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Maximum Strength Has Started
The final part of our Q3 strength training curriculum.
This week marks the start of our Maximum Strength phase.
Your first set is a prep set — its job is to warm up your body, practise the movement, and get you ready for the heavier work to come.
For sets 2–4, expect to spend a little more time adjusting your weights. Maximum Strength is the one phase where the goal is to gradually work up to a weight where you may not be able to complete every prescribed rep. The priority is still maintaining good form; when your form starts to break down, the set is done.
If you’ve been attending throughout the Muscular Endurance phase and feel competent and comfortable with the exercise, you can work within the Maximum Strength rep range.
If you’re newer to the exercise or still developing confidence with it, stick with 8–10 reps and Pattern Practice. There’s no need to rush into heavier weights.
Our next curriculum begins September 28.
Help Us Build the Next Curriculum
Speaking of the next curriculum: our instructors will soon be getting together to start brainstorming the next set of A, B & C classes for Q4.
Now is a great time to tell us what you’d like to see.
Which exercises have you LOVED this curriculum? Which ones did you maybe not love at first, but have since learned to love? And are there any exercises from previous curricula that you’ve been missing?
We’d love to hear what’s been working for you before we start putting the next program together.
I’ve also not been able to work out because of fatigue. I’ve had to focus on resting as much as I can while, and on working less.
The downtime has prompted a lot of reflection. Health is wealth, and that has been ever so clear to me in the absence of feeling myself.
In these moments, you have not known it, but I have been living vicariously thorugh you – you who continuing to make time for exercise when there are so many competing priorities that can make showing up difficult.
In this past week I have gotten to the bottom things, and am beginning to feel a lot better.
I’m looking to get back at my first workout in over 2 months. I am so excited, and a little worried. I’m not as strong. But it’ll come back and I’m not going to rush it – just going to be happy to be there.
A Moment of Reflection
On health & exercise, by Millie.
We’ve had a really great summer at Recess, and things have, very expectedly, quieted down a little toward the end of August. Hopefully that means many of you are enjoying the last vestiges of summer before fall — a time that always feels so steeped in change, new routines, and new possibility — is around the corner.
I know for many of you that might mean settling into a new schedule, finding your way back to the gym a little more regularly, or just taking some time to figure out what your fall routine is going to look like. And in the meantime, we’ve been very happy to hear about all the adventures your summers have taken you on.
Adrian and I have enjoyed a bit of a staycation ourselves, although it has also been a challenging summer for me personally. I’ve had some health challenges that have meant missing some classes and spending time resting between doctor’s appointments.
Labour Day Schedule
Monday, September 7
We’ll be running a reduced schedule for Labour Day.
Get Stronger classes:
- 7:00 AM
- 11:00 AM
- 12:00 PM
There will be no 6:00 PM or 7:00 PM classes that evening, so please plan your bookings accordingly.
How to find out where you are on a class waitlist
A great question came in from Patti this week:
“Can I see the class waitlist position before I join?”
Short answer: not quite.
In our new booking system, you are only able to see your position after you add yourself to the waitlist (but not before). Find out where you are in the queue with the following instructions.
From the Browser
- Log in to any widget
- Select the navigation menu
- Select My Schedule to view position on the waitlist
From the App
- Log in to the Walla App
- From the Home tab look for a section labeled Your Upcoming Visits
- Waitlist positions for each class are indicated here
Other waitlist pro tips:
Our waitlists tend to move more than you might expect.
That’s because of our flexible cancellation windows:
- 7 a.m. classes: cancel by 9 p.m. the night before
- All other classes: cancel up to 3 hours ahead
So while a class might look full at first glance, spots often open up as plans shift. It’s worthwhile adding yourself to the waitlist especially if the class is a few days out.
Meet Nicole
I’m also excited to introduce you to Nicole, who is teaching Tuesday 7 p.m. Pilates.
Nicole is super warm and approachable, and ready to welcome you to the dimmed lighting of our back room for some simultaneously challenging and stress-reducing movement.
Share Your Thoughts: 2026 Get Stronger Planning
Next week we’re finalizing the first new curriculum for 2026 (Q1) Get Stronger, and we’d love to hear from you.
Now that we’re deep into Maximum Strength Month, let your instructor know:
Which exercises you enjoyed
Anything that surprised you
Movements you connected with
Patterns or techniques you’d like to keep seeing
Your feedback genuinely shapes the next phase.
Get Protected from the Flu and COVID
As posted on the Toronto Public Health website: “Flu and COVID-19 vaccines … will be available for everyone … starting October 27, 2025.”
We’ve pre-booked ours at the pharmacy in the Loblaws (Dupont & Christie), and in past years we’ve had great luck with walk-in flu shots at Bloor Park Pharmacy (by the Baskin Robbins at Bloor & Christie).
It’s a priority to do what we can to avoid getting others’ sick. So, if you’re feeling unwell or have any sudden symptoms, please don’t come to class. To dissuade you, we’ll gladly refund your credit if it’s too late to cancel without penalty. Staying home when sick helps protect everyone.
Other reminders:
- You’re always welcome to wear a mask.
- We’ve got 2x commercial HEPA air purifiers running 24/7 at the gym.
Podcast Suggestion
Learn more about what seasonal illnesses may be ahead this winter with CBC’s The Dose' podcase episode titled: "How can we protect ourselves from fall and winter respiratory viruses?" Click to listen.
Improving Access to Classes
We know some of you have been finding it difficult to get into classes at popular times, and we want to acknowledge that challenge. To better enable our current members (and your routines), we’ve temporarily closed Recess to new folks.
If you’ve had trouble getting into a class, we apologize and will do what we can to make sure we can continue offering the classes you love. The aforementioned hip replacement does personally limit us (read: me, Millie) from adding more classes to the schedule for now, as much as I’d like to.
That said, we really encourage you to:
-
Add yourself to the waitlist — spots open more often than you might think.
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Cancel even inside the three-hour window if you can’t attend; it may still help someone else jump in last-minute.
Thank you for helping keep registration flexible and accessible for everyone. And thanks for sticking with us. <3
Do you have the app?
Well, that brings us to the end of this newsletter!
Share your thoughts, questions, feedback or whatever else is on your mind by sending us an email or text to:
