A New Model Of Fitness

With Linda Rankin from Results Personal Training Mackay (RPTM)

Business Owner, Coach, and Nutritionist Linda Rankin is on a mission to make fitness accessible to everyone.

Not just the lycra-clad gym bunnies and muscled body builders, but also the mum, who doesn't allow herself enough time to clear her mind and move her body. The newbie, who has no idea how to use a dumbbell let alone the contraptions in the weights room. And anyone else, who hasn't yet learnt that working out isn't just about feeling fit and looking good. It's about finding peace, satisfaction, and connection, in a space that welcomes you through the door.

That space is Results Personal Training Mackay.

Linda has been spearheading RPTM for twelve years now, having taken over the business after finding her own love of fitness there, following the birth of her eldest daughter.

Over her time in the industry, Linda has seen, and led, an evolution in the way we approach fitness.

"Fifteen years ago, it was really all about just pushing people as hard as you could,” she explained.

“Now, we know that the mental health benefits outweigh anything of the physical benefits, which is all that we used to focus on.

“It really is about changing lives and getting people to think differently and feel differently."

According to Linda, RPTM models a kind of fitness that is about feeling good.

“You can just step into a class, and the next 45 minutes, you literally don't think about anything; especially as a mum, as a woman,” Linda said.

“You don't have to think about what's for dinner. You don't have somebody asking you 100 questions, you're literally just there for yourself.’"

At RPTM, programs and classes have been built to be completely inclusive, designed with the understanding that everybody is on their own journey, and that everybody needs to move.

“Regardless of whether the person next to you goes for a run and you're just walking… It doesn't matter,” Linda said.

“Movement is movement and I believe I’ve created that space where everybody can feel welcomed to start their journey, because starting is the hardest thing. If we can give them that space that promotes that, then, then we're winning.”

RPTM began with outdoor workouts, but ten years ago, they took over a studio in Mackay. Three years ago, they opened another, in Walkerston.  

In the studios, coaches offer group fitness classes of varied styles. Resistance training is a highlight, with exercises adapted for different bodies, ages and genders.

Also available are semi-private PT sessions, delivered in groups of four. Each participant gets their own program customised to their needs and goals, but with the added connection of having teammates by their side. Strength-based plans and rehab exercises can be tailored to achieve specific goals through these repeated sessions.

"The vibe is definitely very supportive, very social, and, just motivating,” Linda described.

“The encouragement is there, not just from the trainers to our clients, but client to client, too.”

What advice do you have for other business people?

Follow your gut. You can't please everybody, so make decisions that work for the business and know that everything will just fall into place.

What do you do outside of work?

I spent eighteen years as an officer for the Navy Cadets which took a lot of my time. Five years ago I left and filled that void by going back to my roots of music, joining the Mackay & District Pipe Band to learn how to play the bagpipes. This year I played my second ever Anzac Day.

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