Ben McMullin is a big believer in the potential of Airdrie’s youth. McMullin and his wife, Lianne, are co-owners, along with friend Gale Miller, of Lift Youth Fitness, a new company dedicated to providing teens with the knowledge and tools they need to lead happy, healthy lives. Lift aims to foster a culture of physical activity, wellness and personal growth among the youth of Airdrie.
“Working with the youth of the community has always been important to me,” says McMullin, a former Major Junior goalie for teams such as the Medicine Hat Tigers, Quebec Remparts and Red Deer Rebels. “For a long time, the dream was to open a hockey training facility, but as our children grew older, the focus shifted to a centre for all youth. We wanted our kids, and all kids, to understand the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle – whether or not they had honed in on a specific sport.”
The core business is offering professionally coached fitness programs for kids 11-18. Lift personal trainers lead kids through a different hour-long circuit each day, encouraging and providing mentorship along the way. When training at Lift, kids become
physically stronger, building their self-confidence and, in turn, improving their mental health. Also offered are team programs for sports teams looking for dryland training services. Both McMullin and associate Cass Quinton are certified personal trainers.
“COVID was devastating to our youth. We hope to make fitness a daily part of their lives and empower them to make healthy life choices. Our advantage is our focus specifically on the youth. Going to a gym full of adults can be extremely intimidating and uncomfortable. We offer a non-judgmental, encouraging environment where kids can be themselves!”
The new facility, located at 101 Highland Park Common in northeast Airdrie, is nearly 6,000 square feet and has a full weight room, multi-sport court and a games room where kids can also work on their social skills in a safe, welcoming environment.
“This is a completely new idea and (it) will take some time to educate people on what we are doing and hopefully drive more youth to come try it out. Our clients are loving Lift so far and are already seeing great results in their training.”
