Your initial assessment is your chance to connect with Coach Bren and lay the foundation for your personalized fitness journey. You’ll review your intake forms together, discuss your health, lifestyle, and goals, and go through simple movement assessments to check mobility and strength. This allows Coach Bren to design a program that’s safe, effective, and tailored to you – and yes, fun, too!

You won’t be doing a full workout, but please wear comfortable workout clothes. If time allows, optional baseline fitness tests can be included. This first step ensures you start with a plan to help you feel confident, capable, and supported every step of the way.

Coach Bren understands that stepping on a scale can sometimes feel triggering or discouraging, so weigh-ins are not a standard part of her training approach. Body weight can change from day to day and doesn’t tell the full story of your progress.

Instead, Coach Bren focuses on what truly matters—helping you feel stronger, more energized, and confident in your body. If you’d like, she can take weight and measurements by request, but most success is gauged by how you feel: moving with ease, gaining strength and muscle, and enjoying the activities you love with more confidence.

It depends on your specific injury or condition and whether you’ve been cleared by your healthcare provider to exercise. With medical clearance and a clear understanding of your limitations and goals, Coach Bren can create a safe, customized workout plan to support your recovery and overall well-being.

Coach Bren encourages open communication—if any exercise causes pain, unusual fatigue, or worsens symptoms, she’ll adjust your plan and, if needed, collaborate with your healthcare team to keep you safe and supported.

Every workout with Coach Bren is personalized to your goals and preferences, and also takes into account any injuries or physical limitations. A typical strength session in the gym flows like this:

1. Warm-Up (5 minutes): Light cardio to get your heart rate up and your body moving—usually on a cardio machine, but there are plenty of ways to warm up.

2. Mobility (5–10 minutes): Gentle exercises to prep your joints and muscles, reduce injury risk, and improve flexibility and agility.

3. Strength Training (main workout): Six to ten exercises, tailored to your plan. Coach Bren focuses on proper technique and selects weights that challenge you safely. Equipment might include machines, dumbbells, barbells, cables, bands, or bodyweight moves.

4. Cooldown & Stretch: Wrapping up with stretches and a chance to ask questions.

You’ll get a printed workout with visuals, instructions, and a tracking sheet so you can workout independently.

Once you’ve gone through your program with Coach Bren, she’s available between sessions for quick questions—whether by email, text, or in person. Need clarity on an exercise? Feeling a bit of discomfort? Coach Bren is happy to help.

For bigger concerns, like a new injury or major change to your goals, she’ll schedule extra time to work through it with you and adjust your plan so you stay safe, confident, and on track.

Changing your training program regularly over the course of your fitness journey can help you progress and avoid plateaus. Coach Bren suggests sticking with your first training plan for about 8–10 weeks. This gives you time to get comfortable with the movements, build consistency, improve your strength, and sharpen your technique.

After that, updating your plan every 4–6 weeks keeps your body challenged in new ways. New exercises help your muscles, joints, and nervous system adapt and grow so you can keep feeling stronger, more capable, and confident with every session.

Coach Bren is considering offering programs that are accessible online in the future, but for now, workouts and tracking sheets are provided in paper format.

Fitstop Fitness for Women is a women-only gym in Duncan, BC. It’s designed to be a welcoming, judgment-free space for every fitness level, from complete beginners to seasoned lifters. The community is friendly and supportive, making it easy to feel comfortable as you work toward your goals.

Fitstop features a full range of strength and power training equipment, a warm-up and mobility room, a cardio space with treadmills, spin bikes, ellipticals, and a rower.  There are also shower facilities and an infrared sauna. 

Working with Coach Bren at Fitstop will require a membership.  There are monthly passes which give you 24/7 access, or punch card passes and drop-in rates, which can be used during staffed hours.  For more information about Fitstop, you can phone (250) 746-0102 or stop by the gym Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM and friendly, knowledgeable staff will be happy to answer your questions and give you a tour. (Please note: Fitstop membership and/or drop-in fees are separate from personal training fees.)