Survival of the fittest

Whether comparing grades, battling at Robo or beating the Bulldogs in football, Princetonians are a competitive bunch. Why wouldn't we bring that same drive to working out?

"We have a lot of students who want to be the best at everything, including fitness," said Christina Costantino '07, a personal trainer at Stephens Fitness Center and varsity soccer player. Walking into the gym at 4:30 on a Monday afternoon, it's easy to see what she means.

Except for the StairMasters — unfashionable since 1994 and, unlike leggings, not expected to make a comeback — most of the equipment is in use, and a number of students even have to wait in line for a treadmill.

"Throughout the industry, the biggest day of the week is Monday," said Matt Brzycki, Princeton's coordinator of recreational fitness and wellness. "It's called 'Guilt Monday' because people feel badly about not working out over the weekend." At Princeton, hitting the Street on a Saturday night or eating a big Sunday brunch can add to the incentive to burn off some calories on Monday.

"I won't feel guilty [over the weekend] if I've worked out all week," Costantino said.

Costantino and Brzycki agreed that community use of Stephens, opened in 2000, has already outgrown the space.

"We don't have a large school," Costantino said, "but [Stephens] is not big enough for the students who use it."

Brzycki said that he has included as many pieces of cardiovascular equipment in the area as possible and hopes that Stephens will benefit from the plans to expand the University's athletic facilities over several years.

"It's pretty obvious that there's not enough room," he said. "There's a strong feeling that part of the plans for [Dillon Gym] will include an expansion of the fitness center."

Amy Campbell, assistant to the vice president for Campus Life, said that a concrete plan to "address the need for enhanced facilities" should be in place by the end of the academic year.

"We have worked with the consulting firm Brailsford and Dunlavey and the campus community to examine campus recreation and fitness facilities and develop a range of options," she said.

Passing through the turnstile — which counts between 250,000 and 275,000 uses of the fitness center in a year and as many as 1,500 in a single day, Brzycki says — one arrives at the weight machines. Not surprisingly, these are primarily used by beefy male undergrads and a few older men wearing unfortunately short shorts and tight, sleeveless muscle tees.

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Downstairs, even more men lift and spot one another. Most women on campus, it seems, shy away from the boys' club in favor of ellipticals, treadmills and cycles. "You don't see many girls in Stephens lifting weights," Costantino said.

Brzycki agrees, but he also said he has noticed that weight training has grown more popular among women since he first arrived at the University in 1983. "Women 'n Weights is actually one of the most popular classes that I teach," he said. "It's very encouraging, seeing that area evolve. Cardio alone isn't going to build strength."

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists both forms of exercise — building muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness — as essential. In contrast to weights, the cardiovascular equipment is mainly used by women.

"In general, most men don't do enough cardio," Brzycki said. "They're afraid of losing muscle mass, but the heart is the most important muscle in your body."

In Stephens, most of the female elliptical users are already incredibly fit and have mastered the art of the oh-so-casual, yet still perfect, messy bun. It's in this section that the competitive atmosphere of Stephens is most pungent. Women subtly glance at the speeds and calories burned by those around them. In one corner, the legs of four different girls, caught in some sort of unconscious treadmill race, turn over at the exact same rate for nearly 20 minutes.

Comparison is inevitable and encouraged by the mirrors on the wall opposite the machines, which are used by everyone except the girl both reading a pequod and working out at a furious rate.

The competition on the machines has begun to disturb Courtney Quiros '10.

"I knew what I was getting myself into at Princeton," she said, while waiting for a machine. "Being academically disciplined usually translates into [being competitive] across the spectrum. Nevertheless, the exercise room is no place for that environment."

One incident struck Quiros as particularly telling.

"The other day, I'm minding my own business on the elliptical, and I realize that the girl next to me is literally straining to see the screen on my machine," she said. "I rationalize the move by assuming she's looking at the time, but her sideways glances make me increasingly uncomfortable. I speed up, which must be me naturally adjusting to the unspoken competitive tension between us. And she speeds up, too."

Quiros is worried that this behavior will take a greater toll than merely causing annoyance.

"The real question is whether this is healthy," she said. "Can balanced, well-adjusted people falter underneath the burden of always having to put their best foot forward? I want to exercise in peace."

Though Stephens is incredibly busy, many students — even those who work out regularly over the summer — find it difficult to make time in their schedules to hit the gym.

"I know a lot of students have a hard time making it to the gym," Costantino said. "Generally, it's harder [than during the summer]. They're not on a set schedule."

For freshmen, the athletic adjustment from high school to college student can be particularly difficult.

"For high school athletes who no longer compete in college, the dynamics of working out are suddenly much different. Now, there's no coach, no peer pressure from a teammate, no fans cheering them on," Brzycki said. "Some of them don't have personal direction. It's going to take a person who can motivate themselves to come out of that loop."

Remy Greeno '10 played varsity volleyball at her high school for two years. Having a set fitness routine — one in place long before coming to Princeton — has made exercise easier for her.

"I've been running every day since the eighth grade, so by now it's almost habit," she said. "If I don't feel up to working out, I just think about how energized and awake I will feel afterwards."

Brzycki and Costantino advised scheduling a set time to exercise.

"Try to get into a routine," said Brzycki. "Block off a spot on your schedule and try to hold onto that. It's better to make the time instead of trying to find it."

For many students, mustering the motivation to put on athletic apparel and get to Dillon is the hardest part.

"Once you get there, the atmosphere of so many people exercising helps," Costantino said.

There are many ways to make working out an easier and more enjoyable process. Brzycki suggests that students take fitness classes: spinning, yoga, pilates and dance are some of the most popular activities at Dillon. Courses are relatively inexpensive, and new ones will be starting this spring.

Another important thing to remember, Brzycki said, is that many studies have shown that working out only 20 to 30 minutes, three to five times a week is enough to improve aerobic fitness.

"The average person who works out does too much, which is almost as bad as not doing enough," he said. "There's a misconception that more is better. More isn't necessarily helpful."

Especially in an academic environment such as Princeton, working out is a worthwhile enterprise during stressful times.

There are a number of highly qualified trainers in Stephens who are available to give fitness consultations or work with clients on weight management. They also can give general advice on what equipment to use and how to use it.

"This is the best-educated staff I've ever had," Brzycki said. All the trainers at Stephens have college degrees, two have MBAs and one has both a doctoral degree and an MBA. "I wish students would tap into that resource more."