Jessica Guerrucci—Reporter
Kyle Handy uses Southern’s gym nearly every day, and while it is not his dream gym, he said it gets the job done.
Students have the option between choosing a gym off-campus or using the fitness center here at Southern. Students said many different factors come into play when it comes to choosing a gym. For Handy, a business major, he said he uses Southern’s fitness center because it is convenient and it is a good price.
“It’s a pretty good deal,” said Handy, “It’s forty-five dollars for a semester and normal gyms are about 20
to 30 bucks a month, so it’s a little cheaper.”
Handy, who is a Southern resident, said that it’s also a good option to have because he can squeeze in a workout between his classes. Joseph Izizarry, who is getting his master’s in athletic administration and is a fitness center employee, said it is a good option for commuters as well.
“It’s great because in between classes you can come and get a work out. It doesn’t necessarily have to be two hours, but you can get a quick thirty minutes to an hour work out if even if it’s just on the treadmill or lifting weights,” said Izizarry.
Though Izizarry works at the gym, he said that he prefers to go off-campus to L.A fitness, because they have more machines and he is able to go with his friends.
“Friends that I lift with go with me to that gym so it’s a little easier for me to have someone to spot me versus when I’m here I work out by myself and it’s a little more isolated,” said Izizarry.
Several students said that while it is a good option to have a gym on-campus, they feel it is more limited than gyms off-campus. Lindsey D’Andrea, an exercise science major, said that she stopped using the fitness center at Southern because she often found herself waiting in line to use machines.
“The gym here is really small in comparison to how many students there are,” said D’Andrea. “There’s more cardiovascular machines but last time I went, there was only one squat machine and one bench,” said D’Andrea.
Handy said that the bench press is the one machine at Southern that always has a long wait and he said they should get another. Matt Bickley, a finance major, also said the fitness center at Southern needs another
bench.
“I started going to The Edge in Hamden instead because it has a lot more to offer and it’s way bigger,” said Bickley. “The gym here is pretty good but it’s limited. For example there’s only one bench and I’d rather pay more to go to The Edge where they have ten.”
Though some students prefer to go to an off-campus gym, they still said it is a good option to have on campus and provides students with several different workout programs.
Izizarry said that he liked how spacious the group exercise room is at Southern’s fitness center and that he’s done the group cycling before.
“We have great programs here at Southern,” said Izizarry. “We have our group exercise classes, we have cycling, we have Zumba, yoga, and other training.”
D’Andrea said she’s been to the group yoga class before and said it was challenging, but it helped her take time to be stress free.
“It’s definitely a good option to have a gym on campus,” said D’Andrea, “It promotes a healthy lifestyle and it’s more convenient for people on campus because they don’t have an excuse not to go.
Photo Credit: Jessica Guerrucci
