Pounding music, people everywhere and working up a sweat draws to mind images of a bar or nightclub. In fact, the same could be said for people who are working out at Dixon Recreation Center on campus.

As each New Year comes rolling by, more and more people want to check off working out on their lists of New Year’s resolutions. 2017 is no exception.

What is different this year is more OSU students are showing up at Dixon as the new month progresses than the usually expected drop off. By week three of Winter term 2017, the amount of students who are clocking in had nearly tripled that of week 1, to nearly forty thousand, keeping in consideration of the inclement weather delays/closures and holidays for week one.

According to one of Dixon’s DamFit exercise program’s personal trainers, Cooper Pattison, over the past two years he has seen an increase in the number of students participating in his courses.

“When I first got in this program, we had around tops 18 people and now in this class we have almost 30, and in other class we have close to 40. It’s almost doubled since I’ve seen it in the past 2 years, which has been really awesome,” Pattison said. “We’re just trying to market it so that more people can come and I think it’s an awesome program. We get to be in a group setting and we get to support each other, and just have a really positive impact on some people’s fitness and goals and overall wellbeing.”

But for those who do not want to work out in a setting, Fitness Services and Education Coordinator Cathy Sullivan explained that Dixon has other options.

“I think that there’s really something to offer for everybody. I know not everyone craves the group or the accountability from the group, but a lot of people are motivated by that group workout or personal trainer,” said Sullivan. “There are certain times where students are at class and people are working so you can collect the schedule to get in at an off-beat time. That’s helpful if you’re intimidated by feeling like there’s a million people around.”

Dixon Personal Trainer Saul Solorio explained that though turnout does dip during midterm season, the gym is always packed.

“I think one of the big reasons that it does drop a little bit is because of midterms right now so people are kind of focused on that. The people that are always here, the dedicated ones–they come no matter what,” Solorio said. “I think that for the New Year’s resolutions, they kind of have different priorities; they might put other things in front of in front of the gym like midterms. That’s one of the reasons it drops out a little, but it’s not really that much of a drop honestly because it’s pretty much always packed in here.”