About

Our Mission

At Laid-back Fitness, we believe fitness should feel like play. We're a Rhode Island-based, family-friendly facility where kids discover their inner ninja and adults rediscover the joy of moving their bodies naturally, confidently, and without limits.

From ninja classes and obstacle course rentals to birthday parties and private coaching, everything we do is rooted in one simple idea: movement should be fun for everyone.

Our Mission

At Laid Back Fitness, we believe fitness should feel like play. We're a Rhode Island-based, family-friendly facility where kids discover their inner ninja and adults rediscover the joy of moving their bodies naturally, confidently, and without limits.

From ninja classes and obstacle course rentals to birthday parties and private coaching, everything we do is rooted in one simple idea: movement should be fun for everyone.

Ryan McGowan

Meet the man who left construction to build something better — a fitness community.

Fast Facts

🏆 Best Personal Trainer – Providence Journal 2017
🥋 Level 3 MovNat Certified Trainer
🔔 Level 1 Kettlebell Athletics Instructor
🐾 Level 1 Animal Flow Instructor

Our founder is a former athlete and endurance junky turned Primal. In March 2009, he stumbled across an article that rocked his world. After reading (and re-reading) this convincing piece, he reduced his training volume significantly, altered his eating style, and became healthier and fitter than ever! Inspired by this way of living, combined with a growing disenchantment with the commercial construction industry, Ryan walked away from his career to pursue his passion full-time in 2010! His engineering brain still gets stimulation through analyzing the mechanics of human movement, designing practical training regimens, and building fun and new equipment and NINJA rigs to play on!

When it comes to training, Ryan is a minimalist! He prides himself on creating efficient programs for his clients (and teammates) so they can participate in events of any distance with the least amount of time and mileage investment. He is a Level 3 MovNat Certified Trainer, a MovNat Team Instructor, Level 1 Kettlebell Athletics Instructor, Functional Kettlebell Training (FKT) certified, and Level 1 Animal Flow Instructor, and won Providence Journal’s Readers’ Choice Award for Best Personal Trainer in 2017!

As far as helping his clients become healthier and improve their body composition, Ryan shares with them the Weston Price and the Primal Blueprint guidelines for nutrition. He also encourages his clients to participate in events to put their skills and fitness levels to the test.

To hear Ryan discuss his story and our approach at LbF, check him out on the Realistic Fitness Podcast and the MovNat Show!

Our Story & Timeline

2009 - Discovery

2009 — Ryan discovers natural movement and changes his life

2010 - Action

2010 — Leaves career to pursue fitness full-time

2017 - Pay off

2017 — Named Best Personal Trainer by Providence Journal readers

Today - Result

Today — 2 gyms, 1 roof, and a growing community of ninjas of all ages