UCSD Rimac

Been going to this gym for the past 3 years since it’s the only gym I can go to because I live on campus. This gym is miles better than main gym first of all, so go here instead of there if you’re looking for more equipment etc. Before Rimac I’d been going to 24 hour fitness and 24 hour fitness is easily better than this gym in terms of more equipment, size, etc. There is only one weight room in this gym and it is pretty small. During busy times which is around 4 – 7 pm there are so many people that practically all the machines/​weights are taken. Before I had never had a need to ask how many sets people had left but coming here you have to or else you won’t ever be able to do your workout. Also the beginning of the school year/​start of every quarter are the worst times to go since everyone is going around that time.
The layout of the weight room is that there’s a pit with 4 – 5 squat racks and one of those crossfit pull up bar things and also all the back exercises like lat pull down machines and cables. There are a lot of dumbbells in this area also, ranging from weights from 5 — 110 pounds I believe. Theres also one of those rope things that people use for cardio thats down there. Outside the pit theres more machines for chest, back, and abs and another dumbbell area similar to the one in the pit. They also have around 3 – 4 more squat racks outside of the pit. There’s also around 6 treadmills in the weight room overlooking the pit while people are running. The weight room also provides equipment to people when you give your id so they have things such as rollers, belts, etc all provided there.
There’s more to the gym than the weight room also. They have multiple basketball courts on the main floor and also bottom floor. Also more cardio equipment on the bottom floor and also racquet ball courts. There’s just one ping pong table at this gym which is pretty sad since I love playing ping pong. And if you need a basketball, ping pong paddle or w/​e equipment you can ask the person working downstairs and they have equipment if you trade in your ID.
Overall just a mehhhh gym. Thought it was decent for a college gym at first but when I visited UC Irvine and went to their gym, this gym seem just w/​e. However still your best option if you live on campus. Also heard there’s there’s a new weight room called spanos that opened nearby. I haven’t checked it out yet but have friends that say its good so it may be worth checking out when rimac gets packed.

It’s been almost four years and I’m graduating soon. HOW TIME FLIES!
This is the last quarter I’m in UCSD and I’m part-​timing, so I kinda made myself come here more often then before. (all the activity fees I paid through out the four years plus I look pretty chubby recently huhhhhh) I used to come to RIMAC very often when I was a freshman/​sophomore, but then things got busy and I only came here when I’m not that tired.
Unfortunately, the weight room smells bad most of the time. So you either bear with it or come here when its not that busy. If you just want to do cardio, I would suggest go directly downstairs. There are more ellipticals and treadmills downstairs, and they are not that busy compare to the ones in the weight room.
Tips:
Friday and Sunday nights tend to have the least amount of people in general. Especially Friday night! But RIMAC also closes early on Fridays, so plan your time ahead!

(this is mostly about the weight room)
Pros:
Well maintained and clean facility
Decent amount of equipment and good variety
If you’re a student, retired, or otherwise have an endless amount of time to train, this is probably a 4 or 5 star gym.
If you’re looking to get in and get out it’s closer to 2 or 3 stars. Since it’s on the UCSD campus, it makes sense the primary users of the facility are students. Thinking back to when I was a student and all the free time I had, it also makes sense many students come to hangout instead of workout. As someone that has trained at gyms all over both coasts, it’s a bit sad how much time is spent on phones or just sitting at a rack.
Also be aware that on the weekends, the triton barbell club will largely take over the racks and keep them (as far as I can tell) all day. I’ve been trying to find a schedule for them, so I can work around when they’re there, but no luck so far.
If your time is limited, the best times to train are:
Summer Break
Spring Break
Winter Break (though rimac will close certain days)

I’m a member at 24, but I work out at RIMAC occasionally since it’s convenient when I’m already on campus.
The overall facility is nice. It’s up to date, clean, and the staff is friendly. Don’t forget to bring your student ID and a towel if you want to work out in the weight room. They’re also strict with liquids and usually only allow water in the weight room, so drink your pre workout or whatever supplements before. The weight room is a little on the smaller side in comparison to the building as a whole, but it works. It really comes down to the time you choose to come. Come early in the morning or late at night, and you’re usually safe. It can get packed, and sometimes the pit will be closed if there’s a class in session, which means less access to equipment.
The ballrooms are usually available, cardio machines, locker rooms as well are the area to rent equipment are downstairs. There’s a few cardio machines in the weight room too. Overall, it’s not a bad gym to work out at despite how crowded it can get. If you’re motivated, you’ll have a good workout regardless!

The only downside is that there’s not enough room to fit students, esp the first few weeks of the quarter and beginning of the school year. However, if you’re able to go, there’s a lot of equipment, there’s good air flowing. This gym is definitely one of the better college gyms. There’s also graduation held here.

Nice and helpful staff. Peter was tremendously helpful in the Kappa Karnival. You should look for him whenever you need help with anything!

The facility is very well equipped. I never realized it until I graduated from UCSD and had to use 24HR fitness at home that RIMAC was great. It has everything you need and then some. If you’re a UCSD student definitely take advantage of this amazing perk while you have it! Also be on the look out for some really cool events hosted here. I got to watch the US Women’s Volleyball team play a friendly vs China. It was really cool.

Not worth it as a community member at all. There is no free parking, which effectively makes the cost of membership equal to the cost of just going to a nicer gym. It feels deceptive to me that I was not told this when I signed up, which is the primary reason for my 1 star. While some of the staff members are very nice, others are very rude and unapproachable (especially those in the weight room.) There is lots of equipment, but it’s not that well maintained — many benches are jammed into one position, exercise balls are deflated, etc. The atmosphere is terrible — the gym is a total boys club and I never feel comfortable there as a recent female college grad. Without the parking issue, I’d give this gym 3 stars, but it’s simply not worth the real price.

I’ve worked out here for 6 years, 4 of which were aa student athlete for the UCSD Track and Field team and the latter as a working alumni. There are a lot of perks to be had for signing up for a recreation pass here at UCSD. Just at RIMAC only, they offer a number of fitness and dance classes that you can sign up for. There are 2 basketball courts up stairs that can be used for pick up games and occasionally the basketball arena downstairs that the school team plays and uses. There also a number of racquetball courts that can be used at RIMAC.
The main thing that I love about RIMAC was the weight room. For someone who does Olympic Weightlifting (Snatch/​Clean and Jerk) RIMAC is an amazing facility for this. Within the last year of me leaving San Diego, RIMAC started acquiring Eleiko bars that cost over $ 1,000 each. To go along with these amazing bars there are 7 – 8 weight lifting platforms for use by everyone at the gym. If you are looking for top of the line olympic weight lifting equipment to use, RIMAC is an amazing place to come. Along with these platforms there are the 8 – 9 power racks to be used as well.
The only down side with RIMAC is having to deal with student crowds and school schedule. Come Christmas and New Years time the gym typically closes since the campus will be closed for school at this time. With the start of each new quarter there is always an influx of students as they try to start their new workout plans.

I used to come to RIMAC ⁶⁄₇ days a week freshmen year, but after getting a bit busier with life, I can only manage to come out here when I’m not too tired or with friends just for fun.
RIMAC is huge! It has 3 floors. It is situated right next to ShortStop and RIMAC Arena (where basketball games are held). It is also considered part of Ridgewalk!
First floor (entrance): Check in here with your student ID or if you are here for a recreational class, there is probably a pass that you use! There are bikes that overlook the basketball courts at the very end, and dance rooms that hold recreational classes! The gym portion is the booming part. The Pit is sometimes closed off to athletes, so be prepared to be asked to leave! They have treadmills, cycles, rowing, weights, racks, etcetera. A good variety if you know how to use them!
Bottom floor: All the cardio you need! Lots of treadmills, racquetball courts, stairmasters, and you can also rent basketballs here! This is also where the gymrooms are with lots of showers and restrooms. This is also the entrance to the bottom floor basketball courts/​volleyball courts.
Upstairs: A spiral of stairs that lead up to somewhere! I think this is where the majority of athletes actually go. Not 100% sure though!
Tips/​observations:
–If you forget your student ID, you can show them your license and give them your PID!
–You can purchase a quarterly locker for $ 3! $ 20 is for the bigger ones inside the gym room.
–They have annual fitness testing here during spring quarters! Week 2 until Week 10, Tuesdays from 7 PM-​9 PM!
Overall, love UCSD, love RIMAC!

UCSD’s RIMAC (Recreation, IntraMural, Athletic Complex) Arena
hosted 136 Melt Method®
continuing education attendees for hands on training on a mere portion of its 44,000 square foot spring-​loaded floor.
Unfortunately, as I was one of those attendees, there was no time to check out the state-​of-​the-​art fitness and aquatic centers. UCSD students are lucky to have both, all of RIMAC, at their disposal. What I did experience is a professionally staffed, pristinely maintained facility.
Go Tritons!

This place is so terrible. It is over crowded, hot, and if you ever have a problem, the staff is rude. Especially the Asian manager of the weight room. There is a theft problem here and this place is over-​rated. Equipment is old, and even though the building is big, there is poor space planning. Be prepared to wait to get in to the weight room and if there are classes using certain equipment you may not even be able to use any of it. They are overly strict on rules and the equipment room is constantly running out of the things that you want. You are better off paying for a regular gym. Also, the classes are extra and you can’t just come when you want. You have to sign up for the whole quarter. Don’t pay to come here. It’s free for me and I won’t even go.

I love coming to Rimac with my 2 gym buddies. The machines are above average and the staff is really friendly. It just sucks when the gym is packed but you can’t really do much about it other than wait for machines.
If you don’t like going when it’s busy make sure to find out when teams practice in the pit because when a team is there it automatically means the whole gym will be 20 – 40 people more packed.

Rimac is my second home at UCSD. I literally go here every single morning. (If I don’t go swim at the Natatorium). This gym is huge and clean! There are 3 floors. I usually go to the second floor for cardio and then the top floor for weights. The weight room is really big and there’s plenty of machines. The machines are constantly cleaned by the people who work there. The only thing I hate is when it gets really packed and then having to wait for a machine… But anyways, Rimac is way better than that old 24 back at home!

UCSD student here! I love to workout; I’m the type of person who believes that a successful weight loss can be achieved through a proper and healthy diet (which I am working on!) and daily exercise. As a student at UCSD, RIMAC is one of the best ways for me to stay fit and healthy despite a hectic academic and work schedule.
RIMAC gym offers a lot of amenities such as elliptical machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, etc. In addition to these wonderful exercise machines, RIMAC also has multiple television sets for a more entertaining workout and racquetball rooms as well. I am also grateful that they encourage cleanliness in the gym by having disinfecting wipes that you can use to clean the machine you’ll be using beforehand.
One of the best things about RIMAC is that several of its elliptical machines are connected to UCSD’s power system that converts human energy to carbon-​free electricity. I find this such a great thing because not only does it make use of alternative energy, it also encourages students to workout more because of the knowledge that the hard work put into exercising helps them stay fit and helps generate renewable energy. Great job, UCSD, for going green! I hope this power system will be installed in other exercise machines in the near future.

This gym is clean and HUUUUGE. I thought the weight room was the entire gym at first. There’s actually three levels, there’s more cardio machines if the weight room is crowded on the 2^nd floor (OR just go run outside because La Jolla is freaking gorgeous).
I was here from 11ish-​midnight on a Sunday and I think there were probably less than two dozen people. I can’t imagine it being crowded, there’s so much space/​so many machines going on…
I think you gotta bring a (nice?) sweat rag at all times, but they didn’t check me for it. Front desk people were nice.
Best part – free for UC students! They just took my ID at the front.

I didn’t take advantage of RIMAC until the last part of my senior year. Why, oh why? It wasn’t until I left that I realized how wonderful RIMAC is. It’s clean (I love gym wipes!), spacious and likely has all the equipment you would want. It was my favorite thing to go after lab class and run on the treadmill while watching Food Network’s Paula Deen cook up some country ham something something or some buttery, glazed cardiac arrest inducer cake. This place is pretty much all students, so it has a energetic vibe. (Not to be offensive, but the last gym I went to smelled incredibly strongly of bleach and BO simultaneously and older folk just happy to be moving. I MISS RIMAC SO MUCH).
If you’re a UCSD student, no excuse not to go! Toned brained, toned muscles. Let’s get it hustling, go go go!

You really need to time yourself — if you go at night, there’s going to be a lot of people. I go during the afternoon (right before my Core Conditioning class) and there’s barely anyone! Keep in mind that you are in a university, and that a lot of students tend to go at night, so if you don’t like the crowd, choose a different time!
I really like all of the cardio equipment, and it’s nice that they have wipes and hand sanitizer so we can clean our equipment up after use. There are lockers for you to put your stuff in (make sure you bring your own lock), but I barely use it since I only bring my ID, a water bottle, and my towel. Aside from the gym, they have great classes with encouraging teachers, ventilation and AC (compared to Main Gym), and you can park at Hopkins, which is right there!

Definitely better than the Main Gym… there’s ventilation in the weight room, an assortment of equipment, and tons of cardio machines everywhere (I typically stick to the weight room, though). The place is huge so I actually haven’t explored it much. I’m hoping to take some fitness classes here in the future. I’m a bit worried I’ll get lost, though.
Finally, this is a cry for help: I have no idea where is the best place to park! I usually park in Pangea and just walk but I think there is another parking structure that is closer. Somebody, help?!

By far the best gym I ever got to work out at. I love working out because it’s my way of destressing and getting away from school/​work/​every day issues. This gym offers pretty much anything you would need to get away and just WORK OUT.
When you step inside, everything is so clean and the place is HUGE! There is a really nice weight room, fully equipped and you always see huge guys pumping iron inside. If you go further down, there’s basketball quarts where Lebron James can be spotted working out at during the summer when it’s off season. There’s pretty much cardio machines everywhere you go. Downstairs, they have stairmasters, elliptical machines, tread mills, etc. It’s like a cardio lover’s dreams! AKA ME. They also have racquetball rooms. Let me tell, I’ve seen some intense matches in those rooms.
Back when I used to dance, they have dance rooms as well that you must book a few days (maybe weeks) ahead of time. It comes equipped with mirrors and the floors are always kept clean. I just love this place and my only regret is not taking advantage of living just right down the street from Rimac back when I lived on campus!