The Zimmerman Fitness Center is especially packed with students at the beginning of each term, according to Hugh Mellert, the center's longtime director. If Mellert had his way, every Dartmouth student would take advantage of the center's offerings year-round.
"We want them [all] to come," he said. "It will help their academic career, their health, their stress management it might even help their social life."
Housed in Alumni Gym, which underwent a $12-million renovation in 2005, the Fitness Center provides a bright, airy, climate-controlled exercise space. Windows overlook East Wheelock Street, and varsity athletic fields flank the 16,000-square-foot floor.
Alumni Gym, in fact, is the largest single facility of its kind in the Ivy League, according to Mellert.
"We put the other Ivies to shame," he said.
Use of the Fitness Center's state-of-the-art equipment is free for students. The center boasts more than 60 cardio machines, including treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical trainers, among other machines. Runners and bikers are surrounded by students lifting at the 40 strength machines and several multi-purpose dumbbell areas.
Mellert said that the "average lifespan" of a piece of cardio equipment is about five years. An endowment for the Fitness Center allows for a portion of the equipment to be replaced every year, assuring that students have access to safe and functional equipment. This also allows the gym to provide the "latest bells and whistles," Mellert said, including televisions on most of the cardio equipment and even iPod compatibility on the newest models.
Personal trainers are also available to students, but for a fee.
Because Dartmouth students have busy and unpredictable schedules, the fitness center provides long hours throughout the school year. The center will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week in the Fall term, with slightly shorter weekend hours, according to the Dartmouth Athletics website.
In addition to the fitness center, Alumni Gym also houses several other facilities, including a 1/13-mile indoor track and intramural basketball courts and. Students can swim laps in either the Karl Michael Pool, which features six racing lanes, or the 25-yard, four-lane Spaulding Pool during recreational swim times.
Attached to the gym, Berry Sports Center provides three racquetball courts, 10 international squash courts and two North American squash courts. Memorial Field, home to the Big Green football team, also offers a quarter-mile track that is available to students when not in use by varsity teams.
Dartmouth's third track is located in Leverone Field House. The 1/8-mile track is open to students from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Because Dartmouth students are required to pass three physical education courses in order to graduate, Dartmouth's various athletic and outdoor programs offer about 100 physical education classes, Mellert said. The courses span a variety of sports and activities, including water sports, hiking, skating, martial arts, racquet sports and skiing or snowboarding.
Specifically focusing on fitness and health, some physical education classes are part of the Fitness and Life Improvement Program including conditioning, yoga, strength training and "Hip Hop Booty and Abs." Zumba is a favorite for students looking to have fun while burning calories.
Before and after the workout, students and community members can take advantage of the locker room facilities, including showers and sauna baths, according to the website.
Following renovations in 2005, Alumni Gym also offers practice space for student clubs such as dance troupes and boxing club, Mellert said.
