Kids strength & athletic development · Ages 5–11
After-school strength. $225/month. Care if you need it: $335 3-day / $495 5-day.
After-school strength kids can grow in. Care if you need it.
Real physical competence — the thing most kids aren’t getting anymore.
Kids play sports. They’re “pretty active.” But very few are being taught how to move well, jump and land, sprint, and get strong — the foundation every sport, and every body, is built on. It’s not their fault: they’re not getting it in school, and nobody showed parents how.
Be Strong is that foundation, delivered as a coached class five afternoons a week. No theater, no overcomplication — a simple, structured session that builds physically literate, strong, fast, coordinated, and confident kids, and is genuinely fun to be part of. It isn’t about manufacturing the perfect athlete. It’s about raising capable kids who carry themselves differently.
It’s great for kids who play sports and kids who don’t. Not every athlete is on a team — and every kid needs movement, strength, and a place to build it.
Physical training teaches far more than physical skills — these carry well beyond the gym.
Two ways to join
Just the class — or the class plus pickup and care until 5:30.
Be Strong Membership
$225 / month
Unlimited classes, Monday through Friday. You drop off at the gym by 3:30 and pick up at 4:30.
- Be Strong class every weekday, 3:30 – 4:30 PM
- Come 2, 3, or 5 days — your call
- Coached by our staff at 1007 H St NE
- Month-to-month, no long commitment
Be Strong + After-School Care
$495 / month · 5 days
or $335 / month for 3 days a week
We pick your child up at dismissal from Ludlow-Taylor or School-Within-School, walk to the gym, run Be Strong, then lead the 4:30 – 5:30 hour. You pick up at the gym by 5:30.
- Walking pickup at dismissal from Ludlow-Taylor and SWS
- Be Strong class, 3:30 – 4:30 PM
- 4:30 – 5:30 Cityzen Hour: free & independent play, homework and reading, crafts, games, team challenges — coach-led, screen-free
- Snack break (pack a snack), water bottles refilled
- Pick up at 1007 H St NE by 5:30 PM
4:30 – 5:30 PM · After-school care
The Cityzen Hour
After class, the hour runs the way our camp days do: a quick snack and reset, then a coach-led mix of activity-based free play, independent play, homework and reading time, crafts, games, and team building — with room for agency, a little risky play, and a lot of fun. No screens.
- Free & independent play
- Homework & reading
- Crafts & games
- Team building
- Agency & autonomy
- No screen time
What a Be Strong session looks like
Every class is built from the same five blocks — simple on purpose, and endlessly variable.
- Games and challenges, not strict structure
- Quick rotations to hold attention
- Movement quality and fun over fatigue
- Effort gets encouraged and rewarded
Priorities
Fun · engagement · coordination · consistency
- Structured sets and reps — kids this age want “the plan”
- Progression rules they can aim at
- Relative strength and speed development
- Better focus, better effort
Priorities
Strength · speed · discipline · progression
Four phases. Progress only when earned.
Kids move through the phases at their own pace — each one has clear standards, so they always know what they’re working toward.
Foundation
Coordination + control
Simplest versions of everything — assisted, short holds — then build balance and control before anything else.
Structure
Repeatable patterns + basic speed
More reps before more load. Cleaner, deeper movement. Light loading and real sprint effort.
Strength
Real strength + reinforced speed
Heavier goblet squats, paused push-ups, fewer assists on the bar. Standards like 3–5 pull-ups and 15 push-ups for the older group.
Power
Explosive strength + speed
Higher jumps, faster starts, controlled landings — movement competence that sets kids up for real training later.
Clean movement over intensity
Sets stop when technique slips. We never chase fatigue.
Never trained to exhaustion
That isn’t how toughness is forged in kids — and it isn’t fun.
Load only when earned
Weight goes up only after consistent, clean movement.
Always supervised
A coach runs every minute of every session.
Progress at the kid’s pace
Every child develops at a different rate. This isn’t a race.
Adapt to the child
The system bends to the kid, not the other way around.
A simple, proven framework for building physically literate, strong, fast, coordinated, and confident kids. We coach it; you get to watch it work.
Schedule & registration
Monday–Friday, 3:30–4:30 PM at 1007 H St NE. Two ways to join — pick the one that fits, then register and pay securely through Sawyer.
Be Strong Class
$225/mo membership · drop off & pick up at the gym
Be Strong Class — membership
Open in a new tab →Registration and payment are handled securely by Sawyer. Trouble with the calendar? Open it directly.
Be Strong After School
$335/mo (3-day) · $495/mo (5-day) · school pickup + care until 5:30
Be Strong After School — pickup & care
Open in a new tab →Registration and payment are handled securely by Sawyer. Trouble with the calendar? Open it directly.
Good to know
What ages is Be Strong for?+
Ages 5–11, split into two tracks: roughly 5–7 and 8–11. The ranges are loose — coaches place kids by readiness, not birthday.
When and where?+
Monday through Friday, 3:30 – 4:30 PM, at our gym on the H Street corridor — 1007 H St NE, Washington, DC.
What does membership cost, and what about after-school care?+
A Be Strong membership is $225/month for unlimited weekday classes (3:30–4:30 PM, drop-off at the gym). Be Strong + After-School Care adds pickup at dismissal from Ludlow-Taylor or School-Within-School, the class, and a coached 4:30–5:30 hour — $495/month for five days or $335/month for three days a week. Pickup is at the gym by 5:30.
My child goes to a different school — can you still pick them up?+
Possibly, yes. Tell us the school and dismissal time and we’ll work with you directly on an at-school pickup for your location. Contact us.
How many days a week should my kid come?+
Two days a week works well; three works better. More is fine — the system is built to avoid overdoing it — but consistency beats “optimal” every time.
Do they lift weights?+
Mostly their own bodyweight plus light dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls and sandbags — goblet squats, deadlifts, carries. No barbells. Mastering a goblet squat at nine is what makes barbell training safe and productive at fifteen.
Is this a sports-specific program?+
No, and that’s the point. Be Strong builds general physical competence — movement, coordination, speed, strength — that every sport (and every kid) benefits from. It doesn’t replace sports or free play; it supports them.
What should they wear and bring?+
Athletic clothes, sneakers, and a water bottle. That’s it.
How do I register?+
Through the calendar on this page. Registration and payment run securely through Sawyer.