Run on over to the new Pulse Fitness Centre  

The wait is over – the newly renovated Pulse Fitness Centre will be fully open to students by January 2023  

On Dec. 12, the McMaster community saw the long-awaited opening of the newly renovated Pulse Fitness Centre, located at David Braley Athletic Centre.   

The centre has long been under renovation, the project having started in 2018. Over the last four years, Pulse members were directed to use the three new temporary gym spaces set up at Therese Quigley Sport Hall, the indoor track level in DBAC and pop-up Pulse locations.   

With the soft opening of the new Pulse location, the temporary gym spaces on campus closed operations on the evening of Dec. 11. McMaster Athletics & Recreation will be converting Sport Hall back into a recreational space for intramurals, drop-in recreation and rental use.   

The soft opening in December introduced several expanded and enhanced recreation features to Pulse members, including an expanded cardio level, an expanded first floor weight training section, a women’s only fitness area and new fitness studios.   

A few additional features were made available to Pulse members following the official grand opening in January 2023, including a three-story climbing wall and three new third floor fitness studios. The new fitness studios are estimated to be open for fitness classes as of Jan. 9.  

The McMaster Pulse Instagram has been posting updates on the unveiling, including testimonies from Pulse employees and gym members on what they’ve been enjoying most from the newly renovated fitness spaces. 

While speaking to The Silhouette, Pulse trainer and third year undergraduate student Kadyn Kapitain discussed some of the most significant changes members should be excited for in the newly renovated Pulse.   

 “I think one huge change is the variety of equipment. We have different angles of chest press machines, which is just totally a new thing. There are machines that people have wanted that we didn't have before, like a Smith machine… And then there’s the space too. There's much more space, so no one has to wait for equipment really ever,” said Kapitain.   

Kapitain also highlighted how the women’s only section at the new Pulse has been elevated to include both a walled-off area and a studio, which offers upgraded security and privacy compared to the previous curtained-off women’s only area in the temporary Pulse centre.   

As seen on social media and from Kapitain’s comments, reactions to the new gym have been overwhelmingly positive from the Pulse community. Kapitain explained that the opening of the new fitness centre carries a lot of significance to its members and staff.   

“I think fitness is such an important thing because it can feel like a de-stressor, but also... For me, and I’m sure other gym members, it's an identity thing. Athletics and fitness are a part of who I am. And so, I feel revived just being able to go to the gym and work out, or just being there with the community” said Kapitain. 

Updates on the remaining/upcoming opening dates and hours of operation can be found at McMaster Athletics & Recreation. As this was only a “soft opening”, there will be more announcements to come.