As the new semester starts, the school gyms have filled up with students trying to fulfill New Year’s resolutions and start a new semester in shape.
The Southwest Recreation Center got so busy Friday that the weight room was reduced to a “one in, one out policy,” as the room got too full to be safe.
The maximum occupancy of the weight room is determined by square footage, amount of equipment in the room and how many staffers are present, said Leah Dupuie, coordinator for fitness programs with RecSports.
She said the optimum ratio of gym members to staff is about 50 to 1, and the capacity is about 220 people.
Within the first week, about 39,000 people went to the campus gyms, and the weight room reached capacity between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. That’s when the “one in, one out policy” occasionally takes effect.
Dupuie said the reason the gym gets so busy at 3:30 p.m. is parking at Southwest Rec lifts, so people can come to the gym without needing a decal. She said it takes a while for people to realize when the busiest times are.
While it is possible that many of the gym attendees are there to stick to their New Year’s resolutions, Dupuie said the same rush happens in the Fall.
“It’s a new semester, new you,” she said.
According to gym numbers, about 38,000 people went to the campus gyms the first week of the Fall semester.
Janie Blanco, a 21-year-old political science junior, said she noticed an increase in gym-goers. She said she tries to go to the gym every day, and she goes during class times so she can avoid the rush in the evening.
Blanco notices the rush every beginning of the semester, but with a new year, it’s even worse than usual.
“It will take a couple weeks to die down,” she said.
Students walk in and out of Southwest Recreation Center on Monday afternoon. About 39,000 people visited campus gyms last week.
