UCD News
The Magazine of University College Dublin
February 1997
E-mail: ucdnews@midir.ucd.ie
Getting Fit at UCD
If any indication was needed of an explosion in interest in fitness, then the Fitness Centre at UCD is just that. Open a mere 15 months, it has a current membership of more than 2,800, over two-thirds of whom are students. The balance is made up from UCD staff and alumni.
For someone not familiar with the modern machinery of getting fit, it looks very technical. And indeed it is to some extent, with a high degree of computerisation built in to the equipment which allows both flexibility and efficiency of use. But new patrons find it very easy to use after a little instruction from the centre's staff.
"It's all simply a question of pressing the right buttons,' says instructor Sue McMasters, a New Zealander with a variety of qualifications in sports and sports teaching, and a champion cyclist among other achievements. 'Depending on what you need to do, you simply select the relevant machine, punch in your weight and follow the instructions."
In general terms there are three different types of exercise activity - cardiovascular, using running and bicycle machines; strength training which involves various 'lift' type equipment; and the 'free weights' room which has various forms of the traditional dumbbells and barbells. Within these areas, different pieces of equipment will be devoted to working on different parts of the body, and there are experts among the 12 staff who can assist with any need.
"Every patron undergoes a screening process and then is given a fitness programme," says Sue McMasters. "This is done both because we need to know the basic level of fitness of each user before they start, including a history of any past injuries, and also because each individual needs a programme which sets them targets of achievement . . . it sets them goals."
The fact that the staff members of the centre come from a variety of sports and fitness backgrounds is an important element of the high quality of the instruction available at the centre. In addition, many come from overseas or have worked abroad, and this adds an extra dimension to the overall level of expertise.
Traditionally the most common reason why individuals take up fitness programmes is to lose weight. The next most common reason is to improve muscle tone in people who are already quite fit, and after that there is the 'lifestyle' component, where people are responding to a general sense that fitness should be an integral part of their overall life pattern. That last is an increasing percentage of overall users.
"Of course, a sizeable proportion of our total usage comes from the sports clubs in College," notes instructor Dermot Clarke. "In effect, that was the main reason why the Fitness Centre developed in the first place, as there was a perceived need for special training equipment from members of the football clubs, the international athletes on campus, and from members of many other clubs. They required more sophisticated fitness training programmes than would traditionally have been available from ordinary coaching, for instance."
Although the age profile of users of the centre is strongly reflective of that of the student population, the participation of staff and alumni stretches this to users in their mid-forties. And while the take-up for membership has been very satisfactory, there's still plenty of capacity . . . the number of exercise machines and the space available have both been extended recently, and an ongoing programme of enhancement includes a refurbishing of the locker rooms which is expected to be completed shortly.
"From a students' point of view, at £65 a year for full-time membership, and £35 for off-peak users, the membership represents really good value," says Dermot Clarke.