Fitness

Face it, Dean Perlmutter is a basketball fanatic and you must be too . . . or maybe you just got a 528, sooooo either way we’ll see you in the Olin basement for some intense ball! I would just like to give a shout-out to all my fellow M1 ballers because we dominate the current M2s. We do not plan to be dethroned, and since we didn’t join the ghastly Lakers, we plan on keeping our crown. It’s a great time to take a study break, increase that cardiac output, and join in some friendly competition. So, come on out and bring your A-game. LET’S GOOOOO!

St. Louis is becoming more and more of a bike-friendly city. There are many beautiful bike trails in the city, and the most popular one, the Forest Park Loop, is right across the street! I really love riding through the park during the fall. In addition to the beautiful foliage, some of the highlights of the bike loop are the rows of beautiful houses with eclectic architectural styles on Lindell. Making a turn from Skinker, it is an exhilarating downhill ride through the forest until you go up a small hill and see the medical campus peak behind the trees. If you ever get bored of Forest Park, there is also a great trail in nearby Tower Grove park. Within the Central West End, though bike lanes are inconsistent, drivers are usually respectful and there are plenty of bike racks. On the medical campus, there are bike racks near the Metro station and behind the Core. There is also a gated bike rack near the car pick-up loop by Shell Café that we have access to with our IDs. If you ever have problems with your bike, Mike’s Bikes in the CWE is a great place to go. And though my bike has been safe, I have heard a very strong lock is recommended.

Despite Missouri’s lack of mountains, there are plenty of opportunities to pursue rock climbing in St. Louis. For indoor climbers, the St. Louis area is home to two different rock gyms, each with a thriving climbing community. WUSM’s own climbing club, ClimbRx, offers a discounted membership at a nearby gym (Climb So iLL) that includes all the rental equipment you need to get started. If you like to venture outdoors, there are several outstanding options within driving distance. Most notably, some of the world’s finest stone lies less than six hours away in the Red River Gorge of Kentucky. Closer options include Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas (five hours) and Jackson Falls in Illinois (two hours). Ultimately, whether you are just getting into climbing or are a seasoned veteran, St. Louis will meet all of your climbing needs.

My favorite way to fitness is indoor cycling. If you’ve never tried it before, you’re basically in a dark room riding a stationary bike with loud music playing. While there’s no Soulcycle in St. Louis, there are plenty of other good studios nearby. The Danforth Campus also has a large gym with group fitness classes, including cycling, that are free to medical students. This isn’t your typical gym cycling class —  they have a leaderboard that tracks your performance and great instructors (favorite is Meghann!). If you want something a little more advanced and truer to indoor cycling, there is a Cyclebar nearby that offers student pricing on classes, and shoes are complimentary! In the Central West End, there is a studio named Steel Wheels that also offers an immersive class experience.

If you prefer biking outside, St. Louis has some amazing bike trails that are well done and very scenic. Riding in the city can get a little dicey — people aren’t as used to bikers here as in other big cities, so be very careful on the road! However, Forest Park has really pretty trails and is just across the street from campus. The biggest trail is Katy Trail, which is over 200 miles long and stretches across the state, including a section along the Missouri River. There is also a trail on the Mississippi River that starts near the Gateway Arch. Many trails are former railroads that have been converted to paved trails, and there are many beautiful areas to explore!

Playing racquetball was a huge staple for my friend group during undergrad. Given this, I was elated to find out that there were courts at the Sumers Recreation Center on the Danforth Campus. I quickly hyped up this lesser known sport and roped several other M1s into joining me for regular sessions. Not only is it great cardio, but it’s also super fun to hit a rubber ball as hard as possible and watch it bounce off the walls. Access to the gym and ball rental are free for med students. As for racquets, there are three options: You can bring your own, purchase one from the equipment desk, or rent one for free and hit the ball with twice as much power. Either way, racquetball is a great way to have a nice competitive outlet with friends and it’s a very fun way to stay in shape!

If you didn’t know, WashU’s rec facilities were ranked as one of the top three in the nation! The Danforth Campus recently built new state-of-the-art fitness and recreation facilities, the Sumers Recreation Center, that all WUSM students can access for free. They offer free classes that run the gamut from meditation to power yoga to spin! There is an indoor pool, furnished relaxation spaces, massage therapy, and a health promotion suite. Did I mention towel service as well?

At the WUSM campus, there is the gym at the Core, our on-campus housing that is a three-minute walk from the FLTC — super convenient! It has most of the gym equipment that you need, and it’s open 24/7 (if you want to work out at 3 a.m., you can!) So really, it’s easy to keep up a healthy exercise routine at WUSM!

I am going on my 13th year of running in St. Louis, and I don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon. There are so many great parks that I can assure you there is a trail for you! Here is a short list with the following rankings out of 10: toughness/beauty/busy level (at roughly 5:00 p.m.)

• Forest Park: 5 miles around on the bike path. Mostly flat. 3/8/10
• Tower Grove Park: 2-3 miles around on the road. Very flat. 1/4/6
• Castlewood State Park (River Trail): essentially endless. Flat, can be muddy. 2(8 with mud)/9/2
• Queeny Park (Falcon Trail): very hilly. Paved for 40 percent, trail for 60 percent. 9/7/8
• Creve Couer Lake: very flat, 4-5 miles around. Busy. 1/8/8
• Bootleggers Trail at Creve Couer Lake: winding single track trail. Do not run after rain. Seven miles of trail. 7/10/2
• Katy Trail: essentially endless and flat. Far away. 1/4/7

Football, the universal sport, the beautiful game, or soccer — whatever you may call it, you will always find a place to enjoy this wonderful game. Are your dreams of becoming a professional soccer player on hold because of medical school? Don’t worry, we got just the place for you! Join “St. Louis Pick Up Soccer page” on Facebook (with over 5,000 members), where people play pick-up games daily.

Are you a casual soccer player looking to destress and make new friends? Look no further: WashU offers indoor and outdoor intramural soccer leagues (FREE OF COST!!) where you can make a team with your friends and play against other WashU people!

Are you up for a challenge with your new classmates and want to take on other teams? St. Louis is home to many soccer leagues, one of them being Vetta Sports, where you can play against local teams!

Whether you are a beginner or you were a super star in your undergraduate intramural soccer league, there will always be a place for you. All you need to do is to strap your boots on and enjoy the beautiful game.

Are you an ex-swimmer who can’t be motivated to jump in a cold pool by yourself? I was really happy to find a group of M2s and M1s who want to swim on a “weekly” (weekly may be too ambitious now) basis. We usually organize rides over to the pool at the Danforth Campus, someone writes a set, and then we all do the workout together. It’s been a nice way to kinda stay in swimming shape and have fun.

Table tennis is a great activity to help break up long study sessions! Whether you’re into competitive table tennis or just some pick-up with your friends, WashU has facilities for both. There is a brand-new table in the Core Apartments 818 building that is available to use for any medical student, and the undergraduate club is open to all WashU students and competes as a part of the NCTTA Collegiate league in intercollegiate tournaments twice a year.

Do you even lift, bro? Well, even if you don’t, there’s no better time to start because the gym at the Core is brand new, it’s only a 3-minute walk from school, and it’s open 24/7! With three new squat racks, a weightlifting platform, and your standard variety of free weights, you’ll be hitting new PRs in no time. If you like machines though, you’re out of luck because there aren’t many options. It’s rarely crowded to the point where I can’t get my workout done, but I’ve noticed it tends to be significantly busier in the beginning of the school year, after January 1, on Mondays (is this at all surprising?!), after classes are done, and before dinnertime. I should note that if you’re looking for a place to work out without your classmates around, you should trek over to the Danforth Campus (which has an insanely nice gym). Personally, it hasn’t bothered me that so many of my classmates are around while I’m working out, but I have heard other people complain about this reality… But if you need someone to spot you, or you need to vent about that upcoming anatomy exam in between sets, you can almost always find a friend.