It's been about five years since I last stepped inside the UCF gym, and walking back in brought back so many memories--once a Knight, always a Knight. The space is still big, clean, and well-maintained, just like I remembered from my student days. I came during the morning in the last week of break before the semester starts, so it wasn't too packed, which made the workout even better. The equipment is solid, the staff are friendly, and there are so many services available for students and alumni alike. It felt good to be back on campus and reconnect with a place that was such a big part of my UCF journey. read more

UCF Recreation and Wellness Center - Gyms Near Me - Orlando, Florida

The facility is super nice. Check in area and policies needs a lot of work! First, it shouldn't take that long.... Second, if you tell one person they can't bring in a drink, you better tell everyone they can't bring in a drink! I had a drink from the Chick-fil-A next door and was told I wasn't allowed to bring it in. The next 10 people, I kid you not, we're all let in with drinks! Same type of drink I had! Not acceptable... read more

See all

If you attend UCF then you have a premier gym to your disposal and I highly recommend taking advantage of it. Multi level with lots of cardio options, free weights, weight machines, swimming pools, basketball courts, classes and racquetball courts. Service is conducted by students who go above and beyond to make the gym ultra clean and organized. Can't get any better than this already paid for, through tuition, gym. Don't wait till you get old and it gets hard to convince yourself that you should go! read more

This place is amazing, supportive, and kind. All the bells and whistles of a full scale gym. They aren't perfect but they hit all the goal shots that every gym should strive for. read more

The UCF Recreation and Wellness Center is a great place to play recreational sports and enjoy a good workout as I go in to play beach and indoor volleyball consistently it's a great place to play sports with people who are also interested as there are always people there wanting to play too read more

Wow. I got a chance to check this place out since my nephews go here. How spoiled are the students that live on campus and attend UCF. This student rec & wellness center is pretty darn nice and includes everything a college student could ever need regarding staying in shape and not gaining the freshman fifteen and the sophomore 20 (or is it 30 now?) as young adults pursuing a higher education. Very clean and I loved the roomy layout. This facility seems to be pretty sweet and how nice that access to everything offered is included in their tuition. You should see this place! Wish I were a student again....LOL. read more

Honestly, this gym is the best gym in the whole Orlando area! I'm not just saying that because I'm a UCF student. If you come see it you will completely agree! It have 2 floors, a running track in the second floor, a large weight area in the first flour, a large cardio machine are in the 2nd floor. They also have a Subway and a smoothie place. There's around 3 basketball courts that can be use for multiple sports, around 3 racket ball rooms, a lap pool with lifeguards, and a rock climbing wall! Not only is the facility beautiful, clean, and we'll organize but they have knowledgeable workers walking around ensuring you don't get help or there to help you. They also have personal training, group training, and you get get a body assessment. There's a spin room and a two group exercise room. I love coming here for group excercise classes such as Cardio Dance Hype, Kickboxing, Hardbodies, Trampoline fitness, and more. They offer so many classes all throughout the day. They are super fun and a awesome workout. They have such a great variety of equipment that there's somethibg for everyone. You don't have to be a student or faculty or alumni to get a membership. I highly recommend this gym! read more

See all

Overall this gym is pretty good. During my visit to this campus working with UCF, I had the opportunity to use this facility. The gym is clean and during my stay I would see the staff regularly wiping down equipment. If the staff need to talk to you or make a correction (for example: no bags allowed on the floor and I didn't realize this on my first day), they do it professionally and courteously. They even wait patiently for you to finish your set before talking with you. There is a decent amount of equipment and it is (for the most part) logically spread out. Most of the cardio is upstairs, they have a large area for the "globo-gym" style machines, and finally an area for traditional weight lifting. The squat racks and free weight section is a bit tight and during peak hours it's difficult to navigate in between all of the people. This is especially difficult if you have folks curling behind the benches and in between the lifting stations. I wish they flip-flopped where the lifting was and where all those machines were. All in all, there are definitely waaaay worse places to work out. I can't imagine not taking full advantage of this if I were a full time student here. There are only a few gripes and/or things to be aware of with this gym: #1. Also my biggest issue with this gym: No Olympic lifts.... they have rogue bars and they even have bars that are specific to dynamic lifts (faster bearings), they have bumper plates and they have drop stations. However, you can only dead-lift in those stations. Nothing dynamic or overhead...I get it, it's a liability for some students being dumb and dropping weight on themselves. But it's also a gym, you have it set up for Oly lifts, and you already signed a waiver! Maybe have someone at those stations or reduce the size of the "machine zone" that no one uses and make an Oly zone instead. #2. The gym gets slammed pretty much after 12-1pm. In the summer when I came, it was still crowded in the afternoons and pretty much impossible starting around 3-6pm. You had to modify a lot to make due. #3. Be prepared for the younger lads to be in full bro-mode. Inflated lats and teenage angst are in full swing. If that bothers you, maybe start early when they are sleeping. I'm in my 30s and some of it was cringe-worthy, but it wasn't a huge deal for me. #4. Last one!! They don't open until 9 am on Saturday. What the heck Don't let these four things dissuade you though. Every gym has their flaws. Some of these aren't even the fault of the gym but more a personal preference thing. I guarantee you that you won't find a better gym in town that is as clean,friendly, and full of diverse exercise gear as this place. Trust me I looked. Enjoy your workout, Cheers! read more

UCF rwc is a great gym, but not the best gym. Orlando doesn't have many unique gyms. Pros: huge gym. Free weights and machine. Lap pool and rec pool. Basketball courts, volleyball, pingpong, and a rock climbing wall. Full locker room with daily lockers. Many friendly people. Closes at midnight on the week days Cons: it's over packed unless you go before 11 am. There are only 4 squat racks, 3 dead lift mats, and 1 leg press. THIS IS NOT A GOOD FACILITY FOR LEG WORKOUTS. If you're serious about leg workouts and you don't want to wait around, do not go here for leg workouts. read more

Always busy and crowded, especially at the beginning of the semesters. A ton of ellipticals and treadmills don't work and never get fixed and so many lockers have been broken forever. I like that it's clean and has a lot of equipment but going at certain times sucks unless u go at like 6 am. If you go to ucf it's free so that's why I go. It's a good gym they just need to fix the machines and lockers and I would be a lot happier. read more

See all

These bums saw me working out the gym was practically empty they told me to take my bag off the floor then when I did and put it on my back and said I'll just wait for my friends they proceeded to say either you put it in a locker or you get out. Stupidest thing ever read more

The gym is awesome! There are TVs on the new cardio equipment upstairs, and now there are so many different weight-lifting machines that you don't have to wait too long for one during the busy afternoon rush. Most people aren't aware, but gym membership is also available for non-students for a fee. Or at lest it used to be. It's well worth it for all that's offered. :-) read more

Love this gym a lot. It has everything I need to do do a workout. Only con is the gym hulks who hog the weights and mirrors to admire themselves read more

I think the 5 stars speak for themselves. This place is huge and has everything under the sun. I rarely have any problems with waiting on equipment. Everyone is really good with wiping down the equipment after they use it. There are employees walking the floor to ensure no one hurts themselves. There's a climbing tower, lap pool, running track, group exercise classes, basketball courts, racquetball courts; hell, even badminton courts! There is something for everyone here. If you're a student, you have no excuse not to exercise. Alumni and staff have great rates. Even if you don't go to UCF, I'm sure you can find someone on Craigslist to give you a courtesy membership. The rates are hard to beat for the variety you see at this gym. Oh yeah, and this place is clean! read more

I went to this gym once and immediately switched gyms. 1) No parking 2) There was a sliver of my stomach showing and 2 people approached me asking me to change. It's a college gym, not middle school... 3) They required me to put my bag in a locker and 4) the equipment feels like it's 30 years old. Disappointed. The only positive was the people who did approach me were nice about it. Just bizarre and illogical rules. read more

I've been using this gym for about 5 years now. I love UCF gym because it's a large gym with different areas that offer equipment for all kinds of workouts. So, whether you love yoga or rock climbing or deadlifts, UCF has a space for you. Their equipment is clean and modern, and they're good about getting any broken parts repaired quickly. I spend about 2 hours here daily, and it's really such a happy place for me. That being said, it is always always busy. Sometimes packed. There have been multiple times where I've had to walk around the gym for 10 minutes just to find an empty spot to workout in or equipment open. It can be frustrating because a lot of people will sit at a machine and hang out on their phones or talk to their friends. The best time to go is early in the mornings when they open, and even then there is still people there. Summer is the best semester to avoid the big crowds, but be prepared to weave in and out of people the rest of the year. read more

See all

UCF Gym, you're awesome. I just wish everyone else that went to that school didn't think so. There are lots of amenities, if you look for them. The upstairs water fountain by the track tastes the best. There are free fitness classes. The personal trainers are very reasonably priced, and they employ some great instructors.... BUUUUT you need to know what you want out of the session, or you're going to get some strange Crossfit-hybrid of training from them. I learned and grew the most when I went in with the idea that "today, I want to work on my squat form". Don't go between 4:30-6:30 if you're weight training, you're gonna be fighting off bros with a stick. No kidding, the place is "bro'd out" between those hours. You can typically find the bros that call this gym home curling in the squat rack. There are multiple basketball courts and an indoor volleyball court. Subway and smoothie bar inside. Free condoms at the Wellness center downstairs. Edit: Gym membership is $50 for the whole summer, if you're not taking classes. Also, locker rentals are $12/semester. I would highly recommend grabbing one at the beginning of the semester if you're planning on gym ratt'ing it up. read more

Really good gym for a university. It has all kinds of equipment and different kinds of brands like cybex and lifefitness for those who have a preference. Amenities include pool, indoor track, showers and a rock climbing wall. They also offer all kinds of group exercise classes. My only issue is some equipment is awkwardly placed, staff is unfriendly, and the place can get seriously crowded. But overall, it's a sweet gym. read more

I am very lucky to attend UCF. Not only de we get a great education but I can take advantage of great things like this gym. First, the machines are pretty well kept. I have not seen one broke machine. You can find machines for any type of exercise you want to do: spinning, running, elliptical, etc. And the have massive quantities...so is not like you gonna have to wait for a machine. Second, most machines have the Nike Fit app. You can plug into your iphone/itouch and you can track your progress and hear your songs. Most machines have screens right in front, so instead of selecting your songs on your iphone, you can do it on the larger screen. Love this! Third, their group exercise classes are awesome!! I have been to the abs class, kickboxing cardio, and hip hop. They have kicked my *ss in a good way. The instructors are probably UCF students but they push the kicks, moves, and exercises to limits. So overall, this is a great gym. read more

Pros: Equipment is great. Cons: not enough TVs in the cardio area. D-bags slamming weights...they really need to do something about that. Music can be so loud you can't hear your own. read more

This is the finest fitness facility I have ever used. World class equipment and great staff. One of the greatest perks of being a UCF Knight. read more

The UCF Recreation and Wellness Center aka "RWC" has many things to offer for Students and even non-students. I was personally quite impressed with the RWC and continually enjoy my time there. Pros -Free for students -Lots of equipment for use and even multiples of the same machine -2 pools, one for relaxing and one for lap swimming -Intramural sports, for when you're not that good at sports but still want to play -Nice open layout, doesn't feel cramped -Subway\Smoothie shop located inside -Rock climbing wall (layout shifts weekly) -Great place to meet new and old friends -Consists of a mostly student staff that is more than willing to teach you Cons -The gym is typically packed between 4pm to 8pm, but I have never had a problem getting a machine. -It is a long walk if you're on the other side of campus (there is another smaller RWC @ Knights Plaza). -For those who are not students, you must purchase a membership. read more

Friendly people running the place and a knowledgeable rotating staff of students. Always willing to help with form, or offer suggestions. The classes are great and fit into almost any schedule. read more

This is a great place to sit down and stare at people. Just look at them and their human bodies for long periods of time as they lift pieces of metal up and down and run on a conveyor belt for hours. Also the humans like to wear almost nothing and go into the gyms hole filled with water. How cool!!!! I'm glad UCF built a place where I can watch people comfortably and stress free. They don't even look at me or know I'm staring at them. They just have blank faces, shout "bro" a couple times, and yell at the big TV when UCF football is losing (which is quite often). read more

Recently expanded and remodeled! The nicest gym ever! They have everything! Racquetball courts, basketball courts, lap pool, 6 benches now!, countless machines, tv's galore, rock climbing wall, indoor track, treadmills, you name it and they have it! Beautiful design as the gym is surrounded by sky high windows. I wish I was a student again. =( read more

The best gym I have ever set foot in, with every amenity you could want in a university gym. The only downside is that faculty and staff don't have regular access! It's shame, since the pool, courts, rock climbing wall, and equipment are all top notch. If you're a UCF student, you owe it to yourself to take advantage. read more

PROS: -Gym is huge, clean, and full of really nice equipment and facilities. -The free weights area has 4 power racks (which is about 3 or 4 more than the average gym) and more benches, barbells and plates then you can shake a stick at. -Price can't be beat if you're a UCF student CONS: -Gym does not allow overhead barbell presses (a mandatory part of any decent weightlifting program) -Slow country music blaring from the speakers 90% of the time. Taylor Swift and sad country ballads aren't really conducive to cranking out that last set of deadlifts. -Hideously expensive if you're not a UCF student, even if you go with the sponsored rate. 5-star gym if you're there for nice atmosphere, shiny equipment, and maybe some socialization. If you're looking for a gym to do Starting Strength or if you're a bodybuilder, however, check out Orlando Barbell. read more

I was here for an event for my sorority. Nevertheless I was able to see the center and the center is awesome. Equipment is plentiful with rooms of different types of workout. The students were working out and having a blast. Hey where were these gyms back in the olds days!! Really nice place to work our. read more

I love going to the gym but you have to go at the right time because it can get pretty crowded. I'm not a fan of waiting to use a machine or taking a kickboxing class that's so full that you can't even kick.. If you manage to find a right time to go the UCF gym is amazing. I prefer it over any other membership gym (because it's free for students and not filled with creepy old people). Spin class, kickboxing class and washboard abs are my favorite classes and Jordan is the best teacher. Rock climbing wall is fun and the people are extremely helpful. read more

The Rec & Wellness Center is definitely a staple on University of Central Florida's campus not only because it has a gym with up-to-date machines and equipment, but also because it is home to the Wellness center and program, as well as a Subway, swimming pools and intramural sports. This place is frequented by most of the 50,000 students who are enrolled here, plus the faculty, staff and any alumni who choose to purchase a membership after they graduate. The gym portion of this facility comprises the first and second floor. On the second floor is all of the cardio equipment and track area. The first floor houses all of the machines, free weights, exercise classroom and stretch areas. For the most part, UCF is good about taking care of the equipment and updating as needed. However, with a gym that has 50,000 members (because anyone who pays tuition is a member) it's impossible to have enough equipment or space to accomodate everyone. Unless you go before the sun rises or well after the sun sets at around 10PM you will have a tough time moving around and scoring a machine. Personally, I cannot stand waiting to use the equipment, so I got a membership elsewhere....it was well worth it. The classes offered include everything from spinning and step to kickboxing and body works to yoga and pilates. Classes are held as early as 6AM and as late as 9PM, with something going on every hour of the day. You MUST sign up though, otherwise you won't be able to join in, especially in the spin classes. The Wellness center portion of this establishment educates students, faculty and staff on college health issues which includes nutrition, sex and STI, relaxation, HIV and so much more. You can go and get tested for HIV, test out your physical strength, flexibility and endurance through their CHAMP test or simply go there to ask health related questions. Most of the people who work there are also students, making it easy to talk and interact with them. Outside of the Rec center is the very nice intramural field which is used year round for just about everything you can think of that is sports related. You must reserve it if you want to do something special thought. There are two pools, one on each side of the Rec Center. Facing the building, the pool directly to your left is known as the "leisure" pool because it's meant to be a place for students to hang out, relax, tan and participate in campus-wide activities. There is always fun events happening here. The pool to the right is used for exercise, swim compeitions/events and anything else related. However, students are welcome to layout here as well. If you're a UCF student I recommend taking advantage of this facility because you're paying for it through your tution. If you're not a student, I don't recommend getting a membership..go elsewhere. Fortunately, they are building another Rec Center that will be very similar to this on in an effort to have a facility big enough to accomodate the University's population. read more

I've been going to the UCF gym for the past two years, and it's an incredible place. There's two massive floors. The ground floor contains a large, open area for training machines (assistance work), with an even larger area towards the rear of the building for intramural sports such as basketball, badminton, tennis, and racquetball/jai alai (the latter have dedicated rooms.) There's also a nook for free weight training and powerlifting (more on that later.) The entire second floor is dedicated to cardio, housing an obscene amount of treadmills, stairclimbers, stationary cycles, recumbent cycles, and more strange cardio-centric machines I'll never touch in my life. Aside from these attractions, the place is well-kempt and well-staffed. There are a number of rooms that host many specific classes, such as yoga and spinning. There are at least two bathrooms/locker rooms/shower rooms with plenty of lockers. There's probably over a dozen HDTVs scattered about on the walls, although most of them can be found on the second (cardio) floor. There are plenty of water fountains in strategic places, and even a filtered water dispenser, whose filter is almost always kept fresh. There's always music playing, and it's always awful. No big deal; who doesn't own an mp3 player these days? (EDIT: Almost forgot to mention the rock climbing tower. This thing is respectably huge; at 55 feet I believe. There are over a dozen documented "problems" (aka routes) for top roping (aka climbing to the top of this behemoth,) as well as bouldering "problems", which are designed to be high impact, fast-paced traverses around the perimeter of the structure. A nice perk; you can freely rent everything you need to climb, including a harness, shoes, chalk bag, carabiner, etc. or you can bring your own equipment. The rock climbing crowd is really nice, too. Sadly, they maintain their own hours separate of the gym, and are only open for a handful of hours a day (if at all.)) I kinda want to give this gym 3.5 stars, though, and here are my reasons for docking points: First and most importantly, the place is almost always overcrowded. For those not in the know, UCF has been the nation's 2nd-most populous university for years now, with over 60,000 students. I've had to resort to working out late at night (11:00 PM) until they close at midnight, which doesn't always work out with my class schedule. Otherwise, I find myself in a sea of sweaty bodies; dodging more people than machines when I move throughout the building. On top of that, they're only open until 9 PM on Friday and Saturday, but until midnight on Sunday! The hell is that about?! In relation to the overcrowding situation, I work out almost entirely in the free weight room, which is coincidentally the smallest area in the entire gym (aside from the racquetball rooms, I guess.) There's a respectable amount of equipment in there, but if you go at any time other than 6 AM or 11 PM, the five benches and four power racks will be in constant use. This spells trouble for any kind of trainer, whether you're going for compound lifts or isolation -- you're going to run into downtime, no matter what. It's not quite so bad over the summer, but during the proper school year; forget about it. Either go right after opening or right before closing, or you're going to find yourself sitting around a lot in the free weight room. In relation to their hours... well, they aren't too bad, but they aren't 24-hour. This would be AMAZING, but I can understand that it isn't an option. The gym is "open" to all students, which means there's a constant influx of "gym virgins" who may or may not need supervision when using dangerous equipment. Since the employees and floor supervisors all seem to be students, it'd be a bit much to ask students to work there between midnight and 6 AM, while juggling a class load. Not trying to sound elitist or anything like that, it's just everybody has a first time, and there's a ton of dangerous stuff in there if you don't have any experience using it. (Why did I say the gym was "open" to all students, you ask? Because EVERY student is FORCED to pay an ~$80 "Athletic Fee" EACH AND EVERY semester! Even the thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of students who NEVER GO A SINGLE TIME! DOCK A STAR, SON! Shame on you, UCF.) So, aside from the overcrowding, this place is pretty awesome. It's clearly the most sophisticated gym I've ever set foot in, but I don't need all those bells and whistles. I need a heavy barbell, and that's damn near it. So, I've opted to forego this place for another place in "Orlando" that has a heavy "Barbell" or two... at least, until summer rolls around and the place calms down a bit. ...Orlando Barbell. read more

Expanding, usually go just for basketball though as the machines are always taken.

Senior here at knight nation. This gym has everything you want (basketball, rock climbing, racket ball, table tennis, tennis outside by the pool, heated lap pool) with a few things to always keep in mind. Anytime after 12pm is a bad idea. Become a 6am grinder and you'll never have to wait for anything, not even traffic. For all you bros tryna rep those muscle tanks, leave them home cause they'll kick you out if the shirt is too "revealing" , been a victim of this crime a few times now. Also no cargo shirts. read more

Love that they offer a ton of free classes. I've been gong here for three years and it has always been clean, I've never encountered a broken machine. Can get crowded at peek times, but they've just expanded :) read more

Not a bad gym. Plenty of choices, but gets busy quickly. The pool is usually busy with team lessons and is outdoors. Overall it is a nice modern facility. read more

The Rec Center at UCF is really whatever you make it. I usually only come here for a cardio workout if its late in the day and my usual gym at work has closed for the evening or on the weekends. The cardio floor is great with every possible machine that you could ask for. Everyone's hooked up to their mp3 players or watching MTV/ESPN/CNN on the new flat screens that have been installed. I attended my first yoga class this morning with Charles and it was pretty intense for a beginner. He was good about modifying poses to your own level of flexibility and fitness though. It was a really well rounded class and I definitely plan on going back..in a couple of days. read more

The UCF Recreation Wellness Center is a great gym to visit. It seems to offer a little of everything you could want in a gym. With its variety of sports, fitness classes and work out machines it's hard to not find something to do there. The atmosphere there is great. There are plenty of college students there so no matter what your into you'll find someone to do it with. The staff there is helpful. If you need help lifting, they'll spot you. They are knowledgeable about sports so can just talk to them about whatever. The Rec Center, in general, is a good place to visit. The Center is kept clean and there's a Subway within it. You can't beat that. read more

Love it here. Lots of equipment to work out on also. The view isn't so bad either.

Awesome fitness center with anything you could ever ask for! Punching bags, indoor track, indoor basketball and volleyball courts, a top floor with elliptical machines and treadmills, a bottom floor with free-weights and weight lifting machines, and 2 designated areas for abs. There are also offices within the fitness center for one to test body fat percentage, get a massage, or get free STD/HIV testing. Finally, you can take virtually any fitness classes, all for free if you are a UCF student! read more