The Origin and Future of LIFT

What is lift? It is something to do, something to feel and a positive direction to dream and grow. In the gym and in business we need to plan, prepare and work hard to stay strong, mobile and resilient in all our endeavours.

We continue to refine our studio space and define our future with simple and strong physical education and exercise programming.

With optimism and naivety, we signed our first thee-year commercial lease in 2014. There were walls in the way and our families were nervous, as they couldn’t fully see our vision for the space. We were confident in each other, committed to the process, and with the help of eager yet reluctant family members, the cathartic process of demolition started. Under the lathe and plaster and after heavy trips to the dump, our studio slowly emerged. 

We had dreamed about it. Planned for it. Now we were doing it.

With the walls removed there was more see, more to do, and so much to paint. After years of planning and three months of renovating, we were living our dream of being studio owners, and then together—we jumped. After ten combined years working at a local gym, we quit our jobs and continued to refine our approach to fitness, and the journey to explore and share our movement practice continues to this day.

Our studio is on beautiful Douglas street in downtown Guelph, and with new technology we are able to share old-school training methods and share a unique strength and skill-based exercise practice with our students. Prior to being partners in business we started to collect vintage exercise prints and fitness artifacts on our honeymoon. The historical interpretations and evolution of exercise continues to fascinate us as we integrate our experience in ballet, gymnastics, and kettlebell training, with the most current stretch and strength strategies. 

The movements we share are simple, portable, and include progressions to expand the movement awareness and capacity of the participant. With little additional investment, students will explore movement with strength and play. We travel the world to learn from the best teachers and enjoy the opportunity to share it with everybody near and far from home. 

 In the studio, at the cottage, or in the gym, our basics for strength and stretch are appropriate to prepare and restore the body for exercise and relaxation. Our membership ranges from the very young to the young at heart and we continue to simplify our practice for the beginner while providing activities and challenges for an advanced student. We are students first, teachers second, and we are committed to sharing our real-world space and look forward to developing simple and accessible content online.

Life has changed, and like many local and global businesses we have experienced severe adjustments to our immediate operations and are navigating through the unknown future of our industry. Gym and exercise halls were part of many cultures for thousands of years and they too, have evolved. To maintain relationships with our customers and seek out new opportunities, Barres and Bells is our digital product that allows participants to implement simple exercises—outside of our studio—to feel strong. The willingness to prepare and persevere through a challenge will imbue the user with confidence and strength.

“Same but different’ is our recent oft-repeated phrase. Students online can expect the same commitment to safe and strong exercises in a different and emerging medium. Let’s train online so we can play together soon.

Stay Strong,

Ian + Lauryn