As part of Homecoming Week, Dixie State College officially opened the President’s Fitness Circuit Training Facility, also known as the D-Circuit, to the students and community.
The D-Circuit, which was opened Oct. 25, is constructed in the shape of a “D.” It features more than eight workout stations and is covered and lit and has a chilled drinking fountain, so the community can use the facility both day and night.
The eight workout stations include a balance step, pull up and dip bars, a chest and back press, ab crunch and leg lifts and a cardio stepper.
“The D-Circuit is an outdoor facility,” said Christian Hildebrandt, director of the Fitness Center. “In the United States you don’t see a lot of it. It’s not really traditional. You see these more in the Asian countries. A lot of their parks have this kind of thing involved in it.”
Hildebrandt said it is an area where students can go outside and do some fitness training.
Each station focuses on a certain part of the body, so students and the community can be more well–rounded in their workouts.
“If I want to be a good volleyball player, I have to have some cardiovascular base to be able to withstand,” Hildebrandt said. “Or else I’ll hit three balls and go, ‘OK, I’m tired. I need to sit down.’ So to be a better volleyball player, I have to be fit in certain ways.”
And that’s just what the D-Circuit has to offer the community. Each station has different things to help students jump higher, build upper body strength, and work on cardiovascular fitness. It can also be set up for different sizes of people.
Along with the D-Circuit, DSC has installed the President’s Fitness Loops.
According to a DSC press release, it is “…a system of five walking or jogging trails ranging from 0.25 mile to two miles in length around and through the DSC campus.”
But the real question is will the students make use of these new additions to the school?
“I think I will use the D-Circuit because it looks like a place that can help me with my fitness,” said Kolton Brown, a freshman general education major from Pleasant Grove. “I think the facilities can help me become a better all-around athlete.
But on the other hand, Savannah Moir, a sophomore nursing major from West Jordan, said she thinks DSC could have spent its money more wisely.
“I don’t go to the D-Circuit,” Moir said. “I think it is a waste of money. I stay active with my fitness class, but I already have all the hours. I come to [the Fitness Center] to just stay in shape. I also am in intramurals… which are really good for staying active.”
These machines may be a nice addition to the students’ daily workouts for those students already physically active.
Kris Bailey, a freshman music major from St. George, said he doesn’t really run. Bailey said he has classes all day, so he keeps in great shape by walking around a lot.
Like Bailey, Tanner Lund, a freshman communication major from St. George, said: “I just walk to and from class. One of my classes is all the way across campus, so that is how I gets my exercise.”
The D-Circuit is located next to the Udvar-Hazy School of Business and sand volleyball courts.
