RISE supersizes in Rehoboth
Before Ryan Peters opened RISE Fitness + Adventure in Lewes in 2014, he toured the 31,000-square-foot warehouse that most recently housed God's Way Thrift Shop off Airport Road. With its high ceilings and large open floor plan, he thought it would be the perfect place to build a rock-climbing gym.
“I just couldn't wrap my head around how to make it work,” said Ryan, who owns the gym with his wife, Amanda, and Jennifer Kaufmann.
Fast forward two years and his vision is becoming a reality.
RISE opened at its new location behind the Rehoboth AmericInn Aug. 22. All of the functional fitness equipment that makes RISE unique made the move too. With two-and-a-half times the space, Peters said, he could add a few new amenities, including a 34-foot rock wall, the centerpiece of the new location.
“Our goal with the rock wall is to expand our appeal to non-gym people and give them an alternative to fitness that's fun and engaging,” said Kaufmann.
The rock wall was built by El Dorado, a Colorado-based company that's been building rock walls for more than two decades. Access to the wall, which has 12 auto-belay lines and varying difficulties, is included in the price of gym membership. Peters said anyone 8 years old and up can use it.
Complementing the rock wall is a 14-foot boulder wall on the gym's mezzanine. While lower, it offers a different challenge than the rock wall, Peters said.
RISE opened in spring 2014 in an old brush factory on Kings Highway in Lewes. The idea was to offer a unique gym experience, with unordinary exercise equipment and classes. They included a Jacob's ladder, sleds, Olympic rings, prowlers and battle ropes.
The new, larger space allows RISE to add more equipment and amenities too.
“We took what we learned from running the other place,” Peters said. “There are pieces of equipment and amenities people have been asking for that we couldn't make work in the other building because we were renting or because we didn't have the space. We fixed that.”
New amenities include a shower facility, which wasn't available in Lewes. They've also added more flat benches, squat racks and more rooms for classes, including rooms exclusive to spinning and yoga, and a group fitness room that can accommodate up to 35 people.
With a new facility there will be kinks to iron out, and, Peters said, they will be taking it slow for the first few months. He expects to hold a grand opening celebration in the fall.
RISE is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday; 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday; and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. For more information on memberships, go to www.trainatrise.com.
