​THE LEACH CENTER

1/18 7-8pm 2nd Floor

Walked in and there are absolutely no cardio machines open on the second floor (i.e. ellpitcals, stairmaster, bikes). From the looks of the times of the girls who have been on, there is maybe an average time of 20-30 minutes - few with an hour. Looking at their difficulty levels, it ranges from 3-8 elevation and 3-8 resistance - it seems they are pushing more toward burning calories than hardcore toning. There is a variation of loose t-shirts and tight workout pants/shorts - clear indication of who is in a sorority due to letters. It is obvious who is wearing makeup and who isn't - what's the point of that? You're only going to be sweating it off.. or at least you are suppose to. Looking at their faces, you can tell who is pushing hard and who isn't - determined by sweat and reddening of the face. Looking over toward the weights section, a girl is teaching another girl how  to workout the arms. Another is doing different variations between legs and arms - shows more experience. Looking back around, I'm noticing there are very few males using this cardio machines, at most 3. A consultant has walked by with a clipoard at least 2 times, makes me wonder what they are checking for. As I'm working out, it's interesting to see that there is a routine - lockers, rental towel, than to your area of workout. 

1/24 3-4pm 1st Floor

Waiting in line for the towels, I notice how almost definite it is to tell who is apart of Greek life and who isn’t - it’s obvious when you see the Greek letters on shirts. It’s also easy to tell who comes in a lot and who doesn’t – determining the body type and the muscle structure. Lately, there haven’t been as many New Years resolutionaries coming in – finally. It just makes me wonder, why would you set a goal to get fit and give up barely after a month? Looking around the gym isn’t as packed as my normal time around 7 or 8, there’s still a fairly decent crowd. I’m noticing that there seem to be more athletic type people here at this time – assuming due to a fixed workout schedule incorporated with their sports schedule. That, or I’m assuming it’s because this is the only time they have to fit in a workout. I’ve come to realize though, that there will always be a stand out somewhere in the gym that catches your attention, and I don’t mean in a good way. Just now, I saw a girl wearing blue jean shorts and working out on the elliptical… why? It’s almost disturbing that some people choose not to where the appropriate athletic wear to the gym. Jean shorts don’t even sound comfortable to workout in. I’m sitting here now, watching the racket ball game going on inside one of the 3 cells that the Leach has – these guys are intense. They are putting full force into their hits and it strikes the wall so fast, returning back to them. I’ve played tennis before but the way they are playing so aggressively against a wall is scary.

1/27 5-6pm 1st Floor

I’ve been coming to the gym since fall semester but I never took the time to actually observe people till now. I knew that grunting while doing weights was a thing, but I never thought how excessive it was till I took my headphones out and listened. Watching most of the guys lift, you see an obvious struggle with the shaking of their muscles or the tightening of their faces. The guy I’m watching right now but he has taken it to a whole other level. He is working on his biceps with one of the machines, lifting a weight around 120. Don’t get me wrong, he looks fit but the faces he is making, with how red he is turning and the sounds he is producing makes me question whether or not he is dying. He looks like he is facing off with the Devil for dear life. Which makes me wonder – why push to the point of hurting yourself? I understand wanting to increase in weight or endurance, but if you clearly cannot do certain things, you need to take the necessary steps to advancing your body. I feel like when people come in here, they are trying to show off their abilities and physique. I’m not one to complain but the point of a gym is to get work done and get out.

1/31 4-5 pm Third Floor

As I’m waiting for a mat to clear up, I’m watching all the different kinds of workouts people are doing. A couple of girls are working on their glutes, guys are doing ab work, and a couple people are stretching. Looking into the basketball court, there’s a game going on. It seems like a friendly game since the guys laugh and play around a bit. I wonder if they are practicing for IM or actually just having a fun game of basketball. Looking back at the mats, you can tell who is working hard and who isn’t. There are two guys doing an extremely difficult variation of abs, with constant movement of the body, and you can clearly see the struggle on their faces. Than looking a couple mats over there’s a girl doing abs but in more static zone, working slow through her movements but still struggling from the looks of the shaking in her legs and arms. The girls that I mentioned before doing glutes are now just kind of sitting there, trying to appear like they’re stretching but they aren’t. I’ve been eying them ever so often and they haven’t moved much since finishing their sets. Why go to the gym with friends if you know you aren't going to be getting much done? 

2/5 8:30-9pm 2nd Floor

The gym isn’t as crowded as it usually is. There are actually cardio machines and weights open. There doesn’t seem to be anyone really doing any cardio around this time, a fair few, but mostly everyone is doing weights. There is a higher guy to girl ratio here at this time, almost all of them doing weights. They don’t seem to be in groups either – almost everyone seems to be by themselves working out. The atmosphere seems to be a little more focused than usual, considering such a smaller crowd of people and more available space. I took the time to notice that the music playing isn’t anything particularly motivating. It sounds like car music and doesn’t have a certain tempo for working out. The thing that gets to me is why there aren’t very many people here as compared to like a Monday night? Also, does anyone really buy anything from the little snack shop next to the rental desk? Why do they have a TV center at the Leach Center anyways?

2/15 12-1 PM 1st Floor

There is an active atmosphere and good energy today. The consultants are more active with individuals who ask for preferences on working out. Looking around, there is more cardio than anything going on right now. Specifically on the treadmills, they are all filled for once. I see a bunch of sweaty girls leaving from the cardio room, I’m assuming from a spinning class. They look exhausted but they look in good spirits, except one. There is a girl that just left the cardio room and she looks like she just survived death. She is extremely red in the face, breathing heavy, and walking awkwardly slow. She is clearly exhausted and dehydrated, and just headed to the water fountain. Looking at her drinking, she seems to be eternally greatly for water. This guy just walked by and he looks like he just came out of a body builder’s magazine. He is ripped and wearing a cut up tank, clearly showing his defined muscles. He is lifting heavy free weights and doesn’t appear to be struggling as most other guys.

*Observations made on smartphone & transferred