Northeastern opened a new weight room in Marino Recreation Center, offering more equipment and space for gym users.
The weight room, located next to the “Revolutionz” cycling studio on the gym’s first floor, features eight “plate-loaded machines, fresh bumper plates and brand-new platforms,” according to the university recreation website.
The space will have a capacity of 32 students, Northeastern spokesperson Ed Gavaghan told The Huntington News.
“[The weight room] has a training capacity of 32 (this reflects how many people can safely navigate and work out in the space at one time, not the space’s maximum occupancy rating),” Gavaghan wrote in an email to The News. “This capacity is based on general industry standards and may be adjusted based on observations of participant activity and traffic patterns.”
University staff will inform students once the weight room is at capacity.
“Heads up — this space may fill up fast. If we’re at capacity, our staff will let you know. Share the strength and work in with a fellow Husky,” the university recreation website reads.
The area on the first floor formerly housed a “pop-up” space and later became the university’s COVID-19 testing center, but it has sat empty since then. Northeastern pulled three permits for the space for electrical work, plumbing and fire alarms. The permits were approved Oct. 23, Oct. 28 and Nov. 6, 2025, respectively.
Students have persistently complained about overcrowding and long wait times for workout machines in the gym. Max Schaefer, a third-year business administration major, said he goes to Marino around five times a week and feels the overcrowding significantly affects his workouts.
“It definitely adds time,” Schaefer said. “First it’s maneuvering around people and then obviously waiting for a machine. Having to work in with somebody just adds unnecessary time.”
Marino opened in 1996 and, prior to the opening of the new weight room, had a capacity of about 387, based on an analysis of the LiveCounts tracker by The News. When the gym was built, the university was admitting around 2,800 students in each freshman class. Today, Northeastern enrolls 22,695 undergraduate students.
Amelia Fargnoli, a fourth-year health science major, said she uses Marino around four times a week for running, lifting and stretching but frequently finds her workouts disrupted by long waits for equipment.
“I often have to ask to work in with people or wait for a squat rack,” Fargnoli said. “There’s just a lot of extra time I feel like I spend at the gym kind of waiting around versus actually doing a workout.”
Fargnoli added that cardio machines are particularly impacted during peak hours.
“The stairmaster gets really busy and the treadmills are always kind of full,” she said. “Coming in at 5 p.m. is always rough.”
Marino was last renovated in the summer of 2023, when new flooring was installed in the two basketball courts.
The gym is currently home to 400 lockers, two saunas, two multipurpose studios, a three-lane track, 42 free weight stations and numerous cardio machines.
Schaefer said he is optimistic about the expansion, adding that any increase in space or equipment could help relieve congestion.
“Any sort of expansion, whether it’s free weights or more machines, more treadmills — anything is going to be good to ease the overcrowding that we already have,” he said.
Students wishing to use the new space should, “visit our staff at the main turnstile and lock up your belongings before heading in. Bring your Husky ID or lock key with you to the space,” the website reads.
