Free time is something often unheard of in college. Between having to wake up at crack of dawn for that 8:30 a.m. class, to having to submit a major paper the day before an exam, free time is something that when granted, should be maximized to the fullest extent. One day during your free time, you think about how soon the end of the school year will arrive. Then, you decide that you want to get ready for summer. You choose to start going to the McMahon gym. Right? The McMahon gym is a decent-sized gym with many pieces of equipment ready to be used by the entire Fordham community. At almost any hour of the day, you will find students using the treadmills or just stretching. While these students may find the gym useful, others may not find it quite as impressive as others, primarily due to the “lack of machines”. Opinions are opinions but perhaps there are some things that could change people’s minds about the McMahon gym.

Students are split as to whether or not this gym is effective. It is not the largest in the entire world and it does not have all the equipment a gym ideally could have. However, everything is worth a shot and the gym should be no exception. The McMahon health center has over 20 machines, with each one serving a specific purpose, ranging from cardio workouts to machines designed to increase muscle strength. Located on the second floor in McMahon, the fitness center is in a convenient spot that is hard to miss. Commuters and residents from all grade levels are welcome to use the gym as often as they want.

Through personal experiences with the gym, it can be stated that the gym is a spacious and overall fantastic place to work out and pass the time. Even though the gym is missing some machines a gym is expected to have, it has things that substitute for it. For instance, the McMahon gym does not have any bench presses, but instead has one machine designed to work out the same muscles a bench press would. It may not feel quite like bench-pressing, but it is better than nothing. Herbie Schwartz, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, shared his opinions of the McMahon gym. He described it stating, “It’s fine. You can go to places like the YMCA and walk there but there is still plenty of options. You can get your pump in and work out but it’s not special.” Another student, Jonathan Trinidad, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC) ’19, gave a slightly less positive review, stating the gym is “kind of small” and that he wishes for more equipment. Trinidad’s desire for more equipment is reasonable, but despite him not being very fond of the gym, he still attends the gym for his convenience and ease of access.

Time management is another thing that can influence one’s opinion about the McMahon gym. The McMahon gym is open from 7 a.m – 11 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m – 9 p.m. on the weekends. While the hours the gym is open seem to be reasonable, Most students have the most availability on weekends, which is when the gym closes the earliest. Some students may only be able to go on the weekend only after 9 p.m. due to jobs, homework or any other commitments. This along with a busy week may make students feel as if they just can’t get a workout in the gym.

If you feel this way about the McMahon gym, then one thing you could try is to use the gym for only specific workouts, perhaps workouts that are quick yet effective. Such workouts would include 10-minute jogs on the treadmill or even just some core exercises like crunches. These quick workouts could be done during a study break, a gap in your schedule, or before work. Life requires us to make time for everything and if you are the kind of person who wants to stay fit in a casual manner, than the McMahon gym is worth a shot.