Catering to what equipment is popular can ensure your fitness areas remain busy. Many campus rec professionals do their best to stay on top of general exercise trends. A great way to do so is to seek out the source. Ask students what they want from the spaces they’re using.
For Northern Illinois University (NIU), student feedback and surveys help determine needed changes in the fitness center. Allowing and encouraging students’ input increases their engagement and interest.
“Our students pay fees, so we want them to be the major decision makers on what we use the fees for,” said Natasha Johnson, the assistant athletic director of Recreation at NIU. “As a space built for students, it’s our duty to keep it up to date on what they’d like to see so they feel comfortable and want to come to the gym.”
The staff at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) also collect data from students and other visitors. They do so through a bi-annual survey that’s been conducted since 1986. They alternate between interviewing students and faculty and staff each year to help inform decision-making.
“The decades of this information have been invaluable in helping plan and anticipate current and future trends, including for space planning and equipment selection,” said Travis Hilterbran, the associate director of UT Austin Recreational Sports (RecSports). “Combined with the knowledge of our professional staff and observational data, it’s one piece of the puzzle in determining what equipment to purchase, quantities, space allocations and layout configurations.”
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Another piece of the puzzle includes researching the best available equipment, networking to learn what is popular at other institutions, and attending industry conferences and tradeshows. This is a tall task all divisions under the department take part in. Extensive preparation is essential for ensuring you’re making the best possible decisions for students.
With a larger understanding of what pieces of equipment are popular with students on campus and around the country, Hilterbran shared they can make better decisions when it comes to purchasing and repairing machines along with redesigning or building new workout spaces.
Developments made to improve student experience include updating certain areas. In 2011, they decided to start the long process of renovating strength training spaces because of the increase in interest as well as specialized needs of students. Hilterbran detailed how they had to create an appealing space to both students who want to work out in a more relaxed environment along with those looking for a challenging experience.
They completed a redesign of the Gregory Gym weight room in 2012 which brought in newer, sleek equipment from Matrix, Hammer Strength and Precor. As a result, the space is more approachable but can still provide an intense workout. Designated areas were also created for different types of training.
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“The desired results were almost instantaneous,” said Hilterbran. “The students loved the new layout and equipment selection. We also received anecdotal evidence that shows this space was much more inviting to our female patrons. We continued this model for renovations and new equipment through 2015 for our next three training spaces in other facilities with great success.”
In recent years, RecSports created the FIT Studio to answer the increase of interest in functional training. They partnered with Escape Fitness to design an engaging and welcoming space.
Seeing the popularity of the offering, they recognized the need for more functional training options. As such, they installed an Escape Fitness frame. These spaces are continually added to and are a part of UT Austin’s commitment to serving the student body.
At Wellesley College, Monica Verity, the director of Recreation, and her staff set out to serve their unique student body to the best of their ability. However, Verity noted some recent changes have had success while others have not.
A way Verity determines needed changes for their small, all-female student body is by completing routine walk-throughs of the fitness spaces. During this time, she observes:
- How students are using the areas.
- What equipment is popular, connects with students and front-line staff.
- And more.
For example, Verity witnessed students doing planks in any open space they could find. As a result, they’re clearing out some of the lesser used, duplicate equipment and adding padded floors for these exercises. Another example is replacing and expanding the flooring of strength training areas which become damaged from dropped dumbbells.
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“They’re not gigantic changes,” remarked Verity. “Still, they’re significant enough where I think students would be happy to realize we’re listening to them, and we’re seeing the need for changes.”
Being open to removing equipment that students aren’t using is also important for Verity. These include machines that are considered higher tech. By assessing and removing equipment, it ensures valuable space can be utilized to its full potential.
“All our treadmills have a touchscreen and the capability to connect to streaming services or the internet, but nobody uses them,” explained Verity. “They don’t want to login, or they bring everything they need on their phone. So, we’re removing the touch screen which is about $2,000 per machine we’re saving.”
To receive valuable feedback, Verity suggested talking with student staff. When she recognized a strength training space near the entrance wasn’t as popular as similar areas in the gym, she asked her student staff if they knew why. They told her people were less inclined to do squats, lift weights or perform other strength movements close to where visitors could walk in and see them.
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“There’s a great amount of people who would be mindful of that, even if I never would’ve thought about it,” said Verity. “We’ve put up some partitions to be more mindful of these spaces and allow people to remain in their comfort zone with these kinds of activities.”
Being attentive to the needs of your users is important to keep them happy. No matter how small a decision is, changes can have a distinct improvement of morale. Hilterbran said it’s important to remember who these changes are for, as this ensures all choices are intentional.
“The philosophy of the department is that this is not the staff’s RecSports program,” said Hilterbran. “Rather, it belongs to the students at UT Austin, and we’re just the caretakers. This philosophy has driven our decision making for all of our important endeavors.”
