2008 Woodie Awards
Get Fit For Less
Valley's Fitness Center helps offer students a low-cost workout while they earn physical education credit.
Tammy Funicello
Issue date: 4/6/05 Section: Sports
Valley College's little known fitness center allows students to stay in shape at almost no cost while earning a physical education credit.
"I really like the fitness center because it is fast-paced and not too crowded," said Valley student Michelle Murillo. "It is also cool because it's cheap and you get credit for it."
The center operates like Curves. It has two super circuits, a combination of an aerobic and cardiovascular workout. Each circuit has 24 stations
in which the users alternate between weight machines and bikes.
"There are advantages to the super circuit," said fitness center instructor Ray Follosco. "It is a set program and you don't have to think, and you also gain the knowledge of how to use the equipment safely."
The super circuits are paced, which cuts the waiting time because students only have a limited amount of time on each machine.
"I love the super circuit idea," said fitness center instructor Chris Johnson. "At a lot of health clubs you have to wait on machines for a long time and here everybody is always moving."
The fitness center is open to all ages and abilities. In order to use it, students must sign up for one of the fitness classes offered such as Physical Education 630 and then set up an individual workout schedule.
In order to get an 'A' in the class students must work out 34 hours or more that semester.
"You are only allowed to take the class four semesters, but there are a few different ones that you can take," said Follosco. "Some people come
[to Valley] just to take this class."
Along with the super circuit the center also has warm-up and cool-down mats, aerobic machines, and weight lifting machines for students to use.
There is always an instructor on duty to help students use the machines.
One of the drawbacks of the Fitness Center to the school is the cost of the machines. The price tag for each bike is around $800 and for the machines it is about $6,000 to $8,000 each. The fitness center is currently holding an ongoing fundraiser to help raise funds.
The Fitness Center is located in the South Gym and is open Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
"I really like the fitness center because it is fast-paced and not too crowded," said Valley student Michelle Murillo. "It is also cool because it's cheap and you get credit for it."
The center operates like Curves. It has two super circuits, a combination of an aerobic and cardiovascular workout. Each circuit has 24 stations
in which the users alternate between weight machines and bikes.
"There are advantages to the super circuit," said fitness center instructor Ray Follosco. "It is a set program and you don't have to think, and you also gain the knowledge of how to use the equipment safely."
The super circuits are paced, which cuts the waiting time because students only have a limited amount of time on each machine.
"I love the super circuit idea," said fitness center instructor Chris Johnson. "At a lot of health clubs you have to wait on machines for a long time and here everybody is always moving."
The fitness center is open to all ages and abilities. In order to use it, students must sign up for one of the fitness classes offered such as Physical Education 630 and then set up an individual workout schedule.
In order to get an 'A' in the class students must work out 34 hours or more that semester.
"You are only allowed to take the class four semesters, but there are a few different ones that you can take," said Follosco. "Some people come
[to Valley] just to take this class."
Along with the super circuit the center also has warm-up and cool-down mats, aerobic machines, and weight lifting machines for students to use.
There is always an instructor on duty to help students use the machines.
One of the drawbacks of the Fitness Center to the school is the cost of the machines. The price tag for each bike is around $800 and for the machines it is about $6,000 to $8,000 each. The fitness center is currently holding an ongoing fundraiser to help raise funds.
The Fitness Center is located in the South Gym and is open Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
