The Charles J. Ping Recreation Center is the spot for working out on campus. In my first week, I have already visited twice, and highly recommend Ping to those who want to exercise. I have worked and exercised at a gym for the past two years, so the environment of Ping is not unfamiliar to me. I understand that being comfortable in a new gym is not easy for everyone, especially for first-timers, so I hope this article gets rid of your worries. I asked a few employees about the gym and will be telling you about my experiences. My hope is that you can confidently strut through Ping’s doors once you know more about the gym.
I first talked with Matthew Wagner at the front desk
Q: Do people bring their own towels or can they borrow them?
A: You can bring them, but you can also borrow towels with your ID.
Q: Best time during the day to workout? Or least vs. most busy times of the day?
A: Most busy is during the evenings. Least busy would be 9 am.
Q: Are weekends more or less busy?
A: Less busy.
Q: Description of floors?
A: First floor has dumbbells, free weights, other machines, four basketball courts, functional fitness, heavy lifting and Crossfit area, and personal training area. On the second floor there’s a full cardio room, and a cardio lookout, which is all treadmills, racquetball courts, and two functional fitness rooms
Then I spoke with the Equipment Desk. At the desk were Marissa Miller and Matt Kotvas.
Q: How do the lockers work here?
A: You can rent lockers in the locker room by semester or year. The lockers in the hallways are by quarter. You’ll get your quarter back after you return the key. (Many lockers are just open, so it’s recommended you bring locks for those).
Q: How do towels work?
A: You can rent them with your ID. Semester and yearly, or $1.00 for one time at the gym. All of the other equipment can be rented here too. (They have bands, basketballs, weight belts, and more)
My two experiences working out at Ping were very different because of the times I chose to go. I went at 6:00 a.m. last Tuesday and it was very busy. There wasn’t a lot of room in front of the dumbbells, all of the benches were taken, and the Smith machines were constantly in use. I gave up on lifting free weights and went upstairs to the assisted weights. Luckily that room was not very busy, so I adapted my work out for those machines.
The second time I went on a Thursday around 11:30 a.m, which turned out to be a great time because the gym was not nearly as busy. I was able to grab a squat rack in the free weight room. The dumbbells were open for use, and although I didn’t use any of the benches, most were available.
If you are more interested in cardio, they have masses of cardio equipment. If you like to weight lift, they have a floor with assisted weights and two sections on the first floor with free weights. They also offer many classes at Ping. I’ll attach a link at the bottom of the article. Hopefully, now you are more comfortable with going to Ping and I hope your workout- works out!