The best college gyms in America


Over the years, colleges all over the country have been trying to provide an all-inclusive well rounded experience for their students. With notable improvements in various extracurricular departments, they’ve managed to become more than centers of academic growth. This is an important move because a balanced life on campus generally makes students more productive in their classwork.
One area that has received considerable improvement is fitness and physical well being. With more and more campuses joining the fitness trend, there are those that lead the rest of the pack. What sets them apart is the amount of space provided to the gym facilities, the quality and type of equipment available, maintenance, diversity, and the range of programs and classes available to students. Here are some of the best college gyms in America.

The best college gyms in America

Hawkeyes Student Gym – University of Iowa

The Hawkeyes campus recreational and wellness center at the University of Iowa caters to both student athletes and those going through personal workout routines. Spanning over three floors, the center provides 20,000 square feet worth of fitness space. Their equipment is sourced from reputable brands including Matrix, Precor, Woodway, TechnoGym, and Life Fitness. Accessories available include jump boxes, battling ropes, hex bars, female bars, kettlebells, dumbbells weighing 5 lbs to 125 lbs, and high-speed treadmills.
The gym also has a leisure pool and a wall for rock climbing. Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, Crossfit, Rip Training, and TRX are some of the classes offered. Other services include nutrition counseling and massage therapy.

Georgia Southern University Recreational Facility

The gym facility at Georgia Southern University offers 215,000 square feet of fitness space found on two floors. The bottom floor is divided into two sections. The first contains a weight room complete with full power racks, hammer strength benches, and a couple of full platforms used for Olympic lifting.
The other end of the weight room holds various weight machines from different brands. The remaining area on the floor has group exercise rooms, offices, a climbing wall, a bouldering wall, racquetball courts, a competition pool, and five basketball courts. The upper floor hosts a selection of cardio equipment with a 1/9 mile track.

The best college gyms in America

University of Arizona Recreational Center

With 108,000 square feet to utilize, the Recreation Center at the University of Arizona has a large selection of equipment from Nautilus, Woodway, Precor, Star Trac, Life Fitness, Concept 2, and Sci-Fit, among others. There are numerous exercise options for students with two squat cages, two squat racks, three power racks, 17 plate-loaded strength machines, a couple of smith machines, three Olympic lifting platforms, three dip belts, eight jump boxes, three preacher curls and 30 treadmills. Sand volleyball and bouldering are also provided for.
They have two strength classes, Think Big Get Big and Tabata Tough. With all these resources, students flock to the center daily.

University of Oregon Football Training Facility

The gym at the University of Oregon is a 145,000 square foot facility dedicated to football training. It includes a 25,000 square foot weight room with impressive Brazilian hardwood flooring. Olympic lifting platforms are designed in the shapes of their ‘O’ logo. The lockers at the facility have been specially built with a ventilation system to keep them fresh. The facility lobby boasts a total of 64 55″ TV screens which combine to project a single image, and there’s also a barbershop.

The University of Texas

This facility boasts an indoor climbing wall that is 35 feet high. It also includes an indoor soccer facility, a lap pool, lazy river, and an indoor track. Students can access a variety of fitness and recreational programs including dance classes.

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