The Lied Recreation Center may be the place for many study-weary ISU students wanting to relieve some stress during Dead Week.

The recreation center offers a variety of different tools and outlets for students to burn off the study haze. Students can play basketball, run on the track, visit the climbing wall or lift weights after a long day of classes.

“Our peak time is pretty much from 4 p.m. on through the night,” said Scott White, business manager for recreation services.

Most of the recreation center’s traffic is seen up on the third floor, he said.

It is there that new plate weights and multi-use machines recently were added to the fitness lineup. But one of the most popular additions is the first-floor climbing wall, which made its debut at the center last January, White said.

“We have had the mountain-climbing club, as well as other special groups and even the honors programs in using the wall for team-building exercises,” he said. “It really has been very successful.”

Nathan Price, senior in finance, arrived at the center at about 3 p.m. Tuesday. He said he spends about an hour and a half at the center at least five times a week, and it’s a great stress reliever.

“I spend my time up on the third floor running and lifting weights,” he said. “I can really relieve a lot of stress while I am there.”

Price also has taken advantage of some of the new plate weights, as well as the machines that have become available this year, he said.

“All of the stuff is really nice,” Price said. “There is definitely top-quality equipment available.”

The center is able to keep everything new and in good condition because all of the equipment is on a two- or three-year rotation, White said.

“Equipment is constantly coming in and out,” he said. “Once the warranty is up, we trade it in. With as much use as this equipment sees, we can’t afford to try and keep up with repairs.”

In addition to all this, the center also offers a variety of fitness classes. Lynn Spivey, fitness program coordinator, said all of the classes have been going well this semester.

“Cardio kick-boxing and our extreme abs classes have been doing extremely well,” she said.

High turnout in the preview yoga and precision cycling classes this semester has prompted the center to add them permanently next semester, Spivey said.

Although students may be experiencing more stress than usual in the next few weeks, White said he isn’t expecting to see a change in the number of people coming to the center.

“Students may not be coming in at their usual times,” he said.

“It will just be whenever they can find the time in their schedules to come in and get rid of the added stress.”