Physical activity helps boost brain power and focus to support students through the overwhelming stress of college, but choosing a workout routine can be difficult. The UCCS Gallogly Recreation Center has a range of activities and classes to get students moving throughout the week.
The recreation center has group fitness classes taught by certified instructors. A variety of classes are offered such as boxing, dance, yoga and Les Mills Pilates.
Each group fitness class contains a warmup, the main workout and a cool down. The classes are designed for students to be able to walk in without experience and ease their body into physical activity.
Anna Bauer, director of group fitness classes at the rec center, emphasized the flexibility of the classes. “[There are] lots of modifications anyone can do,” she said. The goal is for students to be able to find a place in any class, regardless of skill level.
To access group fitness classes, students need to purchase a Fit Pass. “[A] Fit Pass is unlimited group fitness classes for the semester,” Bauer said, calling it “a steal.” The normal cost of a Fit Pass is $40 per semester, but if students purchase it in the first two weeks of term, they only cost $20.
Bauer said that the $40 per pass only covers “a small fraction of what it costs for us to have the class.” According to Bauer, the Fit Pass is the cheapest option for students compared to other places in Colorado Springs.
If students don’t feel like they will use a Fit Pass enough, drop-in classes are $5 each. Community members from outside of UCCS are only allowed access to the facility with a student sponsor. A visitor day pass is $7 plus the $5 class fee.
The instructors of the classes are a mix of UCCS students, faculty, staff and alumni. Bauer prefers to hire instructors from the UCCS community. “We do have a contract with Les Mills, and we get a number of certifications every year with that contract to certify students. If a student’s interested in teaching classes … I can get them certified for free,” Bauer said.
Les Mills is a fitness company that designs and implements workout classes in premier gyms throughout the country. Their programs are taught in group fitness and are the classes students can get certified to teach.
Bauer recommends that any student interested in teaching fitness classes use the resources at the center, which include certification classes in personal training, first aid and CPR, wilderness medicine and boxing. “Coming out of my undergrad, I used [my] certifications right away,” Bauer said.
If group exercise classes aren’t your style, the Rec Center has areas for free weight workouts, machine-based workouts and group fitness studios for specific classes. With an indoor track, climbing wall, basketball courts and swimming pool, the recreation center has a variety of workout opportunities for students.
The recreation center has weekly events like group ski and snowboard trips, therapy dog visits and progressive training classes that work to hone gym skills.
Group fitness instructor Madisyn Caddy teaches Pilates at the UCCS Rec Center. Photo by Anysia Hovel.