Hi my name is Andy Chen, owner, operator and trainer at Sea Level Athletics. We are a Cross Fit gym and fitness community that has been serving Richmond and Vancouver residents since 2019.
At Sea Level athletics we have a diverse community of members that are dedicated to improving their fitness. Our main offering is one hour classes that combine weightlifting, gymnastics and high intensity cardiovascular movements. These classes are designed to be accessible to people of all levels and coached so that everyone can follow along. We have teenagers, seniors, office workers and professional athletes all training alongside each other.
I love my job and find my position extremely satisfying. The first reason is that I get to help people achieve things they thought were impossible whether that be their first pushup or pull-up or showing up to class on a regular basis and breaking a sweat. It's always exciting to see people build confidence in their physical ability and become healthier in the process.
The second reason is that I get to watch the development of our community. It's great to watch our members hype each other up to try and lift a little more weight or push a little harder for an extra rep. We celebrate each other’s personal records and when someone fails a lift, we give them props for having the courage to try. Doing a tough workout with a group of people inevitably brings them together and many great friendships have been formed inside the walls of our gym.
COVID-19 has brought us many obstacles, fortunately we have been able to remain open, but it has changed the way we operate. We follow many of the standard COVID protocols such as mask wearing and social distancing. In addition our classes have de-emphasized high intensity movements that require heavy respiration and shifted towards technique focused body-weight and weightlifting exercises.
Supporting local business is important to me because local businesses take care of their communities through gestures both small and large. We make conversation with our customers and get to know them personally. When a beloved customer runs into trouble, we are often more flexible, understanding and willing to help.
Click here for more information on Sea Level Athletics.
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Andy is wearing our bomber vest and wearing our campfire logo trucker cap.
Photos by Devan Head.
