By Ben Hoffman
Users of the U of C’s workout facilities might notice dumbbells are no longer available.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the hand held free weights [dumbbells] have been removed from the Fitness and Lifestyle Centre," reads the letter posted on the door of the KNES building’s public-access gym.
"The main reason they were removed is that we had a 90-pound weight break a couple of weeks ago," said Supervisor of Fitness, Facility and Personal Training Carolyn Bedford.
Subsequent analysis of the dumbbells by the mechanical and manufacturing engineering department has shown the welds on the weights were improper and may break easily.
"They aren’t safe for use," Bedford said, noting a large dumbbell could harm somebody if it fell on them while in use.
The dumbbells, along with other free weights, are important parts of some workouts. Without the dumbbells, free weight users will have to supplement their training with weight machines.
"I suppose that it’s okay if they’re only gone for a couple of weeks," said Kinesiology student and regular gym-goer Adam Wood. "It’s pretty ridiculous, though."
Free weights are considered by many to be an integral part of a superior training regime.
The facility is currently offering solutions to people who are inconvenienced by the decision to remove the weights. Weights lighter than 30 pounds have been temporarily replaced with another set, and gym membership is being extended by a month for alumni, U of C staff and the general public.
"If there are people whose workouts are interrupted because the weights are gone, they could do the same workout on the multi-functional training system, with the assistance of any of the fitness attendants," Bedford said.
The weights were not the first of their kind to break in gyms in Calgary.
"The same dumbbells were at the Talisman Centre, and they broke, too," Wood said, noting the centre replaced the weights, just as the FLC intends to do.
The facility is going to purchase and implement a new set of weights, which they hope will be less likely to break. The engineering department and both the associate director and director of Campus Recreation all agreed with this decision.
"The last set that we purchased were $15,000, but we’re currently looking into warranty coverage right now," Bedford said. "We’ll be replacing them with a more advanced technology."
It is not yet known when exactly the new weights will be in the facility, but it is expected that it will not take long.
"Once the new brand is decided upon and approved by the engineering department, we expect it will take five days to three weeks to deliver," Bedford explained.