His “a-ha” moment came while sitting in his oncologist’s waiting room.
It was a year after Ryan Peake finished treatment for Burkitt lymphoma, a fast-growing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and nearly two years after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given just days to live. It was a brutal treatment, compounded by the fact he wasn’t sure if he would make it, and after facing his own mortality, Peake was ready to change his life.
“I felt very lost, and I knew that other cancer survivors must be feeling the same way,” he said. “During treatment, you rely on physicians and nurses, and after they move on to their next patients, you feel down. I realized I had a certain level of expertise in health and fitness, and decided I wanted to start helping other people.”
Fast forward a decade to today, and Peake is the owner of Peake Fitness, a personal training studio in Redlands. The Yucaipa native has always been active, and grew up playing football and taking martial arts lessons. He first started training clients in his parents’ backyard, then moved on to group classes at Ford and Prospect Parks.
“It grew organically from there,” he said.
Peake started in a small studio in downtown Redlands, and moved to his current space on Alabama Street almost four years ago. Peake considers what he offers more than just personal training — it’s health coaching, combining fitness, nutrition, and a mind-body-soul connection.
“Here you get a more personalized experience,” he said. “I try to understand what’s going on with their lives. It’s about really getting to know my clients, and developing a system and program to best suit their needs.”
Peake Fitness has two resistance training rooms, TRX straps, and spin bikes, and offers body weight training, functional training, and heart rate monitor training. Peake works with all age groups — he’s trained children as young as nine and adults in their 80s — and is a certified cancer exercise specialist.
“Ultimately, I believe working out here is investing in yourself,” he said. “If you can believe in the coaching, believe in the process of it, you will have results and success. This is a program that can be continued your entire life. This isn’t a crash exercise place, we don’t do 21-day extreme weight loss challenges — I try my best to cater to each individual as much as possible.”
In his spare time, Peake, a father of two, enjoys playing the guitar, writing music, cooking, and, of course, working out.
“Being a dad is first and foremost,” he said. “I’m also trying to transition into success coaching, and I’m working on my real estate and financial advisor licenses. I want to offer a well-rounded success program that works on multiple levels.”
Peake’s goals for the new year include starting a coaching nonprofit, continuing to grow his business, and taking inspiration from people like life coach Tony Robbins.
“I want to be like him, but do things a little bit different,” he said. “I want to be the next Tony Robbins and the first Ryan Peake.” —Catherine
Peake Fitness is at 325 Alabama St., Unit 15, Redlands. For more information, call 909-793-1819 or message Peake on Facebook at facebook.com/peakefitnessredlands.