Regardless of what any trainer tells you, there’s one thing that is the single most important factor of your workouts: that you do them! Especially for kids or those aging, more important than following a perfect workout routine is that you engage every muscle and movement pattern for 30+ reps (minimum) 1-2x / week. For kids, this is what ensures balanced growth and development of muscles, bones and joints – and for the aging population it’s as simple as ‘use it or lose it’ so as long as you continue to pass through full ranges of motion with a bit of external loading, you won’t lose that muscle mass—and that’s the single most important factor for healthy aging!

That’s why I’ve put together a single dumbbell workout that hits every major muscle group so that you’ve got no excuse to get it in whether you’re at home, the gym, or somewhere in between—all you need is a weighted object (dumbbell obviously works best) and you’ve got no excuse to not keep your basics going!

I recommend performing 2-4 sets of each exercise. If short on time do them as a superset with a 30-60 second rest between each movement.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift into Lunge

6-10 reps (depending on weight) of both movements/side
Pattern: Lower Pull & Lunge

Focus on control through the lower leg, keep the hips square to the ground as you raise your back leg and let your torso tilt down. Focus on lifting the back leg rather than bending at the waist, focusing on targeting the hamstring of the supporting leg rather than how far down the dumbbell goes. Once you come back to standing, we’re going right into a step-back lunge so we can target the glute of that same leg all in one movement.

Dumbbell Row to Curl & Press

6-10 reps (depending on weight) of both movements/side
Pattern: Lower Pull & Lunge

Starting in a hinged position with a flat back, perform a single-arm dumbbell row focusing on driving the elbow back and engaging the lat. Then stand up tall, curl the weight to your shoulder and then press it overhead. If you’ve got a heavy dumbbell, you can treat the curl as a bit more of a swing, and then use the legs to perform a push press to get the DB overhead.

Bonus: If you have two dumbbells, you can do both arms at the same time!

1+ ¼ Cyclist Squats

6-10 reps
(depending on weight) with a controlled tempo

The reason we use a cyclist squat (heals elevated) over a conventional squat is we’ve already targeting the hamstrings and glutes – so in this move we’re trying to get into DEEP knee flexion to ensure longevity and healthy knees while also targeting the quadriceps more specifically. Elevate your heels with whatever you’ve got that’s one to two inches tall!

Plank Drag ThroughPlank Drag Through

10-20 reps
Pattern: Core/Obliques (and scapular strength)

Starting in a tall plank position you’re going to drag the weight across the floor by pulling it (not pushing it) while trying to minimize the movement through your torso. If you’ve got a lot of butt movement going on widen your stance, if it’s too easy bring your feet closer together! This movements not only great for targeting the core and obliques but also helps strengthen our upper back and scapula which helps with mobility and posture as well.

Photography: Bob Garlick

The Anywhere Dumbbell Workout | IMPACT MagazineRegardless of what any trainer tells you, there’s one thing that is the single most important factor of your workouts: that you do them! Especially for kids or those aging, more important than following a perfect workout routine is that you engage every muscle and movement pattern for 30+ reps…IMPACT Magazine · Simon Damborg

Raincity Athletics

COMMUNITY CODE OF CONDUCT
V3.2

License: Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 Based on: Geek Feminism, Seed&Spark, and XOXO, StoryHive Codes of Conduct
Aligned with: Raincity Operations Manual

Our Purpose

Raincity Athletics is built around a single idea: Find Your Fit.
That means building an inclusive, empowering space where people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities can train safely and confidently – free from discrimination, harassment, or harm.

This Community Code of Conduct outlines our commitments as well as our expectations for all those enrolled in our classes and programs, private training and engaged in our online spaces. We acknowledge that everyone in our fitness community brings a diverse set of lived experiences, and we recognize that some may face systemic barriers or prejudice due to their intersecting identities. Raincity Athletics is committed to creating a space free from racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other forms of oppression, with the goal that everyone feels safe and supported so that they can actively pursue becoming the best (and fittest) version of themselves.

Who This Applies To

Everyone who takes part in Raincity Athletics, including:

• Members and drop-ins
• Coaches and apprentices
• Contractors and volunteers
• Parents and guests
• Event participants
• Anyone representing Raincity in person or online

These standards apply everywhere our community interacts: in classes, events, travel, social media, and digital spaces connected to Raincity or anytime you are representing the Raincity brand and community.

Our Shared Commitments

We commit to:

• Welcoming and respecting all individuals, regardless of gender, race, sexuality, age, ability, or background.
• Using inclusive, affirming, and accessible language.
• Keeping our community physically and emotionally safe for all individuals.
• Listening, learning, and correcting our own mistakes without shame 
• A culture that values feedback and accountability from all community members 
• Taking responsibility for our impact, not just our intent.

Expected Behaviors

Everyone is expected to:

• Follow all posted safety rules and instructions.
• Assume coaches are acting for the safety and benefit of the group, even if the reason isn’t obvious.
• Respect all personal boundaries; physical and emotional, ask before making physical contact, ask before taking pictures or videos that someone may be in the background of.
• Use names and pronouns correctly and update them if corrected.
• Keep conversations respectful, assume good intent, and avoid escalating unnecessary conflict.
• Maintain hygiene standards (clean clothes, deodorant, wipe down equipment after use).
• Communicate concerns early, no matter how small, using the reporting process.
• Default to kindness when witnessing someone struggling.
• If you’re unsure, ask (and assume good intentions when someone does ask).
• Share positively about each other, celebrate victories (and be conscious of the impact of the words you share).

Unacceptable Behaviors

Harassment, bullying, and discrimination of any kind are not tolerated.
This includes (but is not limited to):

• Intentionally creating a negative environment for any member of our community.
• Harassment, discrimination, or offensive comments: Including comments about gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neurotype, physical appearance, body size, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, or religion.
• Unwelcome comments about personal lifestyle choices: Food, health, parenting, employment, drugs, or other personal practices.
• Deliberate misgendering or use of rejected or dead names.
• Sexual content or behaviour in inappropriate spaces: Including sexual jokes, sexual imagery, or sexualized actions that do not belong in our environment.
• Physical contact without consent: This includes touching, simulated physical contact, or continuing after being asked to stop.
• Threats or encouragement of violence or self-harm.
• Intimidation, stalking, or following.
• Harassing photography or recording: Including any attempt to monitor or log someone’s activity for harmful purposes.
• Sustained disruption of class, discussion, or community spaces.
• Unwelcome sexual attention.
• Patterns of inappropriate or intrusive social contact: Repeated attempts to create unwanted intimacy or closeness.
• Ignoring requests to stop one-on-one communication.
• Outing someone’s private or personal identity without consent.
• Sharing private communication without consent: Even when it is not itself harassing.
• Knowingly making false or harmful claims about another person.

Raincity follows widely accepted best practices for community safety and therefore does not act on complaints about:

• Reverse racism, reverse sexism, or similar claims.
• Reasonable boundary setting, such as “leave me alone” or “I’m not discussing this.”
• Someone using a tone you personally do not prefer.
• Criticism of racist, sexist, transphobic, or otherwise oppressive behaviour or assumptions.

Consequences

If someone’s behavior violates this Code, Raincity may:

1. Issue a verbal warning (for minor infractions)
2. Issue a written warning (for second offenses, or major infractions)
3. Terminate membership, contract, or coaching role (if requested changes are not respected)
4. Contact external authorities if safety or legality is at risk.

Every situation will be reviewed fairly and privately according to our Reporting Procedures from the Raincity Operations Manual.

When you remove the obligation to try to get your athlete to complete a specific movement, you unlock an infinite number of scaling options, gamifications, or other ways to engage with your athlete. Our goal isn't to get them to perform a specific exercise, our goal is to get them to perform a variety of movement patterns.

This is the simplest breakdown of patterns in a way that covers every muscle in the body. The more experienced you get, the more you can begin to break this down into muscle groups and other details - but to start, learn to understand the major patterns of the body rather than trying to memorize specific exercises.

Not everyone can squat, but almost everyone can perform SOME type of 'Lower push' exercise. If you can walk up stairs, sit on the toilette, or even just bend your knees through any range of motion - then you're able to perform the lower push pattern.

The goal isn't exercise for the sake of exercise, the goal is to accomplish a broad variety of movements and to work just 10% harder than they want to or have before. With this approach, there is an infinite number of ways to engage your athlete in a way that is fun rather than a chore.

The best workout for your athlete is the one that they do. Don't overcomplicate it or set the bar unattainably high. 30 minutes once a week is 1,000x better than nothing, and 30 minutes 2x / week consistently over an extended period is enough to make some major life changes for athletes of any age or ability.

Exposing our body to stress in a controlled environment, whether physical or emotional, is how we adapt and grow as human beings. Teaching regulation to athletes through their physical body is MUCH easier then trying to get inside their heads, but as they learn physical regulation, the emotion regulation follows right behind.

If you're working with an athlete who spends a lot of time already doing a specific sport (or movement pattern) then if you remember our goal of ensuring athletes complete a broad range of patterns - then our most effective use of time to ensure a balanced and health athlete is to train the ones they're not already doing.

The goal is long term progression, not short term goals. Don't scare them off by making it too hard. As long as you can get your athlete to do 10% more than they wanted to, or have before - then the workout was a win. Maintain this approach over extended periods of time, and the results will speak for themselves.

My SCHOOLS.FIT web-app of Resources

Check-out the full list of resources, with on demand workout videos, movement demos, workout builders and more coming soon on my web app I'm building specifically for educators, parents, and anyone who works with youth.

SCHOOLS.FITA resource from coach Thor for parents, educators, and anyone who works with youth.Raincity School Resources

In January of 2020, at the age of 12, Jonah was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. After having it removed and undergoing multiple bouts of chemo, Jonah was left unable to walk. After lots of physiotherapy work with Maria at Kids Physio Group, he was referred to me (Coach Thor) in May of 2022, and we started training together weekly. At this point, he had regained his ability to walk but still lacked a lot of function and proper motor control on the left side of his body. He'd already come so far he was more than ready and willing to put in the work.

We started with basic motor function and re-strengthening work, but with such limited coordination on one side of his body, we quickly moved into utilizing the barbell, and Jonah fell in love. We made some incredible discoveries: heavy lifting (specifically deadlifts) had an amazing effect on his nervous system and his brains ability to regain motor control more consistently on both sides in ways he had never experienced before. I remember the first time we tried to do walking lunges he got so frustrated as he kept falling over and we didn't know if that was something he'd ever be able to do. I'll never forget the smile on his face in the middle of a workout as he realized he was doing walking lunges with a dumbbell in his hand... which is why they had to be in his workout.

Seeing me once a week wasn’t enough for him. He started coming into Raincity 2-3 times per week on his own, completing workouts that I wrote for him focused on squats, deadlifts, and bench press. Focusing on the barbell not only helped stimulate the CNS, but he was hooked on the gains as he went from a 25lb kettle bell to a 150lb barbell deadlift, a 100 pound bench press and a 135lb squat, even while the left side of his body didn’t always want to cooperate. Once in a while, he’d even do a bit of cardio, or join coach Katie for a CrossFit style workout. He took part in the #RaincityOPEN (aka CrossFit Open) with his training partner, Nik. That's is where he really discovered his love/hate relationship with burpees and dumbbell snatches... which is why they had to be in his workout.

By the summer of 2025, Jonah wanted to spend even more time in the gym and had started prepping his resume to work at Raincity during the summer. He was also preparing to be my equipment lead at the Canadian Functional Fitness National Championships. Our team couldn’t have been more excited to have Jonah around more often his shy but friendly demeanor brought nothing but joy to those around him.

At the end of June, this was all put on hold, as he began experiencing debilitating headaches and nausea. Within 48 hours, he was back in the hospital. They had found water on his brain and signs of tumor regrowth. After a couple of days of scans and surgeries, it was confirmed that the tumor was regrowing at the base of his brain stem/cerebellum - and there was nothing they could do.

I feel incredibly fortunate that Jonah was able to come in and see me on July 26 (after another round of surgery), though we were unsure how much time he had left. When I asked how the surgery went, his response was, “Last time I woke up in a hospital I was paralyzed, so this one was a breeze.” He went on to say, “Everyone around me is really sad right now, but that just feels like a waste of time.” Those words will inspire me forever.

On July 30, Jonah passed away in his bed, surrounded by his family.

Read more about Jonah and some of the things we're doing at Raincity Athletics to honor his incredible and inspiring life.

Remembering Jonah Berger | Raincity Athletics Functional Strength & Conditioning in Vancouver, BCRemembering the most inspiring athlete to ever by a part of the Raincity Athletics community.Raincity Athletics · Simon ‘Thor’ Damborg

Unified Movement Standards Database

Athletes and judges deserve consistency when it comes to movement standards. I am working directly with Brent Fikowski of the PFAA as well as the AFJ team to create a unified database for all variations of Functional Fitness.

Professional Fitness Athletes' Association (PFAA)
Association of Fitness Judges (AFJ)
Canadian Functional Fitness Federation (CFFF)

Check it out

Schools.fit - resources for parents & teachers

Building out a database of resources for teachers and parents to help keep kids moving. Everything from movement demos, training principals and nutrition advice tailored to kids and families.

Check it out