New equipment will await students in the Reynolds Gymnasium upon their return from fall break. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 11, some of the equipment in the gym facility will become unavailable in preparation for the installation of new cardio and strength equipment, which will occur the following day. Once reopened after fall break, students can expect to see 25 new treadmills, five additional stair steppers and seven new strength pieces. The strength pieces, which are brand new to the gym, are a Dual Adjustable Pulley, Prone Leg Curl, Multi Power (commonly known as a “Smith Machine”), Dual Pectoral/Reverse Fly, Dual Abductor/Adductor, Cable Tower and a Hack Squat.

Executive Director of Fitness & Campus Recreation Joe Cassidy explained how Wake Forest decides on which equipment to purchase. 

“Each of the machines is connected to the internet,” he said. “On the back end, we are able to see data about how much the machines are being used. We know our treadmills are heavily utilized, so we are replacing all [the] treadmills.”

Cassidy also noted that much of the equipment purchased in this order was largely selected based on substantial student input as expressed through emails, student employees and Student Government. 

Associate Director of Facilities Matthew Dantism explained that the reason for the large purchase of treadmills is due to a steady decline in the popularity of ellipticals and exercise bikes. 

“Historically, ellipticals have been a piece of equipment a lot of people use, and maybe they would choose an elliptical over a treadmill,” he said. “But that’s not what we are seeing based on our data. We are seeing so many people…choos[ing] a stair stepper and a treadmill instead of wanting to go an elliptical.”

The last major new equipment addition to the gym was in the Fall of 2017, after the renovation of the facility. Since then, the equipment has received regular maintenance and upkeep — cardio machines typically have a five-year warranty. While the new equipment addition over fall break will be the first major equipment installation since 2017, there have been other pieces of equipment added over the years. Most recently, four new spin bikes were added to the cardio floor at the start of the fall 2023 semester.

To make room for the increased number of treadmills, some of the ellipticals and exercise bikes will be removed and sold — the funds of which will go toward the new equipment purchase. In both the cardio and strength floors of the gym, students can expect to see a slight adjustment in equipment locations. 

Student reactions to the news have been positive. Freshman Audrey Howley, who works out in the gym regularly, expressed her enthusiasm about the new developments.

“I’m very excited to see the changes in the gym after fall break,” she said. “I really like the treadmills, so I’m definitely looking forward to trying out the newer ones.”    

While students like Howley are excited for the treadmills, senior Matthew Mignucci expressed his concern in regards to reducing the amount of ellipticals and replacing them with treadmills. 

“I do think that as a part of the state-of-the-art gym facility that Wake Forest has, it’s really nice that they are including more treadmills,” Mignucci said, “But maybe there could be a different way to go about it that wouldn’t affect the people that use the ellipticals as much.”

The Reynolds Gym is open between 5:30 a.m. and 12 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.