At first glance, the new Imperial Fitness gym is sparse, especially compared to the monster fitness facilities being built in some parts of the region.<\/p>\n
There are no televisions, no smoothie bar, no espresso stand, no stationary bikes, no steam room, no stair-climbers and only one treadmill.<\/p>\n
What there\u2019s plenty of are free weights, medicine balls, sandbags, climbing ropes, a long stretch of turf and even a big chain pile on the floor, used Rocky-style as additional weight or draped over the lifter.<\/p>\n
Frankly, it may look a bit intense for people used to brightly lit chain gyms.<\/p>\n
This is not on accident.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a hardcore gym,\u201d says owner Ryan Riess. \u201cI\u2019m bringing it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riess even bristles at the connotation of the word \u201cgym.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a training facility, not a gym,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Imperial Fitness, which opened two months ago, is designed as a workout center for athletes and people serious about fitness. The 5,000-square-foot facility is an appointment-only outlet where each session includes personal training from Riess, a National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified trainer.<\/p>\n
And those training sessions usually involve a lot of motivation and sweat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI treat everyone as an athlete,\u201d Riess says. \u201cThis is a no-B.S. atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riess, 24, started working on the gym as part of his high-school graduation project and has kept it up since, first in a location in Seattle and now in downtown Kent.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy requirement to graduate turned out to be my occupation,\u201d he says of his high-school days.<\/p>\n
Riess worked in various gyms in the area, but said he wanted to create a \u201cwarehouse gym\u201d with an \u201cold-school\u201d feel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t able to train the way I wanted to,\u201d he says of past facilities where he has trained.<\/p>\n
Having maintained his vision, Riess says he\u2019s proud of the new facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is everything everybody told me I couldn\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riess believes that the machines and specialty classes of new-fangled fitness centers take away from the basics of body movement. Fitness, he said, is \u201cbasic\u201d and \u201csimple.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFitness is so basic,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople think they need all those machines and they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you should be able to jump, run, throw and lift,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
Riess talks a lot about what the body is designed to do and plans workouts to stay true to that form. He\u2019s trained high school and college athletes and points out that none under his supervision has been seriously injured in a season, something he attributes to his training methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cI breed strong athletes overall,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Among his students is former Kentwood and current University of Washington football player Demitrius Bronson.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a trainer, I think he\u2019s well-rounded,\u201d Bronson says. \u201cHe tries to help us reach our goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bronson met Riess while the Husky was training at an LA Fitness facility. Bronson says he liked Riess\u2019 style and liked the gym when he saw it.<\/p>\n
Bronson says the old-fashioned gym reminded him of what he saw when visiting his brother, John, a tight end who played for the Arizona Cardinals.<\/p>\n
Bronson said Reiss is very motivational, even sending him inspirational text messages throughout the week and often making sure the collegiate athlete is keeping up on his studies as much as his workouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s yelling at you, but at the same time he\u2019s like, \u2018Where do you see yourself next year?\u2019\u201d Bronson says.<\/p>\n
Though designed as a place for athletes and body builders \u2013 Riess himself is a former body builder who has trained several others for competition \u2013 the facility is open to anyone interested in a good workout.<\/p>\n
Riess says because the gym is appointment-only, many of his clients, especially women, tell him they enjoy their workouts more because they do not feel as if they are being watched by other patrons.<\/p>\n
But Riess also works hard the folks he is training, refusing to accept excuses and often working them until exhaustion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just that guy who gets the most out of everybody that comes in,\u201d he says. \u201cI treat everyone as an athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riess also is trying to start a class for kids who do not play sports, as a way to keep moving a generation raised on television and video games. A physical education class for home-schooled children also is on his agenda.<\/p>\n
According to Riess, the next phase of the gym will include 30-minute \u201ccross-fit\u201d workout. He also plans to add a few more \u201cold school\u201d training methods, like giant tractor tires to flip around the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want rubber weights,\u201d Riess says. \u201cI want to keep it raw.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Imperial Fitness<\/p>\n
What: Appointment-only training facility.<\/p>\n
Where: 702 W. Meeker St., Kent.<\/p>\n
Cost: $45 per hour; 10 sessions for $350.<\/p>\n
Details: 206-300-7891.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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