Trudy Fitness Center Updates Equipment, Adds Peloton Bikes
As of the start of the Spring 2023 semester, Colgate University’s Trudy Fitness Center has begun updating various pieces of workout equipment, with the addition of turf, an Escape Fitness octagon frame, and multiple different types of stationary bikes, including Pelotons. The first upgrades to the facility began in February 2022 to accommodate the average of 3,000 users per week, according to the Colgate Athletics website.
According to the updates from Colgate Athletics, the new turf and equipment provides a safer workout experience for weightlifting and conditioning exercises. The turf acts as a shock-absorbing flooring option that helps to reduce pressure on the joints, which is especially useful for high-impact intensity.
Interim Vice President and Director of Athletics Yariv Amir ’01 explained the overall idea and research behind the new renovations and upgrades to the Trudy Fitness Center.
“Our physical education and recreation staff spent a significant amount of time eliciting user feedback and studying industry trends in developing an upgrade plan for Trudy that rethinks how the space functions and is much more than simply replacing older equipment,” Amir said.
Some students, such as sophomore Kate Harper, remarked that because the new Pelotons require an active Peloton subscription to access all features, the machines are inaccessible to many students who might instead prefer to use more traditional cardio equipment.
“I have a Peloton at home, and I just noticed that to use the Pelotons here, you have to have a Peloton membership [to use Peloton classes],” Harper said. “I feel that it can be seen as exclusive.”
Without a membership, the Peloton bikes act as a standard stationary bike — instructional courses and progress tracking require a subscription which begins at $12.99 per month, according to Peloton. Other students, such as first-year Jannah Zabadi, felt that the extra step of logging into an account before working out would deter him from using the new Peloton bikes.
“If I went to use some equipment and had to make an account before my first use, I would just leave and go on another one,” Zabadi said.
Even with these barriers to accessibility, the new Peloton bikes appear to be popular among students, as observed by sophomore Shanley Perez.
“They’re always being used when I go upstairs [to the cardio equipment area],” Perez said.
With the addition of new cardio equipment in the Trudy Fitness Center, some students — including Harper — noted that their workout routines may change.
“I feel like it’ll make me spend more time on cardio,” Harper said.
The new Pelotons include the standard suite of features seen on the devices, allowing users to connect to Bluetooth devices, select among a variety of workout options and link to music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
The Trudy Fitness Center is open from Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
