Kinross Recreation Center

Clean, not crowded unless it’s 5 pm, great options for classes.
Open air, too, in the back, which is nice to avoid the must from stinky men lifting in the weight room.
An amazing place for grad students and faculty to get a workout in without being caught up in all the undergrad nonsense.

I believe this is technically UCLA’s graduate student gym, however others can purchase membership as I have seen UCLA faculty and other community members strolling about. KREC (as it’s called) is a small gym located on the 1^st floor of what looks to be an office building. It offers a cardio room equipped with Jacob’s Ladder, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, recumbent bikes & treadmills. This room also has medicine balls, elastic bands, foam rollers, jump ropes and mats for you to use.
At the front desk you can check out a variety of items such as more/​different elastic bands, yoga blocks, weightlifting belts, etc. The front desk is where you have to swipe your ID to show you are a paying member of this wonderful place.
Continuing on, this gym is rather small, so the weight room can get crowded. But if you go at the right times (really early or really late), it isn’t so bad. Unfortunately they only have 1 squat rack and a few machines, but it suffices. In my opinion, the most wonderful part about this place is that the weight room connects to an outdoor area. This place is great during the day as you get some sunshine, but it is also covered an has fans so it doesn’t get too hot out there. The outdoor area has a pull-​up/​dip bar as well as some «machines» for abdominal work. There are also medicine balls out here and olympic-​style bars with plates for exercises like dead-​lifting. ALSO, there are plyo boxes out there so you can get your box jumps in. They thankfully are made of a soft material that is still durable, so you won’t scrape your shins off if you miss the jump. They do have a little shed with some other cool items like kettle bells, but unfortunately (and this is my biggest complaint), only the trainers have access to this. Outside you can also find 2 rowing machines. Lastly, there are dumbbell racks both inside and outside. So as you can see they really do pack a lot of stuff into this little gym!
And as for the aerobic room, this is a cool spot with lots of mirrors where you can stretch or practice your yoga or do whatever else your heart desires.
There is also an adjacent area to the front desk area with lots of couches and tables where people hang out or study. There are also some large TV’s here where you can catch people watching sports games.

I like this gym but I cannot rank it more than ²⁄₅.
There’s always a waiting time for every single machine. Sometimes it takes me 90 minutes waiting to get on the stairstep machine! The treadmill is a hopeless case.
You can do your work out only if you make sure to show up around noon as the gym is almost deserted as everyone is at work.
I was happy about having a study room there. I though I could go there and do some studying if the gym’s crowded so I did not have to waste my time. However, don’t be very excited about it. Many nutrients reserve the room to do their consultations! Seriously WTF! I complained a couple of times and I’m not sure if anyone listens. The last time that I was there, there was a nutrient who made a reservation for 6 hours! That makes no sense to let these ppl use the studying room for their own benefit.
Many lockers are broken and they don’t even bother to fix them. I’ve tried to rent one as you cannot always find an available locker (many broken and the gym is crowded) and I’ve been told that I’m on the waiting list and I have to wait till next year!
There’s a 30 minutes time limit for the cardio machines which I completely understand and respect. However, many ppl keep restarting their time and use the machine for over 60 minutes and no one is paying attention!
This gym was my favorite, but the time passes, it’s getting worse and worse

Beware of the 4 star rating of this place. I read a lot of the ‘positive’ reviews and many are outdated. Unilocal needs to weigh the more recent reviews more, but that’s a separate discussion altogether.
This place is an overcrowded, small, lacking gym with NO towel service. Are you kidding me? Does this place not believe in servicing FACULTY and GRADUATE students as well as UNDERGRADS in their Wooden center gym? Faculty and grad students contribute research and to the high rating of UCLA. They deserve towel service. Period. The fact that there’s no towel service and a huge lack of machines are good enough reasons for me to stop ranting about the the shittiness of this place. My impression of this place is they assume graduates and faculty aren’t as willing to be fit which is WRONG. If anything, there is a MUCH more dire need for them to have a good gym. *cough cough* AGE.
By the way, anything located in Westwood should have to match SOME bar of quality. This place just doesn’t cut it. I’m not coming back here unless Wooden burns down.

KREC is a small, clean gym for grad students, with the added bonus of a study area. It will do for a quick workout but that’s about it.
The cardio area is limited and there are only about 6 or so treadmills, a couple of ellipticals, a few stairmasters. It’s rather small. The machines are often taken during peak hours and there is a 30 minute time limit.
The weight room is small as well and there do not appear to be many weight machines. I usually grab some dumbbells and do my own workouts in the studio/​group-​x room when it is empty.
I really wish the layout of the cardio area was better… sigh. The treadmills face a brick wall and you can’t see the hanging TV’s. Why??! Instead, these other treadmill-​like curved machines that nobody uses are in the back, facing the TV’s. The treadmills should be moved to the back, or they should install treadmills with TV“s on them. I don’t know about you but staring at a brick wall is utterly boring to me. And, why not get rid of those treadmill-​like curved machines and put in ones that people actually use!
Anyway, I will be doing my major workouts at a different gym where I can people watch and get more pumped up to work out. This place is ok, though. At least its clean, and they have a few showers and a little locker room area. Parking is either on the street or the lot across the street, which is a UCLA lot (you will likely have to pay to park there).

Not a bad little spot here.
With Several gyms to choose from in the area like:
Equinox (if you sleep on a mattress of $ 100 bills and eat caviar thrice weekly),
LA Fitness (if you feel the need to dodge pushy «trainers» every time you walk in),
And of course The big gym at Akerman on campus (if you want to hang out with a bunch of posturing, preening, undergrad D-​bags)
Kinross Rec center is my choice. It is a little pricey to the real benefit of this place is that it’s not crowded (even when it is crowded, it’s still not that bad).
The selection is modest but adequate for any workout you would like.
Some treadmills, elliptical, stairclimber, bikes etc in the first room. There’s a weight room down the hall with machines and free weights, and a closed courtyard also in case you want to grunt and lift heavy things over your head without a bunch of «muscle beach» onlookers.
A yoga room/​stretching area where you can downward-​dog your way to inner peace is nice.
Also there are locker rooms of course, and a sizable lounge if you want to sit and study.
So why would I give only three stars?
–no towels, gotta bring your own
–they close way too early. 5:00pm? I’m just waking up from my afternoon «blahhhs» nap.
-(nitpicking here a bit) the treadmills are RIGHT UP against a brick wall, you have to almost look straight up to see any of the TV’s (I know, I know, nitpicking).
I give it a solid three stars, would be 4 if they were open even just a few more hours, or had towels!

Pros:
Equipment is really new here. The ellipticals (perhaps more equipment) had TV screens which you can change the channels on. They also have a built in USB outlet so if your phone is dead, you can charge it right here! In general, the facility is very clean and feels new & modern.
Staff is nice, friendly. On my first day the lady at the front desk introduced herself and showed me around to the different areas.
Just for grad students and faculty. Don’t have to worry about undergrad meatheads who pump iron all day.
Study center on the other side, if you need to meet with classmates.
Conveniently located next to the grad student apartments.
Cons:
No towel service, which is too bad. Kinda gross when you think about it if you don’t bring your own towel.
Small, and can get crowded easily.

There are a lot of problems with this gym.
1. The gym is very small. There are only 5 treadmills and they are always taken, sometimes they will kick you off because you go over a few minutes past the «30 minute limit.» 30 minutes isn’t a lot of time, with a 5 – 10 minute warm up and cooldown that leaves about or less minutes of workout time and there are many people who need to work out for more than 20 minutes. Also I see a lot of inactive people who are just walking at a very slow speed on the treadmill, if you are going to walk that slow why not just do it outside? They hog the treadmills while other people who would actually use it have to wait, and the people who are working out hard on the treadmill then get kicked off instead of one of those people who are walking at 2 miles per hour.
2. They need to get rid of the curve machines that no one uses. They are supposedly «manual powered» and «green» that don’t use electricity. The first time I got on one of these, I almost fell off because I didn’t know it starts automatically as soon as you step on it and it was «automatic.» There’s no warning about that.
3. There is no towel service.
4. The TVs are way too close to the machines. If you are on the treadmill you cannot see them.
5. Some headphones on the treadmills don’t work. They don’t care to fix them.
6. No place to change in the locker rooms. A lot of lockers but there no benches in front of them. There is one tiny bench that can only fit one or at most two people awkwardly side by side. Except for the handicap shower, there is no place to put your stuff in the shower boots.
7. There is always a ton of water dripping around the sink area. I have nowhere to put down my stuff. The toilet seats are dirty and the bathroom area is not very well maintained.
I have lived in an apartment complex with a very small gym and it was much better than this one.

Small but does the job! It gets crowded in the evenings but with the sign in sheet, I never have to wait too long.

This is a no frills gym that has all of the basic equipment that you need to get in a good workout. Given the fact that it’s free for graduate students, it’s hard to complain about much.
There are three main areas in the gym. There’s a room that’s primarily for cardio with treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes and a stair climber and there’s a room that’s primarily for lifting although a couple of spinning bikes are in there. A small nook in the front room with mats, jump ropes, medicine balls and stretch bands is a nice place for a good warm-​up or to work on your core. Adjacent to the weight room is an outdoor, asphalt area with free weights and rowing machines. A dance/​aerobic studio is in the back of the gym.
Half lockers are available to use for free and larger lockers can be rented. Machine wipes are conveniently located throughout the gym and a water fountain is available in the hallway. With a quick scan of your badge, you can enjoy a decent gym and get in a great workout.

I’m at KREC 5 times a week, typically arriving around 7−730am. The place is small but has good quality equipment that is generally well maintained. I have a few minor complaints (see below) but overall am quite pleased for a gym that’s included in my activity fee payments. Plus no undergrads is a HUGE upside.
Many of the reviews complain about lack of cardio equipment /​lines for them. I never have understood this idea. You live in LA where it’s always sunny and never cold – go run OUTSIDE.
Pros:
— Locker room has electronic locks. Showers, etc are kept clean.
— Lots of open space for free weights /​body weight exercises.
— Large variety of equipment period. Others complain that there isn’t enough of this or that; but, the truth is, it’s a small space and they have at least 1 of most things you might wish to use.
— Staff is friendly and available to address concerns quickly.
— Lots of foam rollers, bands, etc for stretching out. Far more of this than your average gym! I’m on the rumble roller every day.
— No undergrads!!!
Cons (all pretty minor):
— No towel service. Staff have said that they don’t have laundry facilities on site; but, it wouldn’t be hard to run a vanload of laundry to Wooden and back 1x a day.
— No pullup bar – they have a couple of the split-​style bars on other pieces of equipment but there’s not a dedicated pullup bar anywhere.
— Only 1 squat rack. Yes, you can still do stuff outside; but then you have to lift everything from the floor. Pretty much everyone squats more than they can lift from the floor.
— No kettlebells except for instructor use only. I’ve gotten «liability» brought up before despite the fact that I’m a certified personal trainer.
Oh, if you come around lunchtime, it’s pretty empty.

I have absolutely no complaints about this clean gym with nice, new machines and equipment. The only negative is that if you have a UCLA parking permit, you can only drive and park there after 4:30pm on weekdays and anytime on weekends. If you wish to exercise there M-​F before 4:30pm, good luck finding and paying for parking in Westwood Village, unless you can walk there from your apt.

I was initially similarly pleased with K-​Rec after it first opened. It’s a nice little gym full of slightly older and more mature graduate and medical students as well as staff. However, the gym has become progressively more crowded and I’ve had to wait up to 30 minutes for a cardio machine in the morning. This makes the utility of the gym for medical staff/​students limited as we are expected to be at work fairly early. My other gripe is that there is no AC. So during the summer, a good workout can leave one staring longingly at the sliver-​of-​an-​open-​window in the hopes that a cool wind will burst it open.

VERY CLEAN! — thanks, staff!
There are gym wipes to clean up after yourself also.
It was my first time and the guy at the desk took the time to point out the location of the women’s room and the weight room in the back.
I actually went on Friday from 9pm to 9:30 pm. But apparently they are suppose to close at 8:30pm on Fridays? There were like 8 other guests, but I’M SO SORRY!
Place is small, but it’s so insanely convenient I don’t mind.

I am regular at the Kinross Center. The gym is exclusively for graduate students and paid members, which is nice because you do not have to fight over treadmills and ellipticals with undergraduates like you do at the Wooden Center. Like other people mentioned, the gym is small. There are 6 – 7 ellipticals and 5 – 6 treadmills. Expect to wait sometimes, especially during the typical «busy» gym hours from 5:00 — 8:00 p.m. Sometimes, people do not respect the rule of 30 minutes only on the ellipticals and treadmills when others are waiting, so be sure to tell the staff. Another good thing about this gym is that it is clean. Thanks to the staff.
Overall, the gym is great and convenient for UCLA graduate students. Free street parking before 8 a.m. and free parking in Lot 32 after 4:30 if you have a student parking permit. Free 2-​hour parking in the lot across from Barneys before 6 p.m. Otherwise, expect to pay for parking. The rates at Lot 32 ranges from $ 1 for 20 minutes to $ 3 for an hour.

Small, new, and has all the necessities for a good gym.
The weight room can be pretty cramped since it’s tiny but contains a decent amount of equipment. Love how they provide wet wipes to wipe down machines after each use, however, some people neglect to clean after themselves! I cannot stress how much I appreciate the improved ventilation (over Wooden) in the weight room from the «garage-​door» type wall that’s open to the patio.
Staff is very friendly and does a good job maintaining the machines. Downsides to this gym are really just the size and shorter hours. Being that it’s mainly for graduate students, it never really gets overcrowded.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this gym. In the past I worked out at the Wooden Center, but it’s just too hectic, crowded, and — honestly — smelly for my tastes. I then paid a higher fee to work out at what was the «South» rehab gym which was small but empty. It was nice being able to watch whatever I wanted on the tv, but it was not so nice needing a spot from the student worker.
The new KREC gym has everything I need from an equipment standpoint. In the weight room, there’s a squat/​pull-​up rack, bench press, dumbbells up to 80 lbs., and machines for all the leg musles and upper body push or pull movements. (See the pics I posted.) I’m not huge on indoor cardio, but for those that are, yes — there are only six standard treadmills. However there are a host of other cardio machines — ellipticals, stairmasters, yadda yadda yadda; I think maybe 20 machines total. If you’re a treadmill junkie and they’re all full, use something else or run outside. It’s good to cross train!
There is some equipment in the courtyard for olympic style lifting along with some weight balls, rowing machines, and racks for pullups, crunches, and lower back lifts.
The gym is still in pretty new condition, so it’s pretty clean. And from what I’ve seen, the customers are good about wiping down equipment before/​after using. As a staff member with a parking pass, I can park real close to the entrance in Lot 36. Oh, and the fee for KREC is the same as any other single zone. Yay!

I really really like it here! I’m staff at UCLA and just found out about this recreation center from a free pass that was given to me.
I went after work and was a little worried about how full it might be since it was at a peak hour. However, since it is only available to grad students, staff, and faculty it was not as full.
After my free passes our over I will be getting a membership, which is cheap too if you are staff.
Another great thing about the Kinross Recreation Center is that there is parking lot right next to it and across from it. If you already have a parking pass to another lot on campus, then you can park in either lot after 5pm!

Huge fan of this graduate student only gym /​lounge! I come here every night, and even though it is «small,» they have a good number and necessary equipment for a good workout.
For the cardio space, they have only 6 treadmills, couple self-​powered treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals. waiting in line is never an issue if you go after 9 pm (gym closes at 11:30 pm on M-​Th). I have always found an open machine, and there are 3 TV’s, one which almost always shows SportsCenter
For the Weightlifting room, it may seem small, but again, I have never run into an issue of waiting in line to use a machine. they have a good outdoor space for people to do whatever floor exercises you like. They have free weights, bench press, medicine balls, etc.
Also, they have free lockers! Find whatever locker is open, and punch in a 4 digit code of your choice.
I would recommend coming here later at night to avoid any lines and crowdedness, but even then, i’ll never get as crowded as Wooden

AT LONG LAST: Kinross Recreation Center or KREC is finally open to UCLA faculty and graduate students (not undergraduates!!), though they are not advertising until next month. They are still in construction so it’s a little dusty in the corners, but my oh my, for a graduate student living South of Wilshire, this gym is noice and close! It’s a great substitute to the Wooden Center.
As Barney Stinson always says, «New is always better.» And in this case, the new equipment, new furniture, cool new lockers with auto-​locks, clean and hardly used gym showers, and more are too cool for school. ;) Currently you can find state-​of-​the-​art ellipticals paired with quasi iPads, tread mills, stairmasters, ecomills (my FAVE!), weight room (singular), dance floor, men’s locker room with shower and bathrooms, women’s locker room with the same, lounge area near the front, and snack bar adjacent to the lounge area. There are also at least 8 widescreen 32″(?) TVs to watch while you work out and a brita water cooler attached to the wall to fill your water bottles with.
Check it out during its soft opening! And bring your faculty or graduate student ID because yes they are checking! If you are non-​UCLA, you can still go if you purchase membership. Day passes go for $ 10/​non-​UCLA person.
For their hours check out their link here:
Also, it’s a little hard to find, but know it’s directly facing the Westwood Flyaway stop!