Worst of Regina special: University of Regina gym

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Not pictured: the people who make going to the gym hell./Snehalkanodia

Not pictured: the people who make going to the gym hell./Snehalkanodia

Gyms can really suck, and the U of R’s is no different

You have stuffed your gym gear into an already swollen bag, carried it like a brick from class to class and finally to the gym. You feel good about yourself because you are following through with your plans. You even remembered your water bottle and student ID. Now time to hit the gym.

Going to the gym on a regular basis has obvious and documented benefits. Breaking a sweat helps bust stress, increase mobility and burns calories. At times, however, breaking a sweat at the U of R gym seems anything but beneficial. From helter-skelter weights to a grunting symphony to the smell of rotten eggs, the U of R gym has it all. Here are a few of the things (and people) that warrant a quick rant.

Weights

Gym session turned excavation session. This has to be one of the most frustrating, but common, annoyances about the gym. Seriously, there is no reason not to re-rack the weights!

For the next twenty minutes, this machine is mine!

Ah, those friendly coloured sign-out sheets for cardio machines. You jot your initials in a box or two and suddenly feel ownership over treadmill #7. Your security is short lived, however, as the machine you signed out is, inevitably, taken. If you’re lucky, there is another empty machine you can hop on, but this too is short lived. Even if the entire row of treadmills is open, you still get that naggy tap on the shoulder because, of course, that machine is taken. Before you know it, 35 minutes have gone by, you’ve switched machines 3 times, and you aren’t even warm.

Parking

For those of you with an “M Pass”, consider yourselves lucky. For those of you without one, the struggle is real. If the “Visitor” meters are open, you are limited by a half-hour max. If you are an early riser and hit the gym early, you need to start plugging the meter by 8:00 am. The parking police have no mercy and you can expect a ticket at 8:03 am.

Breaking a Sweat

The gym is busy; there is a slim chance you will use a machine that isn’t still warm from a previous user. Approaching an open machine can mean you are welcomed by a glistening, wet outline of your fellow gym-goer. Those equally distributed bottles and towels aren’t for decoration, people.

Crowding

If the Owl was as busy as the gym is some days, it would not be in debt. Although it’s nice to see the facilities getting used, it is not nice using the facilities when they are jam-packed. You can’t seem to get any machine you want, there is no extra room to roll out your mat, and crossing the track is like crossing the ring road. What’s worse, one half of the gym is loaded with students, while the other half has whopping six members from the Paul Schwan center. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just wait until you put your New Years resolution into action.

Selfies

A wall of mirrors means there is no hiding a gym selfie (shocking!). I mean, it’s your prerogative to snap a pic of your “gains”, but it is something I will never understand #fitfam #getmyswollon #imanarcissist.

Make sure to check out our other Worst of Regina picks, right here!

http://www.carillonregina.com/worst-of-regina-2014/

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