Heading home for the holidays used to be a sure-fire excuse to avoid going to the gym. The days of having to commute to uni to stay fit are over, as the UNIversal gym scheme from BUCS allows you to train closer to home with you university membership.
What is UNIversal Gym?
UNIversal Gym was brought in by BUCS in order to allow students and staff to stay fit all year round. In a nutshell, the scheme means that you can access a university gym near you when you go home for the holidays, as long as you have a valid membership at your university gym.
You do not only have access to one gym either, as you can have access to any gym that is part of the UNIversal network. This means that you will be able to go to the gym wherever you are, which is very useful when visiting partners or friends just for a few days. It also means that for anyone who moves around during the holidays due to personal issues will not have to worry about only being able to access one gym outside university.
How to Use the UNIversal Gym scheme
The BUCS Website has a very useful search tool to see where the nearest gyms are to you, and from there you have to apply for a UNIversal gym account. This is done through a BUCSPlay account, which is a useful app to have regardless as it is the best way to apply for BUCS teams.
After putting in some details, like your postcode, institution and date of birth, you are able to join the UNIversal Gym community. You will have to repeat this process for other university gyms that you wish to use if you are travelling around, but it is not a time consuming process. After this, you are all set to stay fit over Easter at any university gym at no added cost.