Cornell, equipped with four gyms on campus, hosts more fitness centers than any other school in the Ivy League. Cornell Fitness Centers has 15,000 square feet of gym space, and even though students have reported overcrowding, it has not deterred then from going to the gym.
Helen Newman Hall, Appel Commons, Teagle Hall and Noyes Fitness Center are the four on-campus facilities. Together, these fitness centers have approximately 348 pieces of equipment including treadmills, steppers, bikes, rowers, elliptical trainers, weight machines, free weights, barbells and dumbbells.
Despite the wide variety of locations and types of equipment, some students feel the gyms let too many students in at the same time. “Helen Newman is overcrowded; everything is overcrowded, all of the dumbbells and the squat racks, all the weight lifting apparatuses,” said Mike Cannizzaro ’11. He even reported walking 20 minutes to Teagle to avoid the crowds at Helen Newman.
Allyse Bondi ’10, a fitness monitor at Appel, said, “Helen Newman can get crowded, but Appel can be less crowded — it is the overspill from Helen Newman.”
Claire Moloney ’11 agreed. “Certain machines are hard to get, such as the elliptical,” she said.
Some CFC members attribute the long lines and overcrowding at the cardio machines to the current system of signing up for machines. “No one understands that they are supposed to sign up for things, and even if they do, it’s kind of pointless because nobody follows [the schedule],” said Lily Wood ’11.
However, Zach Gerow ’10, a fitness monitor at Helen Newman, disagrees. “Once in a while people will say something but there are normally no conflicts. I’ve never had a problem getting a machine,” he said.
Even at its busiest hour, there are only 25 to 30 people at Helen Newman, according to Gerow.
Helen Newman holds approximately 43 pieces of equipment, according to Dupe Babatunde ’10, a student coordinator for Helen Newman.
Matt Hayes, a CFC personal trainer, said, “We have in place occupancy standards based on the equipment and industry standard regulations.”
“The reason people think the gyms are overcrowded is because they come to the gym at the same time,” said Babatunde. “Working out gets rid of stress, helps make you smarter, keeps you healthy … Even quick cardio gets working off your mind and will help you stay on top of your work here at Cornell.”