McLane Student Life Center- SLC

The main workout area is divided into three spaces: one has free weights, one has weight machines, and one has cardio machines. Clean space with most of the necessary equipment for various types of workouts. However, it is smaller than I would expect for a university of this size. It can get pretty crowded at times.

Baylor has billions of dollars and somehow I’ve seen tetanus ridden garage gyms with more up to date free weights. Squat racks have been updated to barely be able to load more than 500 lbs, the gym is always over 80 degrees, and you have to wait forever to use any equipment. Add on top of all this some really dumb and antiquated rules (why do I need a towel to wipe down equipment if they provide wipes??) and you have a pretty bad gym. An embarrassing stain on such a nice campus. Added a star because at least it’s free.

Probably the worst gym I’ve ever been to. First is the dumb rules. You can’t carry your gym bag with you, you are required to wear sleeved shirts, and you have to bring a towel with you (even though they provide wipes to wipe down equipment???). I won’t even try to guess the reasoning behind these absurd rules. Also, almost all of the equipment is very old, and most machines does not move smoothly. They couldn’t have possibly messed up the free weight section though, right? They did. This gym is so small that no matter what you are doing, you will have to wait. There is 3 benches, and I find myself waiting for over an hour every Monday and Thursday. For a university as pretty and well-kept as Baylor, this gym is an embarrassment.

Considering how expensive Baylor is this gym is quite disappointing. Most of the equipment is old and wobbly and the machines are constantly breaking. There is not enough space or equipment for the amount of people that go here so you spend a big portion of your time at the gym waiting for equipment rather than exercising. The staff have their favorites and constantly pick on people who are not "their buddies". For instance, I forgot my towel one day and there was a young snobby skinny curly head chick that ran up to me and told me I couldn't work out without it. I always wipe down my equipment with the sanitizing towels and the fact she couldn't let it pass for one day pissed me off. I had to walk 15 minutes back home to grab a towel I wasn't going to use and come back. Once I got back I watched her say hi to her friend who didn't have a towel and watched about 6 other people walk in without one. Another day the same girl came up to complain about my sleeves telling me I needed to wear sleeves, I fixed my shirt showing her I was wearing stupid sleeves she snarled at me and walked away. I was annoyed because she yelled at me because my sleeves were slighly rolled and did not say one word to the guy with his shoes off on the squat rack or to the girl working out in a sports bra. Every time I walk in she is a fire breathing dragon waiting to attack me which is always a nice feeling... She always has something to say to me when I walk in and then she disappears off to the counter to horse around with her coworkers. The hours are crazy at times and they do not post holiday or special event times on the website so you can't rely on that to know if it's open, but you can call.

One of my most favorite study spots on campus. It's really quiet (practically dead silent) in the mornings and at certain times in the afternoon, and I can only think of one time last year that I couldn't get one of the tables to myself. One of the studying techniques I figured out pretty early into my freshman year at Baylor was to do my reading for class on the elliptical or stationary bike to keep my brain awake. The weight room has a ton of different stuff for everyone who walks in. All of the staff is really friendly and helpful. The rock wall is awesome (and gigantic)!