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‘Meet me @ Markin’

We’ve all been there. Whether you’re a “leg day, arm day routine” type of person or a “strictly there for Late Night BU free food type of person,” everyone has experienced Bradley’s rec center at least once.

That being said, there is a wide variety of personalities you may encounter during your visit at Markin.

You’ve got your professionals, the ones that really know what they’re doing. They’re lifting weights, using heart rate monitors, and sipping from their blender bottles full of their protein shake concoctions.

Then you have the ones that go to say they went to the gym that day. The people that are just trying to add to their “Get Fit Stay Fit” points. Of course there’s no shame in that, go far, go get that free water bottle amirite?

Who can forget about the admissions tours passing through, full of doe-eyed high school students? It always seems that a family passes by during the peak of your routine when you’re covered in sweat and the tours are making their rounds. At least I know I’m representing Bradley well by looking more like a sewage rat than a welcoming college student.

Let’s not overlook the locker rooms. There’s always that token moment when you’re mid-clothing change and one of your professors strolls in. The situation doesn’t have to be as weird as it sounds, unless of course you ditched class the day before because you were “sick.” However, many students still find Markin to be one of their favorite spots on campus.

“I’m comfortable going [to Markin] because not everyone knows what they’re doing,” Juliana Sipich, a sophomore health science major said. “I feel like I’m not the only who’s not super knowledgeable about working out.”

If you’re a little intimidated by the lifters at the gym or the butterfly lap swimmers, just know there are plenty of people there covering all experience levels. If you don’t know where to start, there are personal trainers available and group classes offered multiple times a day to help.

“Sometimes the guys that are lifting can be intimidating, but it’s nice that the athletes have their own place to workout so that we don’t have to work around huge teams,” Megan Manst, freshman special education major, said.

Between the rock wall, saltwater pool and Jerry’s juice bar, Markin has definitely become a key part of Bradley’s campus and certainly has something for everyone.

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