State Gym sees a greater number of visitors during the evening hours and on Mondays and Tuesdays, according to data received from Dayton Einck, a facility operations coordinator for Recreation Services.

State Gym is open 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

It sees its peak number of visitors in the evening between 5 and 8 p.m., averaging almost 2,000 visitors around 8 p.m. Mondays and 5 p.m. Tuesdays.

At the gym’s busiest times, it can be difficult to find open equipment and workout space, which can make it a less favorable time to squeeze in a workout.

Between 4 and 7 p.m., the ground floor is packed around the squat racks, leaving several people waiting for an open space, according to Sarah Ebert, a senior studying electrical engineering. To avoid crowds, Ebert enjoys going to the gym in the morning when there is less of a crowd.

“A lot of people tend to be at their early classes, so that gives my friends and I a lot of time and space to get a workout in,” Ebert said. “Especially cardio, as that is filled with people during the afternoon.”

Early mornings are the next highest traffic time. State Gym averages more than 1,000 visitors around 6 a.m. on some weekdays, according to the data. This number sinks back down to over 500 visitors by 7 a.m.

“A lot of people can be seen in the morning when I come in,” said Logan Cox, a junior studying management information systems. “I think a lot of people want to get a workout in before they go to classes. It depends on the day when people come in.”

While many students believe going to the gym after classes helps destress from a long day of hard work, others like Bryson Mitchell will suggest that going in the morning helps wake the mind and body.

Mitchell, a senior studying mechanical engineering, goes to the gym four times a week around 11 a.m. Going in the late morning allows him to get his workouts done after the morning crowd and ahead of the evening rush.

“I try to get a workout in before the afternoon because stuff will be harder to access at that time,” Mitchell said. “A lot of people will be using stuff like weights and cardio equipment.”

Thursday is considered to be a slower day in which the gym is less packed, which allows students like Cox to use heavy lifting equipment more and spend less time waiting for their next set.

“I think the best time for everyone to go to the gym is during Thursday,” Cox said. “It’s definitely one of the slower times students can go and take advantage of the equipment.”

State Gym’s slowest day during the week is Friday, according to the data. Its busiest peak, around 4 p.m., sees about 1,300 visitors. Thursday follows behind as the next slowest weekday.

The weekend is the least busy time to get a workout in at State Gym, with averages of less than 1,000 visitors most of the time.

Additional information about State Gym can be found on the Recreation Services website.