Aubrey Shpaiuk, owner of Main St. Strength & Conditioning, is beginning a training camp on May 29 that will prepare athletes to participate in the Femsport women's strength and fitness competition this summer on August 20.
“This is their 20th season doing it,” Shpaiuk said. “It came to Saskatchewan in 2017. The first competition was in Regina, and I think that year there was about 60 competitors registered. Like, 40 of those competitors were from Moose Jaw.”
Shpaiuk and her team won that first Saskatchewan event. In 2018 and 2019, Femsport came to Moose Jaw, hosted by Main St. Strength.
In 2018, they had 80 competitors. In 2019, there were 100. Shpaiuk said they have 60 people registered so far this year. She’s hoping all 100 available spots will be filled.
Femsport is open to adult women of any age or fitness level. Many competitors will train for months to do as well as they can — and the movements are tough. However, it is also open for participation and for the experience. There will be no shaming or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Register at femsport.ca/service/moose-jaw/. You must be at least 18 years old. You can register individually or as a three-person team.
There are three divisions: novice, open, and masters. The novice division is for first-time competitors only, the open is for anyone, and the masters division is for athletes 40 and older.
The training camp that Shpaiuk is offering at her gym will prepare athletes for each of the movements in the competition, highlight areas that need work, and, of course, increase fitness levels.
“There are six different events,” Shpaiuk said. “There’s an obstacle course, there’s a tire flip, a sandbag burpee clean and press, there’s box jumps, there’s a tire drag, and a kettlebell lift.”
The sections are designed to be short and intense, requiring strength and technique to perform the movement, then cardiovascular endurance to do that movement repeatedly within the time allowance.
- Sandbag burpee clean and press — 15 repetitions in three minutes — a 40-lb sandbag will be picked up off the ground, transferred from the hips to the shoulders, and pressed fully overhead. The bag is then placed back on the ground, and the athlete does a burpee with chest to sandbag and hands either on or next to the ends of the bag
- Box jumps — 50 reps in three minutes — box is 18 inches. Athletes must jump with feet together, and both heels must remain above the height of the box top. Stepping down is permitted. Hard shin guards are mandatory for this event.
- Kettlebell lift — five progressively heavier kettlebells must be lifted and carried 30 feet to be placed on progressively lower pedestals. A final sprint back to the start line completes the event.
- Tire pull — a 120-lb tire will be dragged 75 feet. Hips and feet must face the tire at all times. The tire may not lift off the ground. The rope can gripped only at the taped ends, and the tire must completely cross the finish line.
- Obstacle medley — an approximately 240-foot course, for time, with three or more of the following:
- Farmer’s carry, 2 x 45 lb. water jugs along two lengths of the course
- Agility tires
- Balance beam
- Agility poles
- 4 ft. vault box
- Over, under or through object
- Sprints
- Car push
- Tire flip — three flips forward, then three flips back, in three minutes — the tire will weigh around 275 lb.
“There’s lot of rest in-between each event. Say, for example, we’ve got 60 competitors,” Shpaiuk said. “Basically, six competitors go at one time. When they’re done, they rest until all 60 people have completed that event. Then we carry on to the next.”
Femsport will be held on Cordova Street between Main and Langdon. It is open to spectators, and Shpaiuk anticipates a crowd will be cheering participants on as in previous years.
The cost of the Main Street Strength training camp is $199. It will run for 10 60-minute sessions, starting May 29.
Contact Shpaiuk at (306) 690-8766, main.street.strength@gmail.com, or through the gym’s Facebook page for more information or to register. Volunteers for August 20 are also needed.
