I Don’t Go to the Gym To Wait in Line

Harvard’s gyms look more like a busy New York intersection than a workout facility.

If you can’t squeeze your gym session between classes or early in the morning, you’ll find yourself weaving through crowded machines and fighting for mirror space — that is, if you are lucky enough to have a gym nearby. Harvard’s overcrowded, inconveniently located, poorly-designed gyms make it hard for everyone — especially freshmen — to form healthy habits.

With two varsity letters, a decade of swim team, and a Common App extracurricular list full of sports under my belt, I’m no stranger to working out. But at Harvard, I’ve struggled to form a proper exercise routine.

During the first week of freshman year, I obtained my Harvard Recreation membership and committed to building a routine. As a first year NARP (Non-Athletic Regular Person), I have four options for a workout on Harvard’s campus: Malkin Athletic Center (“The MAC”), Hemenway Gymnasium, Murr Center, or the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center (“the QRAC”). As I soon learned, none of these options are enough.

Murr is across the river, a-far-from-insignificant 20 minute walk from Harvard Yard. There’s a reason all the athletes speed around on their scooters — regular cross-river transit is simply unsustainable.

The QRAC poses similar challenges, located a distant 17 minutes away. Although there is a shuttle to the Quad, it comes at sparse 20 minute intervals after 4:30 p.m. — prime lifting hours. While buses might reduce raw travel time, the required coordination and long wait times render the QRAC unappealing.

If we consider a 40-minute round trip unreasonable for busy and — let’s face it — lazy freshmen, we’re left with two options: Hemenway and the MAC.

By Hugo C. Chiasson

The MAC was the obvious choice for me. I live in Wigglesworth Hall — just a few minutes away. On my admissions tour, I was enthusiastically regaled with stories of its grand training pool and mezzanine-style cardio rooms.

But its size turned out to be deceiving — the pool itself sucks up two stories. Also home to the fencing, wrestling, and volleyball teams, the MAC’s lifting space for regular students is only a fraction of what the building seems to offer.

So, after my afternoon class, I walked into the MAC’s weight room — mistake number one. Walking onto the mosh-pit-looking floor, I had to dodge the cable tower, juke past the glute kickback at the right moment before squeezing behind the lat pulldown machine.

I then took my spot at a cable in the middle of the room — mistake number two. Between the small (but dense) crowd, I could barely find mirror space to watch my form, obscured by a throng of gymgoers and a host of large machines.

On account of its limited floor space, the MAC has had to prioritize multi-use units like cable towers and benches. Gym staples like the chest and shoulder press are relegated to adjacent rooms, and I have yet to find the hip abductor machine. All in all, students must vie over a few coveted machines, a poor experience for all involved.

I myself have split benches with three people at a time and seen four rotating through lat pulldowns. My friend once waited 40 minutes for the pec fly machine — every time somebody was done with their sets, another would speed in before they even had a chance to wipe it down.

By Hugo C. Chiasson

So I decided to try Hemenway. It was renovated in 2022 and has three stories of cardio and weight machines — it must be better. Right?

Despite being one of only two reasonable options for non-varsity freshman gym-goers, it’s technically a Law School gym. Good luck finding bench space when competing with 80 percent of the freshman class and the thousands of graduate students who use these Harvard facilities.

Admittedly, Hemenway has six racks, a two fold improvement upon the MAC’s sorry selection. But with only five benches accompanying an impressive free weight selection, these prime spots are often poached. Want to bench press? Better luck next time.

There are also more specialized machines on an intermediate level. But it’s a tight bridge layout that leaves just a few feet of floor space between you and a thin, waist-high glass wall at the edge. Not exactly a stress-reducing setup.

After a full day of classes, applications, and rejections, why would I want to go to a crowded and stressful weightroom? In an effort to keep up with assignments, join clubs, make friends, and assimilate into Harvard life, my fitness fell to the wayside.

For many nascent Harvard freshmen like me, Harvard’s overcrowded and inconveniently located facilities can prevent the development of a healthy workout schedule.

Upperclassmen have in-House gyms, athletes enjoy their own state-of-the-art facilities, but NARP freshmen remain mostly overlooked. No, we don’t compete at the same high level or bring in money for the University, but we still deserve good exercise space.

There are a couple of common sense solutions. Harvard could move varsity sports out of the MAC, giving fencing and volleyball the same luxury awarded to their across-the-river teammates. While varsity gets to keep (and expand) its pristine facilities, the MAC would be left with more space for everybody else. They could also build another training room, bringing in better machines and dispersing the usual crowd.

There is a direct relationship between exercise and mental health. Especially as freshmen transition to a strenuous and fast-paced schedule, the least Harvard could do is make the gym a more positive and stress-free environment.

Katie H. Martin ’28, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Wigglesworth Hall.