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.

There are no televisions, no smoothie bar, no espresso stand, no stationary bikes, no steam room, no stair-climbers and only one treadmill.

What there’s 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.

Frankly, it may look a bit intense for people used to brightly lit chain gyms.

This is not on accident.

“It’s a hardcore gym,” says owner Ryan Riess. “I’m bringing it back.”

Riess even bristles at the connotation of the word “gym.”

“It’s a training facility, not a gym,” he says.

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.

And those training sessions usually involve a lot of motivation and sweat.

“I treat everyone as an athlete,” Riess says. “This is a no-B.S. atmosphere.”

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.

“My requirement to graduate turned out to be my occupation,” he says of his high-school days.

Riess worked in various gyms in the area, but said he wanted to create a “warehouse gym” with an “old-school” feel.

“I wasn’t able to train the way I wanted to,” he says of past facilities where he has trained.

Having maintained his vision, Riess says he’s proud of the new facility.

“This is everything everybody told me I couldn’t do.”

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 “basic” and “simple.”

“Fitness is so basic,” he says. “People think they need all those machines and they don’t.

“I believe you should be able to jump, run, throw and lift,” he adds.

Riess talks a lot about what the body is designed to do and plans workouts to stay true to that form. He’s 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.

“I breed strong athletes overall,” he says.

Among his students is former Kentwood and current University of Washington football player Demitrius Bronson.

“As a trainer, I think he’s well-rounded,” Bronson says. “He tries to help us reach our goals.”

Bronson met Riess while the Husky was training at an LA Fitness facility. Bronson says he liked Riess’ style and liked the gym when he saw it.

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.

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.

“He’s yelling at you, but at the same time he’s like, ‘Where do you see yourself next year?’” Bronson says.

Though designed as a place for athletes and body builders – Riess himself is a former body builder who has trained several others for competition – the facility is open to anyone interested in a good workout.

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.

But Riess also works hard the folks he is training, refusing to accept excuses and often working them until exhaustion.

“I’m just that guy who gets the most out of everybody that comes in,” he says. “I treat everyone as an athlete.”

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.

According to Riess, the next phase of the gym will include 30-minute “cross-fit” workout. He also plans to add a few more “old school” training methods, like giant tractor tires to flip around the room.

“I don’t want rubber weights,” Riess says. “I want to keep it raw.”

Imperial Fitness

What: Appointment-only training facility.

Where: 702 W. Meeker St., Kent.

Cost: $45 per hour; 10 sessions for $350.

Details: 206-300-7891.

Kent Reporter General assignment reporter Brian Beckley can be reached at bbeckley@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5054.

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