Students take their workouts off campus

By: Sam Creemer

Staff Writer

Some UMW students venture off-campus to take fitness classes rather than working out at Campus Recreation. Three of these most popular fitness studios located in Fredericksburg, according to UMW students, are Sweat FXBG, CrossFit Fredericksburg and Orangetheory. 

“Both Sweat and Campus Rec offer classes, but Sweat offers a variety of strict high-intensity interval training (HIIT) fitness classes,” said senior psychology major Grace Nicolai. “This allows for many classes every day, which helps fit my own schedule. It also allows me to branch out in the community and meet people that I would not meet if working out at UMW.”

Sweat FXBG is a fitness boutique which is located on Fall Hill Avenue, right next to Central Park. Sweat FXBG offers a variety of individual training and group fitness classes for people at a variety of fitness levels. Some of these programs include (HIIT) or, as Sweat likes to call it, Sixty. 

Sixty uses a technique in which people work out in short bursts of highly challenging activities such as rowing and strength training. They offer a variety of plans, including a $129 per month pass for unlimited classes and $19 for individual classes. 

Nicolai especially enjoys their yoga classes.

“The coaches there are extremely supportive and motivating,” she said. “It makes me enjoy going to workout.”

Sweat FXBG also includes cycle, barre and row classes. While Campus Recreation offers cycle and yoga classes, barre and rowing are not a part of their itinerary.

While Sweat FXBG focuses primarily on group fitness, CrossFit Fredericksburg focuses on strength training and conditioning. 

CrossFit Fredericksburg is located on International Parkway off of Route 17. Their programs involve work both inside and outside of the gym, as they promote a healthy nutrition plan along with heavy exercises. CrossFit uses high-intensity workouts that focus on building strength and muscle. Their monthly cost ranges from $145 a month to $185 dollars a month, depending on how many months an individual signs up for. They also have a student discount of $130 dollars. 

The programs at this gym and those offered at Orangetheory are quite similar, but each has unique aspects. CrossFit focuses more on strength and individual training, while Orangetheory focuses more on cardio and heart-rate zones.   

“I chose CrossFit because of the community I had heard from others, and working out with people with the same work ethic was essential,” said senior psychology major Rachel Remer. “It offers me a chance to work out with individuals that push me to step out of my comfort zone. I recently participated in a Spartan race that before joining Crossfit I would have never considered doing!” 

For Remer, the price of fitness classes didn’t matter because she instantly fell in love with the intensity that CrossFit offers. Remer chooses to work out at CrossFit at 6 a.m., while Campus Recreation opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays and 2 p.m. on weekends. 

Another popular fitness gym outside of campus is Orangetheory, which focuses mainly on cardio training and burning calories. 

Orangetheory in Fredericksburg is located on Southpoint Parkway off of Route 17. Their HIIT workouts focus on keeping people in the “orange zone” of heart rate, where individuals boost their metabolism and burn the most fat and calories. Attendants purchase a heart rate band and wear it throughout their workouts. 

These workouts are centered around rowing, cardio and strength exercises. Orangetheory’s plan for unlimited workouts is priced at $160 per month. 

Some students have said that classes at Fredericksburg workout studios push them further than what Campus Recreation has to offer. 

“Choosing to go to CrossFit pushed me outside of my comfort zone in all the best ways possible where campus recreation didn’t,” said Remer.

Additionally, Remer said that off-campus fitness studios offer a sense of community.

“Campus recreation, or more specifically the lifting areas, feels more individual with an in-and-out-mentality, which of course isn’t a problem,” she said. “It’s hard to compare two environments, where one you go for the people and the community [and] one where you go when you have time between classes.”

Senior softball player and business administration marketing major Maggie Mrowka also switched to an off-campus fitness studio.

“I enjoy Sweat because the workouts really challenge me,” she said. “Being a personal trainer and trained group fitness coach myself, I can trust [instructors] like Robin, Paula or Sara because I know the training and intense certifications and backgrounds that they have.”

Fitness training is different for everybody, depending on what kind of experience the person wants. 

“Being an athlete, it’s important that I’m challenged by the workout or trainer but also can feel confident that the trainer will correct me if I’m doing something that could injure me,” said Mrowka.