Students look off campus to avoid fitness rush

Every January, the Gantcher Family Sports Center fills with people trying to fulfill their New Year's resolution to get in shape.

But instead of putting up with crowded exercise rooms and lines to use equipment, a growing number of people are opting to exercise in private gyms off campus, despite the expense and requisite commute.

"I had been working-out at Tufts for three years and I got sick of waiting for all the cardiovascular machines and getting kicked out by the athletes," said senior Julie Sulman, who is now a member of Bally Total Fitness on Boston Ave. in Medford. "The hours at my gym are better and I like the classes they offer."

Off-campus fitness centers like Somerville's Above the Rest Health & Fitness are becoming increasingly attractive, especially to students, according to the gym's manager Ralph, who did not give his last name. The gym, he said, "offers plenty of equipment and you don't have to wait."

Above the Rest currently has about four members who are Tufts students.

Several dozen Tufts students and staff make the trip to the all-female Healthworks Fitness Center in Porter Square for the center's convenience and variety of options, according to General Manager Beth Gaudet.

"I think they enjoy the amount of equipment we have," Gaudet said. "We offer so many treadmills, elliptical climbers, Nordic tracks, and unlimited yoga, boxing, and step classes on the hour, every day."

Many former Gantcher-goers are also joining Sulman to work out at Bally.

The Gantcher Center was designed to handle 600 people a day. But with numbers at Gantcher reaching 1,200 in one day during the first weeks of the semester, it is easy to understand why many find the Tufts gym undesirable, Athletic Trainer Michael Pimentel said. "[Overcrowding has] been a growing concern over time because fitness is no longer a trend," he said. "It has really become a lifestyle."

The university has plans for a 2,500 square-foot balcony which would accommodate more aerobic equipment, according to Pimentel. "If money were not an issue, we'd probably have that tomorrow," he said.

Until then, the students must put up with crowded exercise rooms and lines.

For students who join off-campus gyms, the wider selection of equipment, better hours, personal attention, and more fitness options make the monthly membership fee of $40 to $50 worthwhile

But Ralph suspects there may be another reason. He said some universities do not provide adequate supervision for their workout facilities. "Kids are getting hurt," he said. "It makes a big difference to not be in a room where no one's helping you."

But Smith-King said that safety was not a problem at Tufts. "No one's allowed in there without supervision," she said. "Mike [Pimentel] is very meticulous about safety."

Pimentel, whose 15-year background in fitness includes a specialty in sports medicine and rehab, said that he deals with all technique and program design questions. The fitness center also provides orientation in how to use equipment and also how to spot.

Machines are checked and replaced regularly at the Tufts fitness center and students say they feel safe in that environment. "I don't think safety's an issue at all," sophomore Farzana Hoque said.

Ultimately, the decision to go elsewhere comes down to personal preference, Smith-King said. "But if I was a student spending $36,000, I'd take advantage of the free fitness center."

Some colleges will admit members of surrounding towns to their fitness centers, but Tufts opens its facilities to only a small number of Medford residents living on select nearby streets to avoid exacerbating the overcrowding problem.

At other colleges, private fitness clubs have resented this gesture toward the surrounding community, The Boston Globe reported last May. Colleges, the private clubs say, "have an unfair competitive advantage."

At Pennsylvania State University, local gym owners voiced concerns about a possible loss of business when the university began to expand its fitness facilities in 2001.

But at Tufts, local fitness centers do not believe they suffer any loss of business because of the limited open-door policy.

"We're general friendly neighbors," Healthwork's Guadet said.

"I've never heard of the Tufts fitness center," said Heidi Semenchuk, the manager of Medford's Curves for Women. "I didn't think that non-students could go to most university gyms," she said.

Most non-students cannot, Smith-King said, and she said she does not think that off-campus gyms view Tufts as a competitor. "We're all trying to educate students about how to eat healthy and exercise," she said.

But both Guadet and Ralph explained that their centers offer unique products, which, in their opinions, had the University center beat.

"I think [the Tufts] facilities are adequate for a lot of the teams for strength training," Guadet said. "But I don't think they're at the point to have the ability to offer regular classes."

But even if students decide to exercise off campus, it still serves the ultimate goals of the Athletics Department, Smith-King said. "I think it's great that students [join other gyms]. It's wonderful that they're attempting to stay fit and doing what they need to do to reach their goals."

The majority of students value convenience over some of the more expensive options, however, and are satisfied with the Tufts facilities. "I think even though the gym can get really crowded, if you just go at the right time it's really not too bad," senior Jeff Fox said.

"It's free, it's close, and it's got the equipment I'm looking for. It's a good deal."