Little Known Benefits of Varsity Fitness Centers
Fighting a fifteen year old freshman doesn’t mean your choices are limited to treadmills and weights. University fitness centers are filled with amazing and fun facilities to help you get in shape, develop healthy habits, and even relieve stress before a serious exam. Best of all, this is free for many students.
Keep in mind that there are over 2,600 accredited four-year universities in the US and no two schools are exactly the same. This means that you probably won’t find everything mentioned here in your school. However, you will never know until you investigate yourself. Call your fitness center front desk, check their website, look for billboards or advertisements in the fitness center, or better yet, ask your RA or someone who works for the admissions office. They know everything. For many schools, the university fitness center is “free” to students, but let’s be honest, you pay in dollars for your tuition, whether you use it or not. So use this!
Join full-time teams and play club sports
Indoor sports give you the opportunity to compete against fellow students in a wide variety of sports for fun. In most cases, they are organized through the university’s fitness center with registration throughout the school year, and are often free for students (although some schools require you to pay for a fitness membership). The types of face-to-face sports vary at each university, but you can expect games like basketball, flag soccer, volleyball, soccer, handball, whiffleball, tennis, golf, softball, field hockey, frisbee, and even dodgeball.
Some schools also have their own special face-to-face sports. Hundreds of students sign up to Boston University every year to play broomball (shown in the video above). It is very similar to hockey without skates (but still on ice), brooms are used instead of hockey sticks, and there are bouncers instead of a puck. The University of Wisconsin Green Bay hosts games such as trenchball (a special kind of bouncer) andpool battleship where you try to drown each other’s canoes in the pool by filling them with water. Some schools, such as Abilene Christian University , have face-to-face rodeos.
If you are interested in competing with students from other schools, consider joining a club sports team . These types of teams are usually more serious than face-to-face teams and usually require regular practice attendance. It’s like being on a division college sports team, but there are no scholarships or televised tournaments.
Rent of equipment for sports and activities
If you have a busy schedule and don’t have time to join a club or play face-to-face games, most fitness centers will let you test your equipment for free so you can go about your business. Gather your friends and play basketball, borrow rackets and play some racquetball matches, or try rackets for a game of table tennis. Even if you don’t have a group of friends, other students in the same position as you will loiter around looking for pickup games. And you can always shoot the hoops yourself or rent a racquetball court and hit the soccer ball against the wall.
However, equipment rental is not limited to typical sports. Schools such as the University of Maine rent skis and snowshoes for students to explore the trails of the DeMerritt Forest . And Western Washington University has a dedicated Outdoor Center adjacent to the fitness center, which has a bike repair shop and rentals for everything you need for your outdoor adventure, including sleeping bags.
Take your workout to the next level with indoor stone walls
If you want to build strength but want something more dynamic than direct resistance training, rock climbing might be for you. Universities across the country have stone walls and many continue to add them to their fitness centers. One is at the University of Pennsylvania , Vanderbilt University , University of Illinois , University of Idaho , University of Akron , University of Texas, Temple University, and the University of Cincinnati, to name just a few.
And the Colorado State University climbing facility is a sight to behold, with 55 linear feet of bouldering, multiple free-standing climbing ropes, and 3,323 square feet of climbing surface. However, climbing walls are not limited to large schools. Small schools likeSaint Mary’s College and South Dakota State University also boast excellent indoor climbing. And many schools have climbing clubs with access to climbing walls if your school doesn’t have one on campus.
Swim in the pool for an effective, low-impact workout when the gym is busy
Nearly every university fitness center has a pool of some sort, and some even have Olympic-sized versions. If the gym is insanely busy and there are no open treadmills or lift machines, Grant Hackton, a retired college fitness coach, suggests swimming can give you a full body workout when you don’t have time to wait . Swimming is also a great exercise format for people with injuries, chronic joint or muscle problems, and for people of all body types where it can be difficult to jump straight to running or lifting weights.
Keep your swimsuit in your gym bag to be ready at all times. In addition, some universities, such as the Georgia Institute of Technology , go far beyond conventional swimming pools and have fully equipped aquatic centers. They have a regular sports pool, a huge relaxation pool, an 184-foot waterslide, a jacuzzi to chill out after swimming, and this is where the1996 Olympic swimming was held .
Get an education about fitness, food and healthy habits
Getting healthy and staying that way takes more than just running on a treadmill a couple of times a week. You need to know how your body works, how different types of fitness can benefit you, and how to cook and eat properly. This is why more and more university fitness centers are moving towards a comprehensive “wellness center”. These establishments have health food cafes and juice bars, but they are also education-oriented, so your health isn’t limited to college years.
The University of North Dakota Wellness Center has a kitchen built into the recreation center, where students can learn how to cook healthy food from professionals, and they can do so immediately after training. The University of Illinois Recreation Center also has an instructional kitchen, and Spelman College offers cooking demonstration classes so students can learn how different types of food can support their workouts. In addition, many schools, such as the University of Arizona , offer free computers on which students can explore before putting what they have learned into practice.
Motivate Yourself With Fitness Incentive Programs
If you need motivation to keep going to the gym, some universities offer incentive programs with rewards you can earn. The Washburn University Wellness Center has an Active Ichabod program in which students earn points by demonstrating healthy habits and performing virtually any physical activity. These points can then be redeemed for great prizes such as sportswear and sports equipment .
University of Arizona students have a similar opportunity with the Challenge program. You won’t find these types of incentive programs in every school, but they are gaining popularity and not always being advertised very well, so be sure to check out yours.
Stress Relief in Student Spas and Meditation Rooms
College is one of the most fun experiences you’ll ever have, but it can also be the most stressful time of your life. If you need to chill out a bit before your big final exam, see if your school’s fitness center can hook you. Some schools, such as the University of Idaho and the University of Akron , have saunas, hot tubs, and even massage centers that are available to students for free or at a significant discount.
Other schools, such as the University of Missouri , have aquatic centers that replace relaxation with relaxation. They have an indoor beach club with a huge waterfall, a lazy river to swim on, and a full-service spa. The University of Iowa has a huge hot tub where you can relax with all your friends, and the University of Minnesota offers whirlpool treatments to students. Many school resorts also offer manicures and pedicures.
You can also do some brain recovery in a dedicated meditation room. Northeastern University , the University of North Dakota, and the University of California at Los Angeles are just a few of the schools that offer students very quiet spaces in their learning centers to keep students focused.
Sign up for group classes and leisure trips
University fitness centers are a goldmine when it comes to extracurricular activities. Most institutions offer group classes, one-to-one coaching, and many, such as Temple University , even offer fitness programs tailored for students with disabilities. Classes vary by school and time of year, but you can take dance and archery classes at the University of Texas , get SCUBA certification and learn to swim at UC Irvine , and take group yoga and Pilates classes at schools all over the place. the country. Many university fitness centers also offer non-fitness activities such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, and some are free.
If you’re hungry for adventure, many colleges organize outdoor trips through their fitness or wellness centers. The University of South Florida offers kayaking adventures and trips to various beaches in the area. The University of Arizona organizes excursions to the Colorado River where students can go rafting or canoeing, or Yosemite National Park for hiking. Western Washington University allows students to enroll in outdoor rock climbing classes and a variety of ski trips. Pomona College has more than 20 years of tradition to host students on Ski Beach Day (pictured above), where you ski in a mountain resort in the morning and head to the beach in the afternoon to cook a meal. Be sure to check with your fitness center so you know what trips or activities may be coming up soon.