Save money while working out as a Ryerson student

By Evan Manning

If you’ve ever wondered how pricing at the Ryerson University gyms stacks up against the local competition, then look no further.

Paying for the gym at Ryerson is a part of your tuition and it looks quite favourable when compared to local Goodlife or YMCA facilities. A student Goodlife membership costs $25 every two weeks, which adds up to a cool $50 monthly, or about $600 a year.

At the YMCA, the monthly membership cost for a child/youth is only $39, but there’s a catch. The child/youth cost only extends to the age of 21. If you’re a student that took a gap year or two, you’re looking at a $58 monthly fee.

“To be honest, I have no clue how much of my tuition goes toward using the school gyms,” says Mohamed Hegazy, a second-year Ryerson student and current Goodlife member.

Most of you are probably wondering the same. The answer is you’re paying a lot less than that at Ryerson. According to the Ryerson student’s customer account statements, Athletics fees cost just $35.15 a semester. Over the course of your entire school year, that comes out to just $70.30, or in other words about a month and a half worth of fees at Goodlife.

“Knowing that, I may get rid of my Goodlife membership, but it’s a lot easier for me to go there when I’m not at school,” says Hegazy.

Granted, Goodlife has 23 Toronto locations, whereas the RAC and MAC make up the entirety of Ryerson’s gym options. But still, it’s got to feel good knowing the discount students are being given. Even adding on weekly group fitness classes at $45 a semester at Ryerson gyms won’t bring you close to what it costs at Goodlife or the YMCA.

A Ryerson student can pay for their membership fees through tuition, add on the weekly classes and a CPR/First Aid certification course, and still be pretty far off from an eight month membership fee at Goodlife (around $500) or the YMCA (around $390).

So maybe treat yourself and get a few massages at the RAC this semester. They come at a reduced cost with your RSU Health Plan. Oh yeah, and tomorrow morning, when you’re in the middle of a set at the RAC, smile at the fact that you’ve been working out for a dime instead of a dollar.