Where to Go to Get Active

Special IssueYacine Bouhali — Published September 3, 2013

For many of us, back to school also means back to the gym. For the athletically inclined, here’s what you need to know about Concordia’s training facilities and sports activities.

Le Gym

Le Gym is Concordia’s main fitness centre, and is obviously the university’s most frequented one. But don’t be afraid, with its 10,000 square feet of training surface, Le Gym has plenty of space to welcome everybody. Equipped with 75 cardio machines as well as with 75 strength stations, the two-floor facility also offers personal trainers (for $25 an hour) and a great variety of fitness classes to members, spanning from aerobics and spinning classes to Zumba sessions. For dance lovers, there are lessons hip-hop, swing, salsa and more. If you need to unwind after a long day at school,

Le Gym also offers Pilates and yoga classes. For all the fighters out there, you’ll be pleased to know that kickboxing and karate are also offered.

Unfortunately, the classes fill up rather quickly, so it’s a good idea to show up at Le Gym during the first week of school if you want to make sure to have a reserved spot. Another downside of Le Gym is that it gets really busy in the evenings, so if you want to avoid traffic, you’re better off working out in the morning.

Registration fees are $60 per semester for Concordia students and the facility is open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sundays.

Le Centre at the PERFORM Center

Open since 2011, Le Centre is located on the first floor of the PERFORM Center on Loyola Campus. It’s furnished with 50 pieces of cardio equipment, two complete lines of weight training machines and a full range of free weights.

But Le Centre isn’t just your average gym.

For starters, all ConU students can benefit from the athletic therapy clinic and treatment centre run by Concordia’s athletic therapy students, who are supervised by certified athletic therapists. The clinic charges $25 per visit for treatments.

Members of the gym also have the opportunity to participate in research activities, as all of the machines at Le Centre are tied into software that allows researchers to track exercise results and look for ways to improve the performance of those using them. Gym members can either choose to train solo with or without a trainer, or join a small training group. Students can also sign up for classes aimed at teaching participants about healthy cooking and weights.

Unfortunately, heavy weight lifters will be disappointed to learn that there’s no bench press or squat machine at Le Centre as the facility is working towards reaching a specific kind of clientele—one which doesn’t usually go to the gym.

Registration fees are $60 a semester for Concordia students and the facility is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends.

Intramural Leagues

Want to play sports recreationally? Concordia intramural leagues have got you covered. Ice hockey, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee—name a sport, Concordia has it. Most sports are divided into divisions, from the most to the least competitive one. If you want to play with your friends you can register your team as a whole, but joining solo is no problem either. At the beginning of the semester most leagues have open tryouts where teams pick new players to complete their roster.

Like Le Gym’s classes, intramural leagues fill up extremely fast, so register your team or yourself during the first week of school if you want make sure you’ve got a shot at becoming an intramural legend.

Bee There!

During your time at Concordia, you can see some great athletes in action for only a few dollars; sometimes even for free. Concordia has high-performing athletes on all their varsity teams and clubs, like All-Star football receiver Kris Bastien or All-Canadian basketball guard Kaylah Barrett. The Université du Québec à Montréal, Université de Montréal and McGill University are our cross-town rivals, so make sure to put some pressure on them whenever they play in our house. Gather with friends, wear your university colours (maroon and gold), and have a blast while cheering for the bees.

If you want to go support your Stingers but can’t find anybody to go with you, you can always join the Concordia SWARM, Students With Athletes Representing Maroon n’ Gold. The group focuses on bringing students and athletes together, as well as creating a party atmosphere during Stingers events. Check out Concordia SWARM on Facebook for more info.

For the student on a budget, keep in mind that football, basketball and hockey games are the only events where you’ll have to pay an admission ticket to watch the Stingers (tickets are $5.00 and under for students). Every other game is free for all.

For more information, news, stats and schedules, head over to athletics.concordia.ca