Renegade Barbell and the Sport of Weightlifting at Raincity Athletics
Re-opening & Training in the sport of Weightlifting
Hey squad! Thor here again...Â
It’s been a long ~2 weeks of changes, adjustments, reading between the lines, heckling the PHO and demanding more information & the data as to why gyms were closed... You can read more in prior posts HERE and HERE.
The hardest part of these closures for gyms isn’t always the closure itself. Yes we will take a massive financial hit from this, and I greatly appreciate everyone who has not put their memberships on hold to help ensure we’re here on the other side of these closures, but it’s the constant changes that are the real nightmare to manage. So although there’s a chance the PHO mandates may change in the coming weeks, we will likely stick to the current setup, possible adding more ACCESS times, or converting to group classes with approval, etc. If the closures get extended we will explore other options, but otherwise until Jan 18th here are your primary workout options:Â
Programs offered at Raincity until January 18th
[OLY] Barbell Club: 4 day / week Weightlifting program written by NCCP certified coaches from Renegade Barbell Club for athletes to come in and follow. Details below.
[RAAH] At Home: 4 day / week single DB / KB program and a mini 3 week cycle working on improving single leg strength, upper pushing (pushups / handstand pushups / stability). Unilateral deadlift / hinging strength and toe to bar / core accessory. With a varying length at home beat down with each day. Read more.
 [RAAH] On Demand: 7 workouts / week! Missing the group class motivation? These were a personal favorite of mine during lockdowns... check the general workout in advance via SugarWOD so you’re prepped (pick movement variations appropriate to your situation) and then just hit play and follow along! Read more.
Who’s Eligible to Train inside Raincity?
The only program being offered inside Raincity is the NCCP Coach provided Weightlifting program.
Group Class Athletes: Any members with weightlifting experience (aka an OnRamp) and an active membership (not on hold) may reserve a time in ZP to come in and follow the program.
Programming Athletes - unfortunately we will not be doing any custom membership options since this is (fingers crossed) only until January 18th. If your coach is currently providing you at home programming, let them know that you’d like to come in to get some barbell work at the gym!
Private training athletes - must be approved by your coach once they review the prescribed weightlifting program, if they believe you are competently trained to follow it, you’re welcome to join via a pro-rated [FF] membership. Contact your coach or [email protected] for details & options.
If your membership is currently on hold (FF or programming etc) please contact your coach or [email protected] to take it off hold to be eligible to come in.
Below covers the details of how we got where we are.
Official breakdowns can be found via our COVID FAQ & reopening timelines: www.rncty.ca/covid19-faqÂ
COVID Restrictions During Olympic Weightlifting Training
As per VIA Sport guidelines for adult recreational sport - we will keep occupancy below 50%
As per VIA Sport & BCWL our athletes will ONLY be taking part in, and following, the Weightlifting program written & overseen by Renegade's NCCP coachesÂ
As our athletes are considered 'recreational sport' by VIA Sport they will NOT be required to register with a BCWL Club (unless they're planning to compete)
As the PHO order on gatherings and events states: adult athletes are not currently able to participate in group fitness classes - so athletes will be monitored by coaches on site, but following the program on their own time
We will still follow all prior COVID protocols & communicable disease plans as outlined on our FAQ: www.rncty.ca/covid19-faqÂ
This includes masks being worn at all times when NOT actively working outÂ
Maintaining social distancing whenever possible
Wiping down of all equipment after use
Disinfecting of all primary touch points throughout the day
Maximizing airflow between sessions while minimizing excessive fan usage or airflow while space being utilizedÂ
SPORT Training & Re-opening for Weightlifting
VIA Sport has stated in their Return to Sport Restart 2.0 that:Â
High performance athletes are exempt from the Order. They can train, travel or compete in accordance with the athlete’s respective PSO, NSO and Canadian Sport Institute Pacific COVID-19 safety protocols.Â
High performance athlete means a person who is identified by the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific as a high-performance athlete affiliated with an accredited provincial or national sports organizationÂ
Spectators: seated and standing capacity is at 50%Â
Adult indoor and mixed-age sport and recreation programs (including pool-based) are at 50% of capacity/occupancy of the space
The problem with this order being so vague is many gyms are abusing their interpretation of it... and as always, it largely depends on what PHO officer comes to check on you.
Functional Fitness is not (yet) a recognized sport, and CrossFit is definitely not (and never can be - it’s a company). As the president of the BC Functional Fitness Sports Association (the PSO) that is something we’ve been actively working on for almost 2 years, and will likely have another 2 years of work to do. You can read more here: https://www.bcfunctionalfitness.org/post/the-sport-of-functional-fitness-the-latest-covid-mandates
Weightlifting IS a recognized sport! And thankfully the PSO BC Weightlifting released guidelines as to what is required to be considered athletes training in the ‘sport’ which requires an NCCP certified coach to oversee your athletes program.Â
Though Raincity is a registered BCWL Club - we do not have any NCCP certified coaches. For the first week I was looking into hiring an NCCP coach to remotely ‘oversee’ our athletes completing a weightlifting program... but for the energy involved, it still felt ‘shady’ like we were trying to skirt the rules. So instead we decided to focus on equipment lending and bringing back our killer [RAAH] program.Â
Then I got put in touch with Renegade Barbell Club - one of the top weightlifting clubs in the province, with 4+ certified NCCP coaches, who were in need of a space to train during the lockdowns.
This was the key to allowing us to re-open legitimately...
Many gyms are re-opening their doors without meeting the appropriate requirements as set out by the PHO and VIA Sport - ie claiming their athletes do the sport of CrossFit, or Boxing, etc. and due to inconsistent enforcement officers, it may work for some, but it may end in thousands of dollars of fines & closure - depending who comes to check on you.
Thanks to Renegade Barbell Club’s need for a training space, we are able to do this 100% legitimately.Â
What does this mean for Raincity Athletes?
Starting Monday January 3rd, we will be opening [OLY] ACCESS blocks for our athletes to come in and follow the 4 day / week Olympic Weightlifting program that was produced by Coach Jy of Renegade Barbell Club for our athletes.
At this point as per the PHO orders we can still not offer any private training or group class fitness, so all athletes that are looking to come into Raincity must be there to follow the prescribed Olympic Lifting programming.
We’ll keep you updated...
As always, who knows how long this will last... for daily updates (so you don’t have to read such long winded dumbs of info) you can join our #athletes-covid channel where I post the details / updates as they come in.
Looking forward to getting to see your faces for those who are coming in! And don’t hesitate to reach out if you’ve got any questions, feedback, or concerns.
