This fall, Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, will open its Group X classes to students who hold at least one credit hour, free of charge. Students need only show their student ID for entry.
According to Melissa Albers, the fitness and wellness coordinator for campus recreation services, the change came about as a result of student feedback.
“There is an annual survey sent out each year to all the recreation center members, and a large amount of the members indicated [Group X] was one area they wished they could be involved with more,” said Albers. “But the cost was deterring people from participating regularly in classes. We wanted to be able to offer all of our group fitness classes for free to all of our members so that people could try any class they’d like.”
The free classes will span a variety of programs, including Pilates, Vinyasa yoga, Cycling, Zumba, boot camp and more. In addition, the rec center will offer premium classes that offer more specialized exercises, such as Pink Gloves Boxing and LiveFit Extreme.
Concerning the premium classes, Albers explained, “We wanted to provide patrons the opportunity to focus their health and fitness goals with programs that are not only progressive in nature, but also take place in a smaller setting for more personal attention with an instructor or trainer. These programs are more specific in nature with the layout and workout structure, because they are focused on learning new skills or progressing to more advanced exercises and breaking through plateaus.”
By opening classes up free of charge, Albers hopes the rec center will reach a wider audience. “It is our hope that people will step out of their comfort zone, try something new and maybe even find their ‘sole mate’ workout,” she said.
According to Albers, the news has been well received by students. “The students were excited to hear that they no longer had to have a certain amount of credit hours to qualify to go to some of the group fitness classes,” she said. “With the group fitness classes all being free, they have also been a lot more willing to try out the premium programs through the premium fitness launch weeks, and then also sign up for the premium programs.”
