After about three months of construction, the brand new fitness center is nearing completion. In an update sent out by Head Athletic Director Mr. Ryan Smith, the fitness center is slated to be open by the week of Feb. 21.

“The new fitness center is looking outstanding, and for the most part, is staying on time for completion,” says Mr. Smith.

When asked about the purpose of the fitness center upgrades, Mr. Smith explained how it was due for a change because of its increase in usage.

“The old weight room had equipment from when we first opened campus 18 years ago. Obviously, that is a long time as many things have changed in terms of fitness training and strength and conditioning,” says Mr. Smith.

“In addition, we have seen increased demand in the use of the room by our students and faculty and staff. Therefore, we needed to expand the footprint to add additional space. The new equipment will provide more oppotrtunities for all, and the added space will allow more to train at the same time, especially during peak hours,” adds Mr. Smith.

Some important additions to the fitness center include new equipment, a new floor, and Benjamin logos on all the equipment.

“The new fitness center will now have treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, a rowing machine, stair stepper, power racks, multipurpose training machine, new and more dumbbells. All the bars and plates will be brand new, and the plates will be branded with Benjamin logos. The floor is being replaced as well as new paint,” says Mr. Smith.

“Once we move into the new center we will look into potentially adding additional equipment along with added branding to the walls and windows. The biggest change from the old to new is that the room will increase in space by about 60%, and we will have all new modernized equipment,” adds Mr. Smith.
Although the fitness center has been under construction since early November, it should be ready for use by the beginning of lacrosse season and spring football.

One interesting note mentioned by Mr. Smith is how faculty and staff are starting to use the fitness center more. This is another reason why the expansion of the fitness center was such a necessity, as more people can be working out at the same time without running into any issues of being too close to one another.

Everyone at the Upper School is looking forward to using the new fitness center, whether it is during school or after. Now, all we can do is anticipate the opening of the new fitness center and the new features that will come with it.