HEALTH
The Rules of "Rec-tiquette"
Exercise your body and your best behavior while working out
By Asher Fusco afusco@kansan.com
Grunts fly as someone tries to bench press a few pounds too many. Across the room sits a treadmill streaked with sweat. Weights clank, falling to the floor just inches away from flip-flop-clad feet.
Welcome to the Student Recreation Fitness Center: a communal, oft-crowded place where expected practices of etiquette and safety sometimes seem nonexistent. But exercising "rec-tiquette" isn't merely a matter of looking cool. It can help you and the people around you avoid injury and illness.
Practice proper form
A common belief is that the ladies love a heavy lifter. But grunting your way through sets with too much weight can lead to poor form and potential injury. Cardio/resistance training (CRT) specialist and personal trainer Whitney Samuelson says she often sees students using excessive weight on the bench press or squat machines without properly warming up."A lot of people use a lot of weight to convince themselves—or others—they're stronger than they really are," the Moscow, Kan., senior says."I've seen bench press bars fall on people's chests because their arms weren't as strong as they thought."
The squat rack lends itself to adventurous and potentially hazardous lifts. Squatting
is one of the easiest exercises to perform incorrectly. "What bothers me is seeing people use horrible form," says Scott Buess, Wichita senior. "I've seen people do some crazy stuff trying to leg squat."
There's a simple solution to weight room confusion, and you don't have to enroll in Weightlifting 101 to discover it. Just ask a CRT specialist (usually wearing a blue T-shirt) for help, and they'll offer suggestions on form or lend a hand."We feel like we're an underutilized resource," says CRT specialist Eric Jameson."Helping people out is really why we're here."
Avoid gym germs
If the simple fact that sweat is gross doesn't offer incentive enough to disinfect fitness equipment before and after use, consider some sickening stats: About 30,000 students and faculty are eligible to use the Student Recreation Fitness Center. There are roughly 100 workout machines at the facility. Yep, you're potentially sharing that treadmill with approximately 300 people.
Photo Illustration by Ryan McGeeney
SRFC employees do their part to wipe down machines on a regular basis, but they often can't keep up with the constant traffic of exercisers. In a perfect world, each person would clean their elliptical or bike after their workout. But Samuelson says it's hard for the staff to keep up with the vast number of people coming and going from the gym. That means cleaning each machine before and after your workout is a good
Even if your workout playlist is smashin' and worthy of some karaoke, it's rude to give the entire Recreation Center a concert.
Wisen up your workout
- If the Student Recreation Fitness Center always seems a bit too busy, ditch the standard post-work workout. According to cardio/resistance training specialist Eric Jameson the best time to find an open machine is the morning The building opens at 5:30 a.m and doesn't start filling up until 10 a.m. most weekdays Jameson also suggests hitting the gym on the weekends, when the facility is nearly deserted. If the SRFC isn't your style, there are alternatives. Lawrence Athletic Club provides cardio and weights at two locations, and
Body Boutique offers fitness facilities expressly for women.
- Get a head start on your New Year's resolution by exercising before the spring semester starts. Jameson says the rec doesn't receive much traffic between Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break, especially the week or two leading up to final exams.
- You don't need to sign up or pay for personal training to learn how to use the
equipment at the rec. Free cardiovascular/ resistance training orientations are available to anyone with a valid KU ID. Orientations include demonstrations of up to 12 strength training machines and a basic overview of cardio equipment The orientation guide won't help you design a workout plan or supervise your entire workout, but...
- KU Recreation Services offers full personal training services to help teach proper exercise form, set fitness goals and design workout programs Students can sign up for one of 40 free hour-long sessions each week (first come first serve). If those slots are full, each session costs $15.
- For $75 students can sign up for KU Fit group fitness classes for the rest of the semester. Class options range from advanced (Power Yoga) to intermediate (Cardio X-Train) to beginner (Step N' Strength). KU Fit offers more than 40 classes per week and holds at least three sessions each day of the week.
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November 13,2008