Caltech is rigorous academically. We have sets on sets on sets, and the classes are difficult. However, we still need to stay healthy. While everyone has their own way of coping with Caltech’s academic hardships, personally, I prefer to use exercise as my outlet. For the sake of this blog, I’ve documented what a typical week of workouts looks like for me. These workout help me stay sane and keep my body active and healthy. 

Monday 

My goal for this evening was to get an upper body lift in. Caltech has three gyms – Braun Athletic Center, The Barn, and the Brown Gymnasium. Today, I chose to work out in The Barn because Braun Athletic Center and Brown Gymnasium are typically extremely full between the hours of 5-8 PM, which is when most students/employees get out of class and work. The Barn is like an open garage, which I appreciate because of the cold breeze during winter and fall. For my workout, I started with the free weights, completing a dumbbell circuit composed of dumbbell rows, triceps dips, chest press, and lateral dumbbell raises. By the time I finished this circuit it was around 8 PM, so I headed to Braun Athletic Center, which contains the main gymnasium with more machines. I completed a circuit with alternating sitting rows and lat pulldowns. This workout was a nice way to wind down to the day and completely take my mind off of academics for a hour or two. Furthermore, I went with my friend, so it was nice to catch up in between workout sets.

Tuesday

Caltech also offers weekly group fitness classes. Today, I attended the Barre Fitness class with Instructor Laura. This class lasts for a hour, and it is followed by a popular cardio dance workout class. This class is typically taught at 5 PM on Tuesdays and is taken by a mix of undergraduate, graduate students, and Caltech employees. We first warmed up on the floor with low weights before moving to the bar. At the bar, we did a series of ballet-inspired techniques. I’ve taken barre classes at Pure Barre and Equinox, and I felt that this class was slightly easier, which is perfect for students new to the gym! There was also a lot more emphasis on mind-body connection, which I greatly appreciated, as it felt very mentally refreshing and relaxing. Ms. Laura was also an excellent instructor, and she taught modifications for every move. This meant there were modifications that allowed for both increasing or decreasing difficulty.

Wednesday

Today I joined the Introduction to Power Walking class. Caltech offers physical education courses ranging from swimming to basketball to stretching. One such class offered is Introduction to Power Walking. Every class, the students power walk in the neighborhoods surrounding campus or to a specific place they have in mind. Three of my friends are taking the course this term, so I asked the instructor if I could join for the day (and she approved). We power walked for an hour walking around and through Pasadena City College before returning back to campus. This walk was extremely therapeutic, and being in the sun after a long day of classes felt super nice. 

Thursday

Today I spent some time on Caltech’s bouldering wall. Caltech offers both a bouldering wall and a top-rope wall. There are also rental shoes available. I’m not a very experienced climber, so for today I focused on getting accustomed to scaling and falling. There was a range in the difficulty of different routes, including some on the incline wall. I went with my friend who has a couple years worth of experience, and she successfully completed some boulder routes. We also went to the climbing wall, where John, the climbing wall manager, is around Tuesday and Thursdays from 6-9 PM to be a resource for beginner climbers. Again, I spent most of this time just scaling whatever I could, but my friend was able to complete one of the 20 top-rope courses available during our time there.

Friday

I wasn’t able to make it to the gym until late today. Because I did not arrive at the gym until 9 PM, I only had about an hour to workout before the gym closed. My favorite workout that’s fast and efficient is the stairmaster, and, sure enough, 30 minutes later I was out of the gym. Braun Athletic Center contains the largest weight-room, around 3,500 feet, and has a variety of cardio equipment such as treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, and stairmasters. My friend also introduced me to the Jacob’s Ladder, which is a cardio exercise machine that simulates the motion of climbing a ladder.

Saturday

My friends and I wanted to play pickleball, so we called the gym to book a pickleball court. Caltech has four pickleball courts and offers free pickleball racquet and pickleball rentals that are first-come, first-serve. The four of us played pickleball until 7:30 PM, which is when the courts closed on weekends. I spent most of the day writing an essay for one of my political science classes, so hitting a plastic ball and some friendly competition definitely woke me back up and re-energized me for the upcoming finals week. For those who want a more formal introduction to pickleball, Caltech sometimes offers pickleball clinics and has a pickleball course for undergraduates. There is also a pickleball club that hosts weekly practices and a yearly tournament.