Kilo Club vs. Uni Gym
- Isabella Hassan
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
By: Isabella Hassan
During September, the Sports Centre gym was bustling with students, with rarely a machine or treadmill free. This was likely due to the free first-month incentive offered by Saints Sport. Many students took advantage of this perk: those who had never been to the gym before found themselves giving it a try, while the avid gym-goers continued on their home workout splits. Soon, the Kilo Club was discovered. The Kilo Club, a private gym past the Shell station and near Marks & Spencer, offered a similar experience to the Sports Centre, but with fewer students and “more aesthetic lighting”. I asked groups of first-years who attend both gyms for their pros and cons.
A group of Sallies and Macintosh residents who hold Sports Centre gym memberships had positive things to say about the gym, highlighting the Zero One Coffee Shop and the accessibility to sports fields. First-year Cristina Sanguiro Ming notes that her favorite pro is seeing her university friends at the gym.
“It’s very social. I don’t think I would see the same people as often as I do if I didn’t go to the Sports Centre,”
However, the disadvantages echoed by many all fall under the same lack of equipment and space around peak hours. Girls will wait thirty minutes for one of the two stairmasters, either leaving disappointed they couldn’t get one or in a rush because the next girls are anxiously waiting behind them.
First-year Maya Bas attends Kilo Club and said that the most important pro for her is the access, quality, and variety of the equipment.
“There are tons of machines the university gym doesn't have, and it’s not as full or crowded.”
However, she did highlight the pricing, saying that it ends up more costly than the Sports Centre membership. Depending on where your accommodation is, it can also be further/closer.
Fitness culture plays a huge role in student life at the University of St. Andrews for many students, myself included. Both the Sports Centre and the Kilo Club provide students with an outlet to stay active and disciplined. Ultimately, the choice between the two comes down to what matters more: community and convenience or access and atmosphere.
