With amenities ranging from tennis and basketball courts, multiple gym areas with various equipment and machines, a running track and a pool, it seems that Dixon Recreation Center has all it could offer for students.
And now, as the rain clouds float away here at Oregon State University, Dixon Recreation Center’s new outdoor Fitness Courtyard offers another way to work out in the sun and fresh air.
Located through the pool area of Dixon Recreation Center, the Fitness Courtyard offers a variety of gym tools compiled into “Fit Boxes”.
Each box has gym equipment for a variety of workouts, such as bench presses, yoga mats for floor work and jump rope.
Other items include barbells, kettlebells, Y-bells, medicine balls, weight plates and weight clips, hex bar, rope, TRX suspension straps, resistance bands and sandbags.
In addition to the Fit Boxes, the Fitness Courtyard also provides dumbbells, tires, weight sleds, pull-up bars, dip bars and a squat rack.
If planning to go to the Fitness Courtyard, keep in mind that the courtyard has a different time schedule than the rest of the center.
It is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Fitness Courtyard is intended to be open year-round on days without precipitation or other inclement weather events, making Spring the opportune moment to visit the Fitness Courtyard according to a response from the Dixon Recreation Center staff.
Over the past few years, Associate Director of Marketing, Communications and Events, Brian Hustoles and Dixon Recreation Center staff realized the growing demand for Rec Sports strength-based equipment.
And with the costs saved in similar construction projects, Dixon was able to use the provided funding towards the Fitness Courtyard which opened April 8.
“This provided an excellent opportunity for Rec Sports to meet student demand while making use of a previously underutilized space,” Hustoles and staff wrote in an email.
With the glow of the spring season, Hustoles said they added the Fitness Courtyard as another space to pursue wellness.
“Time spent outdoors leads to improvements in both mental and physical well-being,” Hustoles said.
First-year civil engineering major Abigael Carstensen particularly enjoyed how the Fitness Courtyard has allowed her to combine her hobbies with her gym session.
“I really like going outside and I love nature” said Carstensen, “so not to be cringy, but I really like being outside with my workouts.”
However, the Fitness Courtyard’s limited space allows for a limited number of people.
“There’s just not a lot of room,” Carstensen said.
As a result, the Fitness Courtyard is often bustling with gym-goers throughout the day.
“Every other time I’ve tried to go it’s been completely packed and you can’t find a spot out there to work out,” said Owen Lee, a first-year music major.
To ensure he can find a spot, Lee avoids the crowd by going during the earlier morning hours.
“I just go whenever I can,” Lee said. “This morning, around 7:30 a.m. was when I went.”
Carstensen shares this method to avoid the crowds as well.
“I’m at the gym by 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. and there’s like no one there,” Carstensen said.
But for those who can only come in at certain times and still want to work out in the fresh air and sun, Dixon offers another way to secure equipment and space.
OSU students and Rec Sports Members can reserve Fit Box 4 online and in advance to ensure a workout spot. For more information on how to reserve a spot look here.
