By Eddie McAteer, Sports Investigations Editor
Users of the University’s main gym will have enjoyed returning to their workout in 2023 after the facility underwent a £180,000 refurbishment over the Christmas holidays.
The Indoor Sports Centre (ISC) on Tyndall Avenue, which was last refurbished in 2018, now possesses new cardio machines, weights machines and free weights.
These additions include a 30% increase in weight plates and bars as a result of increasing interest in free weight use, particularly among women.
While most of the changes are like-for-like swaps, there is new machinery for students to try out in the form of an arm curl machine and a calf press machine.
As well as benefitting students in the short term, the refurbishment will also aid the University in meeting its carbon net-zero target by 2030, with the new machines being energy-efficient models.
This will save a minimum of 10kWh of electricity, or 2.33kg in CO2 emissions, per day.
Gordon Aitken, the ISC’s Facility and Operations Manager, told Epigram: ‘the new kit will enable SEH to continue to provide an excellent experience on the most up-to-date equipment that the industry can offer.’
‘There are fewer machines which require power to operate and the others are now energy-saving models, so these changes will greatly reduce our energy consumption.’
James Rowntree, the University’s Group Health and Fitness Manager, said: ‘We want gym-goers to have access to first-rate, modern equipment.’
‘The old equipment had been well used so we wanted to make the change in time for the New Year and new semester.’
‘In the last five years, we’ve seen a big increase in people lifting weights, including many more women which is fantastic to see.
‘We hope everyone likes the changes and can't wait to see you all getting stuck in.'
