Whether you want to work out alone, exercise with friends, or participate in an organized sport, there is a place for you at one of U of T St. George Campus’s three indoor athletic facilities or two outdoor fields. Every indoor facility has different features and offers a variety of classes and equipment. Each has its own atmosphere, and it’s important that you find a place that is comfortable for you. You’ll have access to these facilities as long as you’re enrolled in classes – and if you aren’t enrolled during the summer, you can purchase a discounted student summer membership.
💡 Student Tip!
If you’re looking for something fun to do after classes, attending a Varsity Blues game with friends is a great way to spend an evening. Tickets are FREE for students!
Hart House
Hart House Fitness Centre is a welcoming oasis of wellness for all students looking to improve their health. It’s a beautiful, historic, smaller-setting gym where everyone is welcome regardless of fitness level.
Some of the amenities at Hart House include a weight room, basketball court, pool, indoor running track, dedicated spin bike room, and Pilates reformer rooms. You also have access to locker rooms, showers, and towel service.
Hart House offers registered fitness classes and drop-in classes for all levels. Registered fitness classes often require a fee while drop-in classes are FREE for students enrolled in courses. The classes include aquatics and swimming, Pilates, strength and weight training, yoga, dance, and more. Some of these classes are also affiliated with specific clubs, such as the Hart House Archery Club.
You can also purchase personal training sessions with one of the Hart House personal trainers, each specializing in different areas of fitness. These sessions are great if you are looking for a more individualized experience. If you have never trained with a personal trainer before, you can also book a fitness consultation session to understand your own strength and areas of opportunities.
Athletic Centre
The Athletic Centre, or the AC is the biggest athletic facility on campus. It has a large variety of equipment, with multiple machines of each type. The Athletic Centre is located on the west side of the campus at the intersection of Spadina Ave. and Harbord St – almost right next to Robarts Library.
Some of its amenities include an indoor track, an Olympic-sized pool, dance studio, fencing salle, pedal zone, squash courts, basketball courts, badminton courts, and table tennis courts. You also have access to lockers and change rooms with both open and private cubicles for showering.
The Athletic Centre has amazing drop-in classes ranging from racquet sports to skating. If you’re looking to learn something new, you can also register for their Learn to Move program that offers beginner-level instruction on swimming and court sports, weightlifting exercises, group fitness activities and more.
Looking to work out with a group of friends or meet students from different programs with the same fitness goals? Try the group fitness workouts, including barre, yoga, high-intensity interval training, boxing, and Olympic weightlifting classes.
Note that some of these programs require pre-registration and an additional fee, while others are free for registered students and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Athletic Centre houses the largest number of exercise machines/equipment on campus that you can use at your own pace. The open gym areas at AC are the Strength & Conditioning Centre (SCC), the Bruce Kidd Field House Periphery, and the Weightlifting Zone (WLZ). You can access these spaces for free as a registered student.
In addition, SCC and WLZ also offers Women-Only Hours & Programs. Open Gym hours are updated for each term here.
If you want to learn a new sport or improve your skills, you can sign up for an instructional class that matches your level. Classes are available from beginner to advanced in sports like tennis, gymnastics, parkour, trampoline, fencing, skating, and more!
If you’re looking for a more competitive team environment, you can join a club, intramurals, or the Tri-Campus League. For more information on all sports and clubs offered, check out the KPE website here.
Engineering students can get involved in sports at recreational, intramural, or varsity levels. Recreational athletic activities are things that you can do on your own, while intramurals are organized team sports that vary in competition level. Varsity sports are the highest level of competitive sport at U of T; these teams compete against other schools’ teams.
Goldring Centre for High-Performance Sports
Goldring Centre for High-Performance Sports has a 2,000-seat fieldhouse for basketball, volleyball, and other court sports. It has nice big windows that provide a beautiful view while exercising. It’s also used as a teaching facility and includes a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning centre, fitness studio, sports medicine clinic, and research and teaching laboratories.
Many programs and classes offered at the Athletic Centre are also offered at the Goldring Centre. When browsing programs on the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education KPE’s website, check the Location(s) and Schedule sections to see if a particular program is offered at the Goldring Centre.
Chestnut Residence Gym
Many first-year engineering students live at Chestnut Residence. A huge perk of this residence is that it has its own small gym in the basement. Nothing too fancy, but it’s perfect for a quick workout that’s close to home.