Every January, gyms fill with people eager to get a fresh start in the new year. Come winter quarter at Cal Poly’s Recreation Center, seasoned gym goers and first-timers alike are met with this new year’s rush — facing longer wait times for equipment and crowded workout rooms.
This January surge is not new. Historically, gym attendance is bolstered in the first few weeks of January. According to ASI data, Jan. 5 to 11 of 2025, the recreation center logged 35,367 entrances. This year, the first week of school brought 38,220 entrances, reflecting the periodic spike in gym attendance.
Jill Baxter, assistant director of facility operations for the recreation center, said an increase in gym attendance is typical of the first 3 weeks in the new year. This inflation is due in part to the start of winter quarter, as well as students hoping to accomplish their New Year wellness goals.
Kira Hiyama, a business administration junior, said she notices January brings higher gym attendance, both at the recreation center and her hometown gym. Hiyama has been lifting for three years now, but even during her freshman and sophomore years she remembers the gym being significantly more crowded in January.
Even midday, a time that is usually slower at the gym, Hiyama struggled finding an open treadmill during the first two weeks of school. The second floor of the recreation center, which houses the bulk of the gym’s cardio equipment and exercise machines, is usually the busiest during this period, she said.
While ASI does not log wait times for equipment, Baxter said that higher attendance coincides with busier exercise rooms, especially during the recreation center’s peak hours. According to data from ASI, peak hours are usually around 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Computer science sophomore Namish Mannepalli has been working out at the recreation center since adopting a New Year’s resolution last January. When he returned from winter break this year, he said the gym was “packed.”
“The first two weeks I couldn’t even work out it was that bad,” Mannepalli said. “I had to wait for like two hours just to get stuff.”
Now, Mannepalli says the surge is starting to drop off, a pattern seen historically as students start to settle into their school schedules. In 2025, recreation center entrances dropped to 30,379 by the second week in February, a decrease from the first week of school’s 35,367.
Around weeks four to five of winter quarter, gym attendance usually drops to more normal levels according to Baxter. Baxter said that underutilized areas like the Multi-Activity Center, which can be used for stretching and using free weights, is an alternative when the main exercise rooms are impacted.
“We encourage students to use the ASI Access app to view real-time activity levels and identify slower times to work out,” Baxter said in an email.