Pro Gym Supply staff setting up new equipment at FitRec earlier this week.

While you were gone, FitRec got a glow-up.

Free for full-time students, the fitness center, in West Campus next to Agganis Arena, is boasting lots of improvements this fall. Much of the gym’s cardio and strength equipment is being replaced, there are new FitTreks outdoor programs, swimming lessons are returning, and there is a back-to-school membership sale for faculty and staff running through September 16, which offers a 20 percent savings off the monthly rate.

Learn about these programs and more at FitRec Fun Day on Wednesday, September 14, from 4 to 7 pm. The free open house is a chance to meet the staff, learn about the center’s offerings, try out a free group exercise or yoga class, and pick up some FitRec swag.

Kate Durant, FitRec assistant director of programs, says the facility has something for everyone, from gym rats to those wanting to pick up a new hobby. Try a salsa or a tennis class, swim laps, join an intramural soccer or basketball team, or work out on the hundreds of pieces of new equipment purchased this summer that are either installed or soon will be.

“This fall is particularly exciting because we’re transitioning all of our fitness equipment and adding pieces members specifically expressed interest in,” Durant says. “About 90 percent of our gym is brand-new, and the floor layout is completely changed, so we can disperse the crowds.”

This past spring, FitRec purchased close to 200 new pieces of big equipment, including squat racks, deadlift platforms, lat pulldown and cable row machines, treadmills, and a FreeMotion incline trainer, both to replace and to add to what was already there. In addition to the new dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells, the number is closer to 1,000 pieces. Durant notes that the gym has seen increased interest in strength training and free weights.

Fitness equipment has about a 5-to-10-year shelf life, she says, and the equipment was originally scheduled to be replaced in February 2020—but then COVID-19 upended everything. “Many of the Boston schools are in this same situation,” she says.

To come up with a list of what to purchase, FitRec workers scoped out the area and recorded the types of equipment most frequently in use. They also asked their Instagram followers back in April what kind of machines they’d like to see and received more than 200 responses.

“We used to have lines of up to 25 people waiting for squat racks, so we would actually go into the line and say, What are you waiting for? A bench? The deadlift platform? And then we strategically purchased based on that,” Durant says, “so we can hopefully make a dent and the lines won’t be as long.” 

And this new equipment couldn’t come at a better time. Since the start of classes on September 6, FitRec has seen an 8 percent increase in visitors, compared to the same period in fall 2019. The first day of this semester was the facility’s busiest day ever (5,890 swipe-ins), according to Sarah Robinson, FitRec manager of marketing and communications.

For those who want to try something different, FitRec has a few more options:

Come meet our staff and learn about our programs and classes, from aquatics to zumba and everything in between. Try out free group exercise and yoga classes, workshops, and pick up some FitRec swag.

Amy Laskowski is a senior writer at Boston University. She is always hunting for interesting, quirky stories around BU and helps manage and edit the work of BU Today’s interns. She did her undergrad at Syracuse University and earned a master’s in journalism at the College of Communication in 2015. Profile

Jackie Ricciardi is a staff photojournalist at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. She has worked as a staff photographer at newspapers that include the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga., and at Seacoast Media Group in Portsmouth, N.H., where she was twice named New Hampshire Press Photographer of the Year.   Profile

Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

For real though, when is BU going to renovate Mugar? New science buildings, gym equipment, etc, but the core library is straight out of the 80s and a complete morale killer.

What are the standard FitRec fees for full-time BU faculty?

Hi there – thank you for your interest in FitRec memberships! We offer a variety of options, including annual, 6-month, and monthly plans. The pricing can all be found here: bu.edu/fitrec/membership/faculty-staff/

I am actually mad that this is what is being featured on BU today. There is a serious issue with capacity at the FitRec. It is impossible to go and be able to get your workout done within the time you have set for it. Lines are not getting shorter. The FitRec is full at all times and there is not enough resources for everyone. The crowds have not been dispersed and if it is true that the demand for certain machines was taken into account. The only thing that has changed is instead of having 25 people in line you have 10.

Thank you for your comment, but that is concern you should certainly take directly to FitRec leadership.

So then you’re saying lines did get shorter.

Is it actually free for full-time students? I am a parent of a current undergraduate, and one of the student fees that I had to pay is called a “Health and Wellness Fee,” and it goes towards the FitRec membership.

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