September 17, 2025

7 RecWell Services to Explore

Explore Campus, Health &

By Nolan Zils
4 MINUTE READ
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Take Care of Your Body and Your Mind

As busy students at the top public university in the world, it can be hard to devote time to self-care. It’s important to avoid burnout as classes ramp up each semester. Lucky for us, Recreation & Wellbeing (RecWell) provides many ways to achieve physical and mental wellness, and in the midst of many options, some go under the radar. Whether you’re an RSF (Recreational Sports Facility) gym rat or just starting to go exercise more frequently, here are some services to try out!

Health and Fitness Services 

Though RecWell will charge for some services, this list consists entirely of free opportunities:

  1. Group Fitness: These are classes you can take on your own or bring a friend, and they range from Zumba, Pilates, various types of yoga, and more. Many classes are offered on campus as well as in the new downtown Berkeley RecWell Fitness Studio! RecWell also offers a Workfit program for UC Berkeley student employees, staff, and faculty, featuring over 50 free fitness classes, all led by professionals, with virtual and in-person options. 
  2. Live Crowd Meter. Time to pump some iron? The online Live Crowd Meter has you covered. Track of how busy the weight room is before you go work out. No one likes having to wait a long time for machines, and the tracker will tell you if a lot of other folks have also decided to do arm day. 
  3. Need a Job? Consider RecWell. If we’re going to be nitpicky, student jobs are not exactly a service. However, RecWell hires over 450 students year-round. Many jobs, among them lifeguards, fitness staff, IM sports referees, and more, don’t need prior experience and offer flexible schedules. There is a role for every skillset.

An exercise class in action.

Try Out Premium Fitness Activities 

If you can afford to splurge, with a little extra spending you can get the cream of the crop when it comes to active classes and experiences from RecWell. 

    1. “Game On!” Intramural Sports: You can check out Intramural (IM) sports registration during the first few weeks of each semester and join a team or create one with friends. Participating requires a $30 membership fee to play. You can play basketball, dodgeball, flag football, pickleball, soccer, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, and more. It’s a fun way to make friends and get involved.
    2. “Can I Try That?” Absolutely, you can! RecWell offers instructional fitness lessons for activities such as tennis, swimming, strength training, and various martial arts, or try the Pilates Reformer Workout. Investing in these lessons is a great way to stay active and hone your skills in a sport, if you so desire! A bunch of classes have various levels of expertise offered. So, if you want to be like Steph Curry but have never touched a basketball, for example, the beginner level class is there to get you started! Note: First Aid is also offered as a custom private class that a group of people can request and take together to earn their two-year CPR certification.
    3. “Adventure is Out There!” RecWell Adventures has group and self-guided trips for everyone in the UC Berkeley community. Among the trips are ropes courses, sailing, kayaking, and numerous hikes. And the adventures aren’t limited specifically to Berkeley! Beyond the Fire Trails and other gorgeous hikes and places you can travel to on foot, they offer trips to other parts of the state. Previous expeditions have included Redwood National and State Parks, Yosemite National Park, and more!
    4. ”Personal Training, Please.” For those who want more individualized attention and one-on-one training, RecWell has professional personal trainers on staff. Sessions are catered to your personal fitness needs and goals. To tailor a fitness plan that’s specific and individually unique to you, fitness assessments, like BodPod, a “gold standard” for body composition testing, will be used to help come up with the plan.

A group of class participants using pilates reformers in the downtown Berkeley RecWell Fitness Studio.

Enjoy Exercising! Final Thoughts and Suggestions 

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of options and ways to use RecWell programs and services as a means of improving your personal wellness, with way more options available beyond what is introduced in this article. If you’re interested in more, you can explore additional Fitness and Wellness programs from RecWell. I hope you discovered a service that supports your personal wellness goals or passions.

Nolan Zils, Class of 2027, is majoring in media studies and minoring in creative writing and journalism. Cover photo by Brittany Hosea-Small. This story was inspired by an earlier version first published in 2022 by Lucas Yen, Class of 2024, political economy major. 

 

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