Personal fitness and wellness goals are often afterthoughts for many college students preoccupied with internships, extracurriculars and demanding course loads. Public gyms can feel intimidating to use for the first time, which can make it difficult for students to even start their fitness journey. However, there are several fitness clubs available to UTD students that aim to combat these challenges and promote community.
UTD Powerlifting Club
If you’re interested in weightlifting — or maybe just want to brag to friends about new personal records — the UTD Powerlifting Club might be for you.
Run by club president and neuroscience senior Karla Rabanales, the club aims to be an inclusive environment that teaches students to lift, learn proper form and prepare for competitions if they are interested. She said that the club emphasizes discipline and time management, which carry over into classes and everyday life.
“The club as a whole … you can just come in whenever, and then there’s the [competition] club, so you can be part of the competition club or not, it’s up to you,” Rabanales said.
The club has one mandatory practice every Saturday for three hours, which is held off-campus at Progressive Overload Dallas, a powerlifting gym a five-minute drive from UTD. The club also holds three optional practices on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the SPN gym, the training facility for UTD NCAA athletes.
Rabanales said the club is always accepting new members, with about 40 to 50 involved and roughly 15 on the competitive team.
Students can join the UTD Powerlifting Club by filling out the required DSC sports form and paying a $25 membership fee.
If joining the competitive team, the membership is an additional $50 a semester. If you have any questions, you can contact UTD Powerlifting primarily through Instagram DMs @utdpowerlifting, the Discord linked in their Instagram bio or the shared club email listed on the UTD directory.
UTD Swim Club
Whether you’ve swam competitively or are just looking to get your toes wet, the UTD Swim Club could be in your lane.
Vice president and biomedical science junior Emily Partridge described the UREC competitive sports club as a “really close-knit family” where UTD students of all skill levels and experience can join. The only physical requirement is that members can swim a 50-yard freestyle without assistance.
“We don’t care how fast you are, or if you can’t really swim in a straight line.”
— Emily Partridge, UTD Swim Club vice president
The club practices in the Activity Center natatorium around three times a week for 1.5 hours. However, Partridge said that opportunities for socializing and relationship-building exist beyond the pool.
“We go out to dinner a lot, we have a lot of our socials, and so we really bond over our practices,” Partridge said.
She cited past community-oriented activities the team has done, including bake sales, themed events, mixers and outdoor sports socials.
The team is split into the competitive and non-competitive tracks. Members can switch at any time throughout the year, though fees differ between the two.
Competitive swimmers travel for meets, typically at Texas A&M or Texas Christian University. Gas and meet entry fees are covered by membership dues.
Partridge said non-competitive swimmers are able to attend practices, socials, time trials and banquets, though they can also attend meets if they later decide to swim competitively.
Prospective swimmers get a trial period where they can attend practice for a week and then decide if joining the team is right for them before paying the membership fee.
Though Partridge said non-competitive members pay a lower fee than competitive swimmers, the fee structure is currently being updated and final dollar amounts will be listed in the club’s constitution and on the UTD website when available.
“We don’t care how fast you are, or if you can’t really swim in a straight line. If you want to swim and want to meet other people who want to swim, we are here and we are so welcoming,” Partridge said.
For inquiries, you can directly message UTD Swim Club via Instagram at @utdswimclub or email them at [email protected].
UTD CHAARG
Targeted toward women looking for ways to build community and try diverse workouts, CHAARG aims to shake up the traditional environment surrounding women’s health and fitness.
CHAARG, or Changing Health Attitudes and Actions to Recreate Girls, is a national organization with a chapter at UTD. The UTD chapter is led by president Tori Bayt, animation and games senior.
Large group workouts are typically once a week on Wednesday evenings, with additional “bonus” workouts often occurring on Tuesdays. Large group workouts usually take place off campus, with Pilates emerging as a group favorite, according to Bayt.
Bayt said that some sessions are held on campus when a studio is unavailable or schedules change.
“Our mission is really to create a safe space away from the rec room.”
— Tori Bayt, UTD CHAARG president
“Our mission is really to create a safe space away from the rec room, where a lot of people usually are at, and try to get off campus to different gyms, try different workouts … just to help girls out and just overall create a safe place for them to feel happy and work out,” Bayt said.
The club meets to discuss both personal and fitness goals and hosts socials every other month to build community “almost like a little sorority,” Bayt said.
For inquiries, direct messaging the club’s Instagram @utdallas_inchaarg is the preferred method of communication. Because CHAARG is a national organization, students pay an annual membership fee through the national chapter website.
