Ryse Athletic Club sits at 5328 Grand Avenue in Gurnee and is open 24 hours a day. The reason people drive here from Waukegan and Grayslake instead of joining something closer is the equipment: over 50 Watson machines alone, a British brand you almost never see on a commercial floor, covering chest, back, shoulders, arms and legs.
Watson is not the whole story. The machine floor also runs Prime, Panatta, Arsenal, Hammer Strength, Nautilus, Cybex, Precor, Bodymasters and Booty Builder, so most muscle groups have several ways to train them. The dumbbells go from 5 lb up to 180 lb per hand. The powerlifting zone has Rogue racks, competition benches and deadlift platforms with calibrated plates. Cardio sits off to the side so it never crowds the weights.
Then there is the part most gyms skip. A posing room with contest prep lighting. A boxing area on a truss mounted bag rig. An indoor half basketball court. A Styku 3D body scanner for tracking composition properly. Founder Justin Maki competes as an IFBB Pro and built the gym he wanted to train in, which is why the equipment list reads like a competitor's wish list rather than a chain's checklist.
Memberships are open now. Come in and look around, or call (224) 656-5130.
