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Elliot KozilHannah LeGrisWrd110Web TextThe Johnson Center has something to offer everyone, but often people don’t take full advantage of it; they tend to underestimate the variety of activities there. For someone who wants to get stronger, there are weights. For people who just want to have fun, they can play volleyball, basketball, or racquetball. For those trying to lose weight there are cardio machines. And even for people who don’t know where to start, there are personal trainers and programs designed for them. There is a lot of opportunity at the center, but it requires a bit of time to understand how it all works.When I first walk into the Johnson Center, I can’t help but notice the sheer size of the building. Architects designed the Johnson Center to have wide open areas. There are no low ceilings and there is a lot of open space. The open space is likely used to help produce airflow and ventilate the building. Right at the entrance, there is a large ceiling fan spinning and circulating the air. There are vents across the ceiling transporting air throughout the building. If it weren’t for this airflow and ventilation, the Johnson Center would likely have an unappealing smell from all the people. The first thing I noticed once scanning my ID and being given access to the building, is the red climbing wall. It is divided into sections with levels of difficulty. The sections are made more difficult by adjusting the spread and size of the rocks. Convex and concave formations of the wall also change the difficulty of the climb. The wall is a popular attraction at the Johnson Center. During peak times, there are crowds of over twenty people at the climbing wall. Only four or so people can use the wall at once, however.As I continue throughout the building, the first things that catch my eye are the machines. I notice the machines downstairs for weightlifting, and I look up to the second floor walkways that are lined with ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills. I make note of the people exercising on these machines. They seem to be mostly women. The motion of the people expresses the stress the given exercises places on the people exercising. The smooth movement of the elliptical reduces potential stress on joints, while the up and down shock of the treadmill is more stressful on knees and ankles. There is a weight lifting area on the opposite side of the entrance, with a large windowed wall showing the green open field where people often play football, ultimate Frisbee, and soccer. This part of the gym generally attracts a different group than the parts that cater to cardio exercises. This is because of the difference in how cardio exercises and weightlifting effect the body. While weightlifting doesn’t burn calories as quickly as running, it has other benefits. People can get these benefits by using the equipment that the Johnson Center provides.This area has a wide variety of machines and areas for different exercises. There is a mirrored wall on one end, with a row of dumbbell stands against the mirrors. This area is great for using dumbbells because it is easy for people to check their form in the mirrors. In the middle of the room, are cable machines, which allow for many different exercises to be performed. There can be several people working on one machine at a time because of the separated cables and weights. Different handles can be attached to the cables allowing for even more variety. The cable machine is a very dynamic and useful tool to have in a gym. The weightlifting section also has many adjustable and mobile benches, which are mostly used with dumbbells for back support. There are rows of benches against the windowed wall. Half are flat, and half are decline benches. Decline benches hit the same muscles as flat benches, but they focus on the lower part of the chest because of the adjusted gravitational pull from the decline. Benches, barbells, and dumbbells are fairly standard in gyms, but the Johnson Center has much more than this in the weightlifting section. This large cable machine can support six people lifting at once. Via: promaximaThis part of the Johnson Center includes an Olympic weightlifting platform. The weights are larger than normal, and coated in a color rubber. The rubber is color-coordinated with the weight. The lightest is ten pounds, which are colored green. The next step up is twenty-five pounds, colored yellow. The heaviest weight is red, weighing forty-five pounds. All of the weights have the same diameter, but the heavier ones are thicker. The Olympic platform is a slight step up from the normal ground. It is reinforced so that anyone can drop the weights during a lift without damaging the ground. The Olympic weights are used for generally more rigorous exercises with a corresponding increase in the risk of injury, especially with inexperienced weight lifters. I have noticed that fewer people use this weight set, and the ones who do generally look larger and more experienced.Homemade Olympic weightlifting platform. Via: Dinomite BlogThere is a connection between the weight lifting section and the basketball courts through an open portion of the concrete wall between the two. It is common for people playing basketball to come into the weight lifting section to use the water fountain because it is right next to the opening in the wall. Walking through the opening, I see two games being played. People are generally playing for fun; there isn’t too much of a hustle from the players. Looking up, I can see the pathway of the track and the people running up there. I walked back near the entrance and up the stairs to observe this.Immediately after walking upstairs, I see small section of mats to my right for ab work. There is also a room for fitness programs straight ahead. This wall has several doorways leading to these programs. To the left of this walkway is the track and large area of mats for more ab work. The track has two pairs of paths. The proximal pair of paths is marked for running, while the other pair is for walking. Some people choose to use the walking paths to warm up; others pick up a pair of free weights and walk along the path. There is a sign showing that nine laps is roughly a mile.I walk back to the path and follow the aisle of cardio machines to the rear of the building. To the right of the rear, there is another section for resistance training. Instead of free weights, this section is all machines. It’s generally not as crowded here as the other section, this is probably because of the difference between the development function and structure between free weight and machine exercises.I walk downstairs, noticing people on the way. At this time, I noticed a difference between people doing different exercises. People lifting heavy free weights looked exhausted after a lift. They looked worn out. They looked like it was hard to stand upright. On the other hand, people who were biking or running had a more progressive change to exhaustion. The people working on cardio sweated more, and had much redder faces. They took a long time to look worn out, unlike weight lifters. I find there is an obvious difference in how these exercises wear out the body.I walk back downstairs and walk out of the first row of doors into the foyer with the TV. I notice a vending machine area and I walk to it to see what they have for sale. I thought that the machine would sell protein bars and healthy snacks because of the placement and market, but it turned out to sell the same as any other machine on campus. I was a little letdown by this. Having the machine sell more customized products would likely generate more money and provide people at the Johnson Center with a better experience.As I was leaving, I thought about all I just saw at the Center. I thought about the machines, the weights. I thought about all the cardio options. I thought about how many different games were hosted there. There are many different classes as well. I thought about all this, and I realized that the best way to learn about this, is to visit the Johnson Center and experience it first-hand.Works Cited“Cable Machine Diagram.” Diagram. ProMaxima 26 Oct. 2012 <;."Group Fitness Classes." Campus Recreation. University of Kentucky. 26 Oct. 2012. <;."Machines Or Free Weights: Structure Vs. Function!" . Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <. "Matrix Elliptical." YouTube. YouTube, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <;. Stephens, Drew. “Homemade Olympic lifting platform.” Photo. . 22 Apr. 2011. 31 Oct. 2012 <, Julie. "The Health Benefits Of Weightlifting And The New Science That Supports Strength Building." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 31 May 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <, Frances M. "Coronary Heart Disease: The Benefits of Exercise."?RACGP. Royal Custrian College of General Practitioners, Mar. 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <;. ................
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