Going to the gym at UCLA is more of a mental workout than a physical one.

It’s supposed to be simple: students go to the gym to clear their heads between classes or so they don’t run out of breath trudging up Bruin Walk.

Somewhere along the way, the gym became just another thing to get right.

Places like the John Wooden Center and the Bruin Fitness Center are not intentionally hostile environments. But for many students, especially those new to working out, the gym can feel intimidating from the moment they walk in because of a culture that rewards looking fit over staying healthy.

UCLA cannot control every interaction inside its gyms, but it must do more to create spaces that feel welcoming. Simple additions – like equipment guides and student mentorship programs – are ways to accomplish this.

Students should not let the pressure of perfection take precedence over their health.

Those new to the gym may stress over not knowing how to work out, looking experienced or making visible progress. These internal pressures make it harder to show up and continue to improve one’s health.

Adrian Luerra, a first-year business economics student and Wooden Center employee, said he believes first-time gym goers may initially feel out of their depth.

Some of that concern may be in students’ heads. But a lot of it comes from the culture that already exists on campus.

Stress is built into everything at UCLA. Classes are competitive, schedules are stacked and long lines at Kerckhoff Coffeehouse can even make grabbing matcha a test of patience.

Going to the gym has become another facet of that experience.

“Physical activity doesn’t happen in a social vacuum,” said Kayla de la Haye, a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, in an emailed statement. “The social environment of a space is an important part of the space.”

Walking into a crowded weight room filled with friend groups and experienced lifters can make students feel like they don’t belong. Even harmless jokes about gym newbies can reinforce the fear of looking out of place.

Further, obsessive fitness culture can often feel like the norm on campus. Discussions about how to up one’s protein intake or how to optimally split workouts by muscle group often dominate conversations.

Nathan Tuo, a first-year applied mathematics student, said he believes gym culture is prevalent at UCLA. Many students go to the gym regularly and feel pressure to appear more muscular, Tuo added.

The gym’s physical environment is often a challenge to navigate, too.

“It’s not quiet at all,” said Luerra. “There’s always something going on. People are usually with a group of friends. People are waiting, sometimes a long time, for machines.”

The combination of the social and physical environments at the Wooden Center and B-Fit affect how inclined students are to work out. When the gym causes stress, it discourages students from building a consistent routine.

Discomfort at the gym can be unavoidable when starting out. Students are often focused on their own workouts and confidence comes with experience. Still, that does not mean that the environment can’t be made less intimidating.

While it wouldn’t be an overnight change, UCLA must make small efforts to make the spaces more approachable for all students hoping to work out. This could include clearer signs about how each machine works or a free course on the basics of weightlifting.

UCLA is already set to spend $35 million on expanding the Wooden Center, but making the gym larger will not make it more inviting. Instead, the university should invest in resources that will create a more supportive environment.

“Things like structured buddy programs, welcoming social norms, staff and patrons who model supportive behavior, and explicit efforts to reduce social comparison pressure can all shift the social dynamics of a space,” de la Haye said.

If the gym feels more like a mental workout than a physical one, then the real challenge isn’t lifting heavier weights.

It is making the gym a place where everyone feels welcome.