position.
As many of you know, we officially de-affiliated last year and are still de-affiliated from HQ. Though many changes are taking place at the moment, we are still observing the effects these are having with the industry and affiliates.
With the Open fast approaching, we understand that there are many that still see the general community at large as a supportive, fun and interactive group of athletes from across the spectrum.
If any of our athletes do wish to participate in the Open this year, you will need to register as a non-affiliate athlete. We will not be openly promoting the Open this year.
However, we will support our athletes and community who do wish to participate in this event. Similar to how we are doing the Toronto Throwdown, Coach/Community Manager Amedeo can set up Zoom meetings for the athletes who wish to do the Open "together" at set times.
If any of our athletes are interested in doing the above, you can contact us at info@academyoflions.com and we can facilitate these digital meet-ups for the Open!
Check out the latest videos on Academy's YouTube channel. Episodes 1 & 2: Coach Justin reacts to weightlifting, and the latest, episode 3: Coach David reacts to gymanstics.
Toronto Throwdown At-Home Series Virtual Fitness Competition
Our friends over at 6s Fitness+ have an exciting event for us all to keep us busy during the lockdown!
What is it?
If you know what the Open is, it’s similar, but better (and for those of you planning to do the Open, consider this your prep).
Toronto Throwdown is an individual virtual functional fitness competition for all ages
and abilities, completed all from the comfort of your own home. 3 workouts over 3 weeks.
This is open to everyone—no matter where you are
How it works:
Competition runs from Thursday, Feb. 18 until Monday, March 8.
Workouts will be released Thursday morning at 10 AM (with full movement standards and descriptions) and participants will have until Monday night (4 days later) at 8 PM to post their results.
A virtual class will be available each day if you prefer to do the workout in a group, or you can complete the workout on your own.
The competition will feature a limited equipment and body weight option. Both options will include a scaled and Rx division.
Participants will complete their workouts in their homes, condo’s, outside. Wherever you have space!
Top male and female after the full 3 weeks from each division will win prizes.
Cost to register: only $25. Add a T-shirt and swag bag for just an extra $25.
Grab your workout buddies and sign up! Sign up with [#AOL] to be placed on our gym's leaderboard.
Ontario will continue to operate with indoor restriction until, at least, January 21, 2021 (these restrictions began in November). Please see our amazing virtual offerings below. Our café is open for curbside pick up.
The facility will be closed. Café will have limited opening, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM on weekdays, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekends, for curbside pickup and ordering.
All memberships and PTs will be put on hold.
Online class membership + equipment rentals will be up.
General Equipment rentals will follow.
Those who purchased our open time membership can either have it on hold or revert it to online (with extended accessibility). Depending on what stage the reopening happens we will adjust memberships accordingly to allow full usage.
Online classes and Written Programs
Zoom Home WOD, Gymnastics and Mobility will continue on. Some of the coaches will also be providing personalized written programs for athletes as well. You can purchase your memberships for online classes below. For written programs, you will need to fill out the form on our website so that we can set you up with an appropriate coach.
We will be opening up rentals again in a few stages.
For those who purchase the online Zoom classes + equipment or the written programs will have priority on equipment Tuesday, November 24th, 11:59 PM.
After that, we will open up the rest of the equipment to the community. Assumption will be that you will have the equipment until December 21 – 31 and will be returning them between the time frames of Dec 21 – 31st. (Pending, again, any changes from the government).
Anyone wishing to rent equipment please contact us at info@academyoflions.com and we will provide you a quote for your request.
Re-Re-Open Details
We're going to give opening back up a shot but in a different capacity. We will be temporarily operating our space as a private open gym and personal training facility from Nov 16 until about Dec 13 (pending any other changes).
Disclaimer Due to the uncertainty of Toronto's climate, we are assuming that we will not be moved into the lockdown section of the provincial layout during the 28 days, but there IS a possibility of that happening. Any membership purchases made but are forced to hold again due to lockdown can either be a) reapplied to the structure we have below if we decide to open under controlled conditions again, b) applied to any other membership on your account if we decide to open with classes or c) banked on your account for future purchase.
We highly recommend to ONLY make a purchase if you agree with any of the above conditions. We understand the frustration and uncertainty this climate has made for athletes being limited to coming to the facility and we will be as flexible as possible to accommodate your needs.
Private open time and personal training schedule
For the 28-day period starting Nov 16th until Dec 13th we will be opening our gym to our members for limited open time training and personal training. All class-based fitness programs will be on pause until we are cleared to hold them. All Covid protocols we have in place will remain as well (i.e. screening, masks in facility when barriers are not up, cleaning equipment after use, etc.).
Open time access will be membership based only (details below for new and existing members) and personal training packages are available to all clients. We will also be providing written program + open gym use package – pricing listed below – to support our athlete’s continued training for the next 28 days.
Please note that these changes may be temporary (we still intend on bringing back our class-based training) so keep in touch with any changes we implement in the coming weeks.
Open Time Schedule
We will be introducing a 28 day, Open Time schedule during lockdown for all our members. Each time frame will be 90 mins. Athlete’s are asked to ensure that they clean up and finish their sessions before the start of the next time frame. Those coming in for their time slots are asked to come in no earlier than 5-10 minutes before their scheduled time to reduce the number of traffic in the facility.
Attendance will be limited to 8 people/session. We will start with main floor and if demand is high, we will open the 2nd floor with the same restrictions. The Oly Room and 2nd Floor PT area are reserved for PT training with Coaches only.
The following are prices for new athletes who wish to purchase the open time only membership (or existing athletes who wish to continue putting their class-based memberships on hold):
All memberships below are temporary for the lockdown phase, prices and availability may change after the initial 28 day lockdown period between Nov. 14 – Dec. 12
Price
Access
28-day Open Time
$150+tax
5x/week
Limited 28-day Open Time
$130+tax
3x/week
5 Pack Open Time Only
$95+tax
Unrestricted*
10 Pack Open Time Only
$180+tax
Unrestricted*
20 Pack Open Time Only
$330+tax
Unrestricted*
*unrestricted means you may use your pack in any combination of times for Open time (i.e. all 5 in one day, spread out over the 28 days, 2-3/day). Must still adhere to the open time frame structure limitations of 90 mins.
Existing Members
Should any athletes wish to further support the Academy ( and we thank you in advance!) and want to re-activate your memberships to utilize for the open time period, we can allow that. We would remove the hold for the time period between Nov 14 – Dec 12 and you can utilize the same attendance limitations that your current membership allows you to (i.e. monthly standard is 1 session/day, limited is 3xsessions/week).
Please contact us before the end of Nov 18th to activate (and so that you get the most use of your membership!)
Written programs are individualized fitness programs written by coaches for athletes who then train on their own with this program.
Any athletes who wish to purchase written programs with Coaches to have a more exclusive training, we can add on an additional $100+tax (listed below) to have access to open gym time for 1 session/day during this 28 day lockdown:
All coaches are now able to take on personal training clients in our facility. For personal training inquiries, please fill out the form on our website so that we can coordinate with the coaches to set up your sessions. Pricing for PTs are below, payment splits are available.
If clients wish to do a package deal of personal training and open time, we can include the $100+tax open time add on to any Personal Training Package above 3 Sessions.
As a test for our new POS system, we will be introducing our membership loyalty program. For every membership that becomes active during lockdown, we will be providing 10% off all café and retail purchases. We will automatically apply this during purchases at the cafe. Currently we will apply this discount for inhouse purchases only.
Zoom Classes
We are still offering a full schedule of online training with our Coaching team if you wish to connect and keep to your training remotely.
HomeWod: Basically the at home version of our Cross Training classes. Running Monday — Sunday with Coach Sophie Annett & Amedeo Patuelli.
The café is still operating. We'd be happy if you drop by for a coffee or protein shake anytime. Or feel free to email us about anything Academy of Lions related as we are here to continue your Lion experience even while apart.
Ontario has transitioned certain areas back to Phase 2 restrictions. Academy of Lions must abide by the new rules and is unable to provide in-gym classes. The current rules are planned to be in place for 28 days.
What's Open
The cafe will continue to be avilable for take-out. The Academy retail store remains open. The online store, as always, is avialble 24/7.
Online Classes
The virtual program through Zoom is still going strong and we encourage everyone to participate and stay fit! Take advantage of a free introductory weekend class—you'll love it!
To help with both the Zoom classes and regular programming, we would love to have everyone's feedback in the following survey to help improve our schedule releases in the next few weeks!
Our official time to open is planned for Aug. 7th. Phase 3 schedule.
We'll be rolling everything out slowly to ensure that we create a safe and controlled environment for everyone to come back to.
General Breakdown
A broad layout of what to expect when we start opening our doors to the gym:
Week by week we will be rolling out more programs and time frames in a controlled manner so that we can ensure safety protocols are enforced and not have everyone come in at once.
Class sizes will be reduced in accordance to social distancing rules.
Time frames will be spaced out so that we can ensure adequate cleaning time between classes.
All athletes will be screened when they come in.
A copy of the screening form will be emailed to everyone. If you are experiencing ANY of the symptoms, please do not attend the class.
We ask that all athletes reserve their spots in classes. We will be signing in athletes before class via the new front desk.
Athletes will have their own designated areas marked out as well as equipment for the workout.
Cleaning and sanitization will be provided.
Zoom Online classes will still continue for the foreseeable future for those who are still not comfortable coming in and will be included in regular memberships.
All staff will be wearing PPE. Hand sanitizer and washrooms will be available. Changing rooms/locker rooms will be blocked off.
We are requiring masks from athletes to be worn for the time being while training. We will adjust our policy accordingly as we roll out different programs.
Personal Training
All athletes will coordinate with our front desk and/or coach to schedule sessions at least 24 hours ahead of time to book space and the coach's time for the session.
We will coordinate space usage for personal training in the facility when booked. We are limiting the number of personal training sessions in the facility at a time to 4-6 depending on if there is a class running as well.
All clients and coaches will be screened prior to their session. If either responds positive to any symptoms indicated on the screening test, it is highly encouraged that you do not attend the session and reschedule.Any last minute rescheduling due to Covid-19 related issues will not be subject to late cancellation/no show fees.
We do require all clients and coaches to please wear a mask while training indoors for the time being to abide by the city bylaws.
All cleaning protocols will be shown when you finish training. All equipment and areas used should be wiped down/sprayed down and cleaned after the session.
Classes
We will be slowly rolling out programming and classes that is in accordance to government restrictions and also for the health and safety of our community.
As with personal training, all athletes will be screened prior to entering the class. Any athlete who responses positive to any of the symptoms listed out may be asked to leave. We highly encourage all those who are experiencing any symptoms to please not attend classes for the time being and seek out your medical professional.
Class sizes will be reduced. Time frames will be more spread out in the beginning to provide ample time to sanitize between classes. Expect us to run at about 50% class capacity.
Though we have officially de-affiliated, since we have been doing our own programming for the past number of years, our programming will remain unaffected but we are planning on some changes to our schedule. Look towards our future emails on our method of programming at a later date.
However, with so many of us de-conditioned since lockdown, our programming will be slightly changed across all classes so that we can safely and progressively coach everyone back into regular training conditions.
In accordance with Toronto bylaws, we are still requiring members to wear masks and we will continue to observe the mandate for training purposes. We do know that this may be uncomfortable with athletes training and we apologize for the inconvenience but for the safety of the community as a whole, we will be enforcing this rule.
All our cleaning, PPE and sanitization materials that we have are all in accordance to the recommendations of the Ontario Health guidelines and we will continue to work closely with our suppliers and partners to ensure a clean environment for everyone.
For the time being, MetCon and our replacement for our former CF programs will not be released immediately due to the high cardiovascular nature of the programs and the risk of spread. However, we are working on those programs for release once we feel comfortable.
Memberships
Zoom classes will be integrated into regular memberships at no additional costs as we open up for indoor classes.
We are aware with the slow roll out that not everyone will be able to attend and not everyone is ready to attend. We understand your concern and will extend membership holds until such a time where you are able to attend and/or feel comfortable coming in.
We do apologize for the slow roll out but we feel that this is a necessary move to ensure that we do not have a large amount of athletes coming all at once and increasing the health risk at a high rate.
For those who have 2/day membership access, we will be restricting that access for the time being to only 1 class/day until we have a more robust schedule.
For those who have MetCon only memberships, since we are not releasing the MetCon classes immediately, we can continue to put your memberships on hold or you can be provided access to our Zoom online classes and Home WOD programming if you wish to reactivate your membership.
Memberships FAQ
Will all memberships be unfrozen on Aug. 7th?
No, we want the community to feel comfortable and ready when they come in, no rush. We understand that many are ready to jump in and others are still weary. So, we are still extending all membership holds.
Those who wish to reactivate their memberships just need to contact us via email (info@academyoflions.com) so they can start signing up!
I'm not sure which membership I have? What does it include?
MetCon Only allows access to just Metcon programming.
MetCon Plus included all of our programs except our previous CF classes.
Monthly standard included all programs.
All memberships starting Aug 7th will include zoom classes at no additional increases to prices. Those with MetCon plus and standard type memberships (monthly, packs and/or bulks) will have access to the coming indoor classes. Those with Metcon only memberships will have access to the Zoom classes if they wish to reactivate their memberships come Aug 7th.
When will the MetCon and CF programs be coming?
We do not have a definitive date for our MetCon classes and our replacement for the CF program. However, the programming team is working on the programs and will launch in once we feel comfortable that the facility can maintain this time of program along side the restrictions of Covid.
I have a pack memberships will those be extended if I do not want to come in?
Yes, all membership types since March 15 were extended/frozen! So you still have them.
I want to start training, but I do not feel comfortable yet coming in, what are my options?
We are still running our online Zoom classes which will be included in regular membership as well. If people wish to do a mix bag of both indoor and outdoor, you are welcome to do so! Those with MetCon memberships looking for similar programming, we do recommend the Zoom classes!
As well, if you do wish to do outdoor training (we have been using the local parks and alleyways if you are comfortable with that setting) we are still doing those at your request and if the coach can manage it.
Lastly, if you are uncomfortable in a group setting, we are resuming our indoor personal training as well throughout our facility. Anyone interested in personal training can email us at info@academyoflions.com to get the price breakdown as well as availability of the coach that is best suited to your goals!
How long will the roll out be until you are back to full operations?
To be honest, we are not entirely sure. It depends on the government restrictions and the impact of Covid on our business. Our priority is ensuring a safe and health environment, to the best of our ability, to train in. Unfortunately, that does require us to have reduced class sizes, reduced class times and cleaning time protocols for the time being.
We are hoping to roll out regular programming and classes on a weekly/bi-weekly basis (depending on the demand of our community) and aiming for a fairly robust schedule come September.
Update
Mental Health Workshop
We hope you’re doing great! We’re reaching out today to let you know that we have an exciting opportunity for you! Keep reading to find out more.
We have two passionate occupational therapy (OT) master’s students with the Lift Up program at Academy of Lions, which is a movement program for individuals in recovery from addiction and mental illness. The students have expressed an interest in using their mental health expertise to offer a virtual mental health workshop to all Academy of Lions members! OTs support individuals in engaging in meaningful activities and they are dedicated to providing opportunities that enhance mental and physical wellness—one opportunity being this workshop!
Why a mental health workshop at the Academy? Well, physical activity and mental health are intricately linked. Physical activity relieves stress, improves our mood, reduces anxiety, and prevents injury and illness, and having positive mental health can enable us to participate in and benefit from physical activity! Collaborations between physical activity providers and mental health providers, such as student OTs, can help foster positive mental and physical health for our members.
In order to make sure the workshop topic is interesting and useful for everyone attending, we need your feedback!
The student OTs have created a Survey Monkey with a range of topics, days, and times for you to choose from. They would love your feedback so they can get started putting together this fun event for you!
The virtual workshop will run approximately ONE HOUR and will be FREE to attend! The students aren’t with us for long, so you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity!
Thank you for your input!. Stay safe and keep your eyes on your emails and social media for more details about the workshop!
Update
Outdoor sessions
Starting this week, we will be offering personal training sessions outdoors only. Athletes who are interested in starting or continuing their PT sessions should contact us at info@academyoflions.com to activate their accounts and confirm the availability of the coach. Once that has been established, both client and coach will have to coordinate the date, time, and locations for their training sessions. Please note: we are only cleared to do outdoor training for the time being. Some locations that could be used around us is Trinity Bellwoods and the UTS School track.
We will also be adhering to the recommendations of the Ontario Government in terms of the general screening test for all clients. All clients will be provided the standard screening checklist before coming for their session. For the safety and health of our community, we highly advise you all to check that list before your session. Should you be exhibiting any of the symptoms, we do recommend that you do not come in for your session and contact your health provider to get tested. Should you be cleared but still exhibit symptoms, it will be up to the coach and management to determine if the session should continue. We want to provide safe and healthy environment for the community so please support us in maintaining that quality control.
Since this training is outdoors, PPE is not necessarily required but if you are comfortable wearing it while training, please do so. All staff will be trained in accordance to the recommendations provide by the Ontario Government for training individuals and handling person-to-person interactions.
If you have any questions in regard to personal training, please contact us at info@academyoflions.com! We're just awaiting confirmation from the Ontario Government on the phase 3 date (when gym facilities will be allowed to facilitate indoor training) so that we can provide you the update on how we will be rolling out our re-opening!
Until then, please continue to stay safe out there! We will continue our online Zoom classes for the foreseeable future. As well, do not forget that every Saturday 10AM and Sunday 11AM classes are free! So, if you have friends/family/loved ones that you wish to train with you, please send them the link and have them join the community!
Coach Paluna is now hosting Mobility classes Saturday at 11AM and Sunday at 12PM through Zoom!
Gymnastic Handstand
Join Coach David for the Gymnastic Handstand Zoom Classes Every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 5:30pm included in your Zoom Memberships!
BioSteel offer code
BioSteel is offering 30% off their orders online using the code: LIONS30
order online.
TruLocal promotion
TruLocal is continuing their affiliate promotion capaign using Code: LIONSFIT
Regular box: 8 free chicken breasts in the first box, 4 breasts ongoing in all orders
Small box: 4 free chicken breasts in the first box, 2 breasts ongoing in all orders.
Update
Reopening
Ontario has began phased reopening by region, unfortuantely Toronto is still in Phase 1, with potentially going into Phase 2 by next Friday, June 26.
As a gym, we still aren't clearly slated to reopen by Phase 2. It looks like we would fall into Phase 3, which looks to be in July.
We'll see what we can work with in the coming days as the province continues their roll out! Larger box gyms are preparing to open at the end of June—we may be able to open along side them with restrictions.
Free Trial continues
We will continue our online training with Free Trial classes every Saturday 10AM and Sunday 11AM for the month of June.
If you have friends or members that still haven't given the online classes a try, let them know and come workout with Coach Sophie (Saturday) or Coach Amedeo (Sunday)!
For a limited of time, every Saturday, 10AM and Sunday, 11AM classes will be open for Free Trials.
If you have friends or members that still haven't given the online classes a try, let them know and come workout with Coach Sophie (Saturday) or Coach Amedeo (Sunday)!
If you're looking to build new habits or get back into old ones, join us for a a session on Tiny Habits: a simple and effective method created by Stanford behavior scientist B.J. Fogg.
This 30-minute session will be lead by fellow AOL member and Tiny Habits certified coach Karina Waluk. In this session you'll learn the fundamentals of behaviour design, build your own "habit recipes" and get access to a 5-day program to help support your new habits.
With the gradual sunshine and slow step out of the community, we hope that everyone is still maintaining their safe and healthy lives out there! We wanted to provide a quick update to the community given the recent re-open phase from the provincial government and what the Academy will be doing.
The Academy has been hard at work planning our own potential reopen strategy in the coming weeks. Though we have put things in motion, please note that we are still under the mandate of the provincial government to close our gym doors and until otherwise stated, we are still closed.
However, many of us in the industry are gearing up in anticipation for our inclusion for the reopen phase. With that in mind, we wanted to provide you our general layout of how we are anticipating our open strategy:
Phase 1 — Just online classes
This is the current state and means we keep the facility closed; online classes continue on. Depending on the length of time of these restrictions expansion of these online classes are in the cards but also depends on other factors.
Phase 2 — Online classes and PT/one-on-one training
We start opening our doors with LIMITED capacity. We will continue to offer online group training, but also allow coaches and clients to start their PT training in the building. This is the easiest, controlled method that we can have to ensure we follow all the guidelines with minimal effort and processes.
Phase 3 — Online classes, PT/One-on-one and limited size group classes
This phase assumes that we can start having gatherings that allow us to hold classes. We will be looking at what schedule makes sense, what programs to implement and all the procedures necessary to make this work (e.g., cleaning procedures, assessments, distancing procedures in gym, etc.).
Phase 4 — Scaling to normal operations
This phase assumes we are gearing back to normal operations and will allow us to look at and balance online training with get classes going back to the capacity we had before.
As we roll onto each phase, we will provide more details about what each phase will entail so that we can get everyone up to speed!
Equipment Rentals
As of right now, most of our equipment is still out for rental and most suppliers are still out. Many of asked us if we plan on getting more equipment for rental. We are looking at the feasibility of this idea but at this moment we do not have plans to bring in more equipment.
For those who are renting out equipment, we have sent individual emails to you in regards to your rentals. If you have not received one, please contact us at info@academyoflions.com.
Phase 1 details
As mentioned above, we are currently in our phase 1 process for our strategy. As of right now, Coach Sophie and Coach Amedeo have been teaching the Zoom Home WOD classes throughout the week. Coach Paluna has been holding the Mobility classes on Sunday afternoons and a number of our community members have been offering free activities in the last few months for everyone (Shouts out to Patricia Allison [Tight Moves], Warren Chow[FRC], Vienna Waddell[Power Yoga] and the ladies at Mindfulness Maelstorm and the crew at 6ix Cycle)!
For June, with some feedback from the surveys we sent out a while back, we're working on improving our programming that we can provide you at home for the Home WODs.
In the mean time, if you have not tried out our online classes, we highly encourage you all to give it a shot. Starting June 6th, the Saturday 10am and the Sunday 11am Zoom classes will be free for everyone for a limited of time. This is to encourage members of our community to give these classes a try as well as join others who have already been taking our online classes these few months. Get the community together again any way we can!
If you have other members of the community that you would want to come try out these classes, you can send them to our website, forward them this email or have them contact us!
All memberships are still frozen until we have operations back and running. As we roll into the other phases, we'll provide better details on existing memberships.
We hope you all continue staying safe and well out there. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@academyoflions.com, and check out our Instagram or Facebook pages! Hopefully we'll start seeing everyone soon!
We are still in lockdown procedures until we are given the all clear; we'll continue with our online offerings for the foreseeable future!
For those who have purchased the Zoom classes, we will be creating an exclusive webpage for you with video breakdowns of past and upcoming Zoom classes!
Survey
We'd love to get your feedback on our survey that we sent out last week to see how we could better improve our services!
Academy of Lions Survey
The online store has been udated! Any available merch is now online — we can do pick up and/or delivery!
There'll be new designs and merch in the coming days after some successful conversations with our suppliers!
Keep an eye out for our new gear on the store for Pre-orders and new editions!
Get Awesome Gear
Update
Survey
We hope you are all enjoying the classes and content so far! We wanted to send out a survey to everyone to get a better sense of potential things we could offer or change to better serve the community! If you have a few minutes to fill out the survey, we would greatly appreciate it!
Academy of Lions Survey
Update virtual vision board
Aleen Kilislian will be hosting a virtual vision board session on May 1 from 3:30-6:00PM!
We are working with members of our community as well as our coaches to provide more activities for everyone to participate in. Today we would like to announce some additional online classes that you may participate in!
Mobility with Paluna Santamaria
Paluna will be holding Mobility classes on Sundays at 12PM on Zoom. These classes will be accessible only to Zoom Members.
FRC Tuesday, April 21
Hosting from Vancouver, our very own Coach Warren Chow will be holding a free FRC class for the community on Tuesday, April 21st at 6:30PM!
Our neighbour, Kristina Dragnea from Mindful Maelstrom will be hosting a Zoom class covering shadow exercises and archetypal types on Monday, April 20th at 5:30PM!
Aleen Kilislian will be hosting a virtual vision board session on April 24th from 3:30-6:00PM!
Details are on the sign-up page!
6ix Instagram Live
Our partners at 6ix are hosting free classes on Instagram Live led by their own Julie Harrish! Check out their session every Sunday at 9:40AM!
Update
Today we're launching a more robust schedule of online classes and membership optionsonline classes and membership options for paid classes. Please keep an eye on our website and social media for all the free activities coming up!
Zoom Memberships
For paid sessions, we're offering 3 different categories of memberships; most include multiple pricing options:
Home WOD Programming Only
Monthly Membership (no auto-renew) $79+tax. Access to all 7 days of programming. No access to Zoom Classes.
Today we're launching the first set of online classes (through Zoom) and memberships for access!
Home WOD Programming Only
The Home WODs will still continue and be provided via Wodify. You can also sign into the session on Wodify labelled "Home WOD programming only" to input your results.
Zoom Classes
These classes will be accessible to members who purchase the Zoom memberships. The will also grant access to the Home WOD Programming
Mon/Wed/Fri at 12pm Coach Richmond will be hosting online classes with the Home WODs to guide athletes through the movements, cue and answer any questions you may have
Tue/Thurs at 5:30pm Coach David will be hosting Gymnastic Handstand classes
All classes require reservation through Wodify as you would sign into any class. You will then receive an email for the Zoom login 30-45 mins before class starts
Free Classes
These Sessions are accessible for everyone—no current or previous membership required!
You will be able to reserve and sign up for these sessions via the links on our website and through Wodify
Starting on Saturday (April 11) at 12pm for 4 weeks, Tight Moves, the previous held dance classes by Patricia Allison, will be back on! (Link for non-members)
As more classes and activities come up, we will be announcing these through all our channels, stay tuned!
Update
We wanted to give you some exciting updates on what the Academy has planned for the month of April and the duration of the pandemic.
We are launching a few programs in the coming weeks to help you stay active and healthy, while also supporting the Academy of Lions as a small, local business that supports many people in many different ways in the community! The following will be in effect while the government mandate is in effect:
The Home WODs will continue. Since we do not have auto-renewal on these memberships, please renew by visiting Wodify. (The price now reflects a full month's worth of programming.)
As always, our coaches are providing written programs and potential 1-on-1 digital sessions for clients. Please contact us at info@academyoflions.com for more details.
We are introducing online classes to the community—but not just ANY online classes. We are rolling out the Academy of Lions Channel: a series of online sessions and content for our community! The core will be online fitness classes provided by our coaches; but throughout the coming weeks, we'll be bringing in members of our community and partners to share other activities that you can join in! Some of these sessions will be a part of our online membership packages. Some sessions will be offered for FREE!
To start off, the first FREE program for this month will be the return of a classic: TIGHT MOVES w/ Patricia Allison! Starting , Patricia will be hosting beginner online choreography classes for the community! Keep an eye on our media channels for more details very soon!
All classes and sessions are reserved and signed-in through Wodify. Online classes will be held through private sessions on Zoom.
More details about the classes, sessions and content will be shared when available. For now we'll get everything ready for you! The first online class is set for : David's handstand gymnastics class. Buy your online membership package today.
We hope you are all staying safe and healthy. We miss you all and can't wait to see you digitally and in person soon! These programs are designed to keep you active, stay connected, and help support the gym while still following the government's social distancing guidelines.
Update
Hello Lions,
We miss everyone and hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, healthy, and managing the challenges of everyday life!
We are thinking about you and wanted to give everyone in the community another update while we are on this hiatus. We want you to know that a few of us are still here and keeping busy behind closed doors. We appreciate all the positive and encouraging feedback and want to keep communication open while we face this current interruption in all our lives.
With the government mandate to close all non-essential businesses, as much as it pains us we're going to have to extend our closure until the mandate is lifted and it is safe to open. We will keep you updated until we can legally open!
The Academy has been hard at work behind closed doors handling clients online, programming the home WODs, doing maintenance and organizing the facility for when you get back. This week we have a cleaning crew coming in to do a massive deep clean of the facility. While closed, we have plans to further support and serve the community the best we can. We will be contacting everyone once we have those projects in place!
What does this all mean to you? Here are a few things to note:
All training and classes held at Academy are suspended until further notice as the April 6th open date no longer applies. We will extend all membership suspensions in place.
We are here and handling clients online and programming the home WODs so let us know how we can help you at home.
Tentative date for Lions League is now June. We will announce actual date when appropriate.
Tag us in your workouts at home on social media, and don't forget us!
We are exploring ways to have more online options and content to help you stay active and healthy. Stay tuned.
Did we mention we miss you all? Wishing you a safe and healthy physical distancing!
Thank you for your support!
Update
2020-03-16
Due to the growing concerns of the COVID-19 Coronavirus and ensuring that we do our duty to ensure the health and wellness of our community, the Academy of Lions will be temporarily closed from March 16–April 5, with the current plan to reopen on Monday, April 6th.
Keep your eyes open through your messaging and social channels as we are looking into alternative options, including how you can train at home. We will provide an update once we roll out solidified programs.
We thank everyone for their continued support of our community—will get through this tumultuous time together while separate.
Please email info@acadaemyoflions.com if you have any further questions or concerns. We wish everyone all good health!
