The John Wooden Center expanded weightlifting zones and installed new equipment over winter break.
The on-campus gym added about 100 new strength-training units – including plate-loaded and free-motion cable machines – in its renovations, said Daniel Jauregui, the gym’s manager. The renovations impacted the advanced circuit zone, Jauregui added.
The renovations came as part of the JWC Improvement Project, which began in January 2025 and is projected to be completed in early 2027, according to the UCLA Recreation website. The novice and advanced circuit zones closed in August as part of the project and reopened in October and January, respectively.
Andres Mendoza, a third-year economics student, said he often encountered broken machines in JWC before the renovations. He added that he believes having new machines will encourage beginners to dip their toes into weightlifting.
“They (the machines) were constantly being broken down,” he said. “That impacts the ability of people wanting to work out and improve their health fitness.”
Having more machines has shortened wait times and made peak hours more manageable, said Sean Parada, a second-year physics student. The weightlifting area now includes more of the equipment he prefers – including cable machines, chest fly and smith machines – which has reduced overcrowding, he added.
“I would normally spend at least two and a half hours during peak hours,” Parada said. “It only took me an hour to an hour a half this time.”
Parada said the reopening of the circuit zones – which are for cardio and strength conditioning – has made the gym feel more open and comfortable to work out in.
Mendoza added that the renovations at JWC are a good start, saying he hopes the upgrades will extend to Bruin Fitness Center, the gym located on the Hill. He added that he hopes UCLA will update its equipment as well.
“This new expansion of them fixing the machines, adding new machines and adding entire new areas in general definitely responds to the students’ desire to want to live a healthy lifestyle,” Mendoza said.
Rachel Gima, the vice president of UCLA’s chapter of Girl Gains – a club for women who weightlift – said the improvements support the club’s goal of making weightlifting and wellness more inclusive.
Gima, a fourth-year English student, said the size of the new space allows the club to hold more on-campus events. Many of the club’s activities currently take place off campus, which can create financial and transportation barriers for students, she added.
“Those aren’t spaces where there typically is a lot of representation, and it can feel like a male dominated space,” Gima said. “To have a larger space that is more user-friendly definitely aligns with our mission, and that’s a big reason why I’m really happy about the changes.”
Parada said he is glad future Bruins will benefit from the upgraded facilities.
“In the long run, I do see it as something that’s really good, because students in the future that come to UCLA will be able to access these upgraded facilities,” he said.
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