2023 Olympia Men’s Physique champion Ryan Terry opened a state-of-the-art gym called RT Fit in Retford, Nottinghamshire, England in partnership with strength brand Primal. Terry invited other elite strength athletes and media alike to try the multimillion-dollar fitness hub.
There’s hardly a better duo to evaluate gym equipment “The World’s Strongest Brothers,” Tom and Luke Stoltman. Take a look at the two-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion and 2021 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) tour RT Fit below:
Terry won the 2023 Men’s Physique Olympia title on his ninth attempt. His dedication to a nearly decade-long journey is recorded in the RT Fit entrance corridor, where his Olympia medals and jackets take pride of place.
Terry’s concept for RT Fit was an all-in-one space to work, recover, and refuel. The RT Eats space offers healthy meals and a barista provides quality coffee with the beans roasted on site.
Terry wants his gym members to get to know each other in this communal space, a challenge to 24-hour gyms where patrons go about their business with headphones on to avoid interaction.
Want to get a haircut? RT Fit is outfitted with barbers and a hair salon. The 2023 Men’s Physique Olympia champion wants his members to “get everything done” on site, so they can spend more time training and less time travelling.
You Can “Get Everything Done” at RT Fit
For recovery, RT Fit offers electromagnetic therapy designed to help with pain relief and relaxation. Per a 2020 study in Physical Therapy, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) has “a beneficial effect…on pain, stiffness, and physical function” compared to a placebo. (1)
There’s also cryotherapy and traditional deep tissue massage in RT Fit’s sports rehabilitation facilities. After an intense workout and/or round of posing, members can recover in an ice barrel, offered inside RT Fit’s recovery suite. There’s a sauna for heat therapy and a body drier; a piece that looks like a cross between a radiator and a hairdryer.
In addition to the main gym floor, there’s a specially lit spin area with pumping music for cyclists to train to. Many expected Terry’s gym to only concentrate on bodybuilding, but Terry’s vision was to create a gym “for everybody.” To that end, RT Fit also offers yoga and dancercise.
Terry worked with Primal to conceive his vision of all-encompassing gym experience. Terry explained to the Stoltman brothers how Terry wanted to section off the various disciplines of training such as cardio, pin-loaded machines, a core-focused area, and the free weights alongside squat racks. Terry and his team of ex-marines offer strength and conditioning classes; a touch that left the Stoltmans suitably impressed.
“This floor feels soft,” noted Luke. “That’s for the CrossFitters,” answered Terry, stepping onto the sled track. For dedicated weightlifters, RT Fit features a plate-loaded section mixing Primal equipment with traditional staple pieces. Terry showed the Stoltmans the vast sets dumbbells, ranging from 2.5 Kilograms (5.5 Pounds) to 80 Kilograms (176 Pounds). “That’s class,” nodded Luke.
Terry guided the Stoltmans to the “Posing Room,” an enclosed mirrored space to display the physique off from all angles in controllable lighting. After recieving tips on how to properly tan, the Stoltman’s tour cam to an end.
Tom Stoltman’s next strongman contest is the 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic on March 1-2, 2024. Ryan Terry is expected to attempt his first Olympia title defense at the 2024 Olympia on Oct. 10-13, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV.
References
- Yang, X., He, H., Ye, W., Perry, T. A., & He, C. (2020). Effects of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Pain, Stiffness, Physical Function, and Quality of Life in Patients With Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials. Physical therapy, 100(7), 1118–1131. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzaa054
Featured image: @ryanjterry on Instagram
