Crystal Hohenthaner

If the freshman fifteen are catching up to you, it may be time to force some exercise into your schedule. Brookings has several gyms in town. I checked out all of the places in town. Now that I’ve done all the leg work, let me tell you the best that Brookings has to offer for fitness centers.

The Power Shop

First I checked out the PowerShop. The best thing about this place was that I got a whole week free to try out their equipment, and boy do they have nice equipment. The fitness staff is really nice and a membership includes all the classes they teach, unlike the HPER and Dakota Wellness.

There was virtually no waiting for cardio equipment and they have TVs you can watch while you work out. The entire place is really clean and well-lit too. That meant that I could read while I was on the treadmill a couple of times.

In addition, the PowerShop offers tanning, with the most powerful beds and a friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Unfortunately for me I had a problem there: hot guys. They are everywhere, and so are those beautiful perfect girls that make me so insecure.

Membership: cheaper the longer you join, ranging from $52 per month for one-month to $31 per month for 18-month contract

Classes: Free with Membership

For more information call 692-1003

Dakota Wellness Center

The Dakota Wellness Center has a great student discount and you can get a punch card to try out the yoga and pilates classes before you commit to them. They don’t have as many free weights as the Power Shop or the various weight rooms on campus but what they do have is a weight resistance machine to work every muscle in the body. The machines are a line called Med X that is completely designed by doctors to be low-impact and ergonomically correct.

Now you’ll run into different trainers who say different things about machines versus free weights, and it is all true. It basically comes down to choosing which is best for you. Free weights work more muscles at a time because they deal with stabilizer muscles that don’t have to work when on an isolating machine. But heck, I just want to look good, not be in the Olympics, right? But it is important to keep in mind that stronger stabilizer muscles mean better balance. So if you see me falling down all over campus you can just say I told you so.

The other thing that DWC has that is cool is a massage therapist. It is also associated with Dr. Eggers Chiropractic and he refers a lot of his patients there for exercise therapy. So does Dr. Deutsch from Watertown.

Membership: $30 per month

Classes: $13 per month with membership, or you can get a punch card

For more information call 692-7440

Curves

The thing that makes Curves different than the other fitness centers in town is that it is exclusively for women. The staff also stressed the fact that it is a quick 30-minute work out designed for people who don’t have a lot of time. However, it is a streamlined unpersonalized workout. They have a routine set up with six stations and when you come in you just jump in at an empty station and switch. Although Curves does offer nutritional advice and its own line of supplements, there is not personalization for the individual member. The Power Shop, the HPER and Dakota Wellness all start members off with an assessment of personal goals and offer personal trainers at an extra cost to help achieve those goals.

Membership: Undisclosed, but interested parties are encouraged to go in and get a consultation

For more information call 692-2469

HPER

So the HPER is the best place for an SDSU student to go if they don’t want to spend extra money. Student fees have already paid for your membership. There is also a second weight room offered in the basement of the intramural building for students. If you live on campus the on-campus facilities are probably the best bet for you.

The only possible problem is timing. See, we have a lot of athletes on campus and they all have to work out at different times during the day. Depending on the time of year different teams will be working out together and the weight rooms or the track will be closed.

But, it is free and that might make it worth the extra effort to find out when the athletes are practicing. Plus, the staff is really nice and helpful. Just pop into the office on the first floor, or call them if you have any questions.

As far as facilities go the HPER has two things the other places in town don’t have: a swimming pool and a track. Major plus if you love to swim or hate to run in place.

Unfortunately none of that really mattered for me because I don’t have a parking permit, so where was I gonna park anyway?

Membership: included in student fees

Classes: $18 per month, or $60 per semester for members

For more information call 688-6415

All in all each center has its plusses and minuses, and the truth is each person has different fitness needs. The great news is Brookings seems to have a facility to meet everyone’s needs.