Ryan Terry has brought his 20 plus years of training experience to a partnership with strength brand, PRIMAL, in order to create an all-in-one gym space that provides everything its members need in order to raise their game. M&F were granted an inside look at this innovative new world to workout in, and were suitably impressed by “RT FIT” and everything that the 2023 Olympia men’s physique champion’s new fitness center has to offer.
When you walk past the reception area and into the main corridor at RT FIT in Retford, Nottinghamshire, England, you are greeted with an inspirational wall featuring Ryan Terry’s Olympia medals. Last year, on his ninth attempt, the Englishman was finally able to claim the Olympia crown in Orlando but it’s amazing to think that with a growing young family and the biggest bodybuilding show of his life to prepare for, Terry was also toiling away with another lifelong dream; that of designing and building his own gym. With the doors now open, new members and the media alike are giving RT FIT the once over. Thankfully, all agree that this is one amazing place to workout in.
“Everything I’ve ever tried to work towards, I’ve always set myself a goal,” Terry tells M&F. “Yeah, it took a lot longer to get this place open just because, obviously, my career has been very hectic and I’m very grateful for what I’ve done over the past ten years but this is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I felt like it was a time in my career now where I thought that I could really give the time to it and build what I feel is one hell of a facility.”
PRIMAL
What Does RT FIT Have to Offer?
Ryan Terry’s vision for RT FIT was to create a space that improves the lifestyle of it’s members and to that end features an array of convenient services. Want to get a haircut? No problem, this gym has it’s own salon. Want to grab a healthy meal on the go? No worries, the “RT EATS” area has you covered and not only can you grab a clean bite but they also roast their own coffee beans in-house. There’s a recovery room offering pulsed electromagnetic therapy for pain relief as well as cryotherapy and deep tissue massage to boot. But besides all of those welcome extras, what really matters to most is the gym floor itself, and having teamed-up with PRIMAL, visitors won’t be disappointed.
This exciting new facility meets the requirements of all fitness levels and is separated by zones that cater to each body part, so members can spend more time doing reps and less time hunting for equipment. There is exclusive gear here too, such as a standing chest press and a linear shoulder press from PRIMAL’s performance range, not to mention a range of dumbbells that go all the way to 176 Pounds / 80 Kilograms, a viking press and an innovative vertical leg press.
What is the process of making leading gym equipment?
For Steven Rinaldi, the CEO and founder of PRIMAL, taking ideas from world-class experts and like Ryan Terry and other partners such as the Stoltman brothers is helping the brand to really standout. “We need those ideas,” Rinaldi explains to M&F. “We need everyone, from the first-time users of a machine to say ‘this is too fiddly’ to the Stoltman’s putting seven or eight plates each side of a standard chest press, and testing it, and really having a play. I’ve spent half an hour with Ryan today, we’ve been around two or three machines, taken the feedback on board, and that’s gone straight to our design guys. There’ll be a version two and a version three, and it continues to progress.”
When a partner such as Ryan Terry comes up with an idea for a new piece of equipment for PRIMAL to turn into a reality, how long does it take? “It’s probably closer to a year,” explains Rinaldi. “Sometimes the idea will start on paper and sometimes it will start from a machine that another brand has had, maybe a machine from the eighties or nineties that went away, and we’ll see how we can make the mechanics better or how can we tweak it. The (basic) design will go to a CAD designer, then there’s a prototype in the factory, then we might send a prototype over to a gym like Ryan’s, or The Stoltman’s Strength Centre. Once we know all the positive and negative feedback, we make final tweaks and then it goes into production. When it comes to feedback, the response to RT FIT has been overwhelmingly positive. There are strength classes, and female only sessions. There’s also spin class and yoga for getting your sweat on, and even a multi-angled mirror room for posing practice.
Of course, if anyone understands the equipment and machines needed for building muscle, it’s the 2023 Olympia Men’s Physique winner, Ryan Terry. He says that finally reaching first place is in large part thanks to the progress he has made with his back. No doubt, he’ll be spending a lot of time at RT FIT as he aims to defend the title in 2024. Graciously, Terry took this writer through one of his epic back sessions.
