Iowa State students looking for a place to flex their muscles have many options.

The Lied Recreation Center, Towers Fitness Center, the Friley Weight Lifting Club, the RCA Weight and Fitness Club, Beyer Hall and State Gym are all places where students can go when they want to work out.

The Lied Recreation Center houses two running tracks, 20 basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts and nine racquetball courts.

State Gym and Beyer Hall have similar courts and weight training facilities, said Garry Greenlee, program coordinator for Recreation Services.

“State Gym has indoor and outdoor running tracks, a weight room that has universal weight machines and a shallow pool that is used for mostly intramural activities, aerobics and athlete training,” Greenlee said.

He said Beyer Hall houses a competitive pool, three volleyball/basketball courts, racquetball courts and weight rooms with universal weight machines.

“The weights and most of the machines in both Beyer Hall and State Gym are older than the ones in the recreational center, but the locations of State Gym and Beyer Hall are more convenient to the students who are living on the west side of the campus,” Greenlee said.

Another option for students is to become a member of a fitness club in their residence hall association.

Dan Rowe, Friley Lifting Club cabinet member, said he likes the club because he doesn’t even have to leave his dorm to work out.

“It takes you two to three minutes to go to the Friley Lifting Club, while it takes students 10 to 15 minutes to walk [to the Rec],” Rowe said.

He said there are two weight-lifting centers in the Union Drive Association, one in Helser Hall and the other in the Friley Hall.

“Students who are interested in joining the club could pay $35 per year and get a T-shirt free, or they could pay $20 per semester,” Rowe said.

He said he thinks the fees are minimal considering most professional fitness centers ask for the same amount per month.

Rowe said the Friley and Helser Fitness Centers are based more toward weight-lifting and training, while the Rec offers more choices to those who want to exercise rather than lift.

Rowe said students find out about the center from word of mouth and from posted signs.

Joseph Campbell, sophomore in industrial engineering, said he enrolled in the RCA Weight and Fitness Club this year for a $40 fee.

He said he read about the club from brochures in the Linden Hall Dining Center last year, and now he prefers the RCA club over the Rec because it’s closer.

“I don’t have to go to the Rec when the weather is cold, and I don’t have to wait in a line to use the weights,” he said. “[The] RCA Weight Club has less people, no line, easy access, and going there isn’t time-consuming.”

Campbell said in order to join, he went to the Linden Front Desk and signed membership papers.