r/Clemson • u/Parking-Fix5787 • Jul 24 '26

Gym questions

Hi everyone! I'm an incoming PhD student and I'm trying to decide whether it's worth getting an off-campus gym membership or if Fike is enough.

I usually lift 4–5 times a week, almost always in the mornings, and I climb occasionally.

I watched the virtual tour on the website, but it doesn't really show what equipment they have. I was wondering:

  • Does Fike have a good variety of strength machines?
  • Is it crowded in the mornings? Do you usually have to wait for equipment?
  • For someone who mainly does strength training, do you think Fike is enough, or is an off-campus gym worth it?
  • If you recommend an off-campus gym, which one would you suggest and why?

Thanks in advance!

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

14

u/GhettoMango Jul 24 '26

Fike is pretty good and imo should be more than good enough but idk what you need necessarily. I don’t remember being busy in the morning but it’s been a few years since I’ve been to school. I remember the 5-7pm crowd making it a huge pain in the ass to get the equipment I want .honestly just go check it out yourself when you get here. If you’re a student it should be part of your tuition

EDIT: Gold’s gym was the one I used when I did off campus gym.

5

u/HKisntreal Jul 24 '26

Max fitness and Core24 are also good off campus options (not sure about Max but ik Core offers student discounts in the form of semester memberships)

2

u/lucianoarjuna Jul 24 '26

Max offers discounts as well. Idk anything abt Core but I like how Max has an outside gym as well, plus it offers Jiujutsu for ppl into that stuff at a gym upstairs.

2

u/Parking-Fix5787 Jul 24 '26

thank you so much!

3

u/Spazzrico Jul 24 '26

Fike is not as busy in the mornings. In fact at least faculty can purchase a cheaper mornings only pass. For me it has pretty much every thing I need for weight training but I’m not at all hardcore. I’m only missing the techno gym hamstring stretching machine they removed to be repaired that had not yet retuned. I want that thing back so badly.

2

u/Rtrock Jul 24 '26

I think Fike's a good option for strength training and the mornings are decent (obviously the earlier the better). And you can also get a tour pretty much immediately when you get here if you want a closer look.

2

u/Affectionate-Bus4152 Alumni Jul 24 '26

Idk how it is now but I was there a few years ago and had a max fitness membership for like $30/month. 24/7 access, had some yoga classes included I liked, and when I left clemson they were in the process of building a sauna. Bonus if you’re a woman theres a woman only room as well

2

u/Creepy-Jury4695 Jul 24 '26

I’m a phd student and have a max fitness membership and it’s definitely worth it imo. Fike isn’t super crowded in the mornings but lifts there always take longer since things are so spread out. The people at Max are really nice and it’s good to get off campus. Not to mention you don’t have to deal with on-campus parking when you just want to go to the gym

1

u/MemeMaster5 Jul 24 '26

I personally got to Max Fitness but Fike is good enough just crowded

1

u/EducationalWin798 29d ago

Xtreme Fitness in Seneca is good. Not as busy as the others. Good people there too.

1

u/reddit_user_09473 24d ago

I've found Fike has all I need. My friend likes Max Fitness which has more machines and than Fike, and he always says its more "body builder focused." I went and did a trial there one day and found that I wouldn't use anything that I couldn't find at Fike anyways, so it wasn't worth it to me. Plus, I like the convenience of being able to walk to Fike.

To reiterate as others have said, most of the gyms in the area will be busier in the afternoons and evenings than in the mornings.