In college, students experience new things, create great friendships and acquire a better understanding of the world and themselves. However, this new lifestyle can also serve as a catalyst for gaining a couple of pounds. For students looking to shed those unwanted pounds, Thibodaux has four health clubs that offer ways of doing so. For someone looking for a traditional gym that offers independent exercising, Fitness Fantastic or Larousse’s may be the right place.
Fitness Fantastic, located at 153 West Park Avenue, offers separate men’s and women’s weight areas and a joint cardiovascular area. Some of the weight equipment offered includes pin-set and hydraulic equipment, as well as free weights. The gym also offers a variety of classes ranging from spinning and aerobics to yoga and tae-bo.
“The chances of someone getting bored here are slim,” Chestee Adams, personal trainer at Fitness Fantastic, said. “No one else in town offers as much variety as we do.”
Another gym in Thibodaux, Larousse’s at 1410 Tiger Drive, has a co-ed workout area and a women-only circuit area. Larousse’s offers circuit machines, free weights, treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes and steppers. They also have a lap pool for summer use and a sauna and whirlpool in the men’s locker room.
“We have plenty of equipment,” Tom Larousse, owner of Larousse’s, said. “You never have to wait here.”
For a different style of exercising, Curves and Shapes to Shapes offer non-traditional, circuit-based group workouts.
Curves, located at 404 N. Canal Blvd., is a women-only health club that specializes in 30-minute aerobics and weight training.
“You can get an hour-and-a-half workout in 30 minutes,” Kristie Matherne, Curves manager, said.
Curves is a national franchise that has over 9,000 locations. Matherne said that once someone is a Curves member, she could work out at any of the locations.
Members are weighed and measured once a month, and Curves gives t-shirts and bags as incentives when people reach goals.
Shapes to Shapes, located at 1113 Audubon Avenue, is also a health club open to women ranging from pre-teens to seniors. They offer hydraulic equipment, circuit training, treadmills, stationary bikes, steppers, abdominal benches, resistance balls, ellipticals and free weights. All of these aspects are incorporated into a workout format, and every day is a different class.
“You are getting strength and cardio training at the same time,” Lynette Bergeron, co-owner of Shapes to Shapes, said. “Members can expect to see great results in four weeks.”
All gyms offer special rates for Nicholls students. The per-semester rate for students at Fitness Fantastic is $145; $120 for three months and $140 for four months at Larousse’s; $99 per semester at Curves; and at Shapes to Shapes the annual rate is equal to $29 per month, $34 per month if paying quarterly and $39 if paid month-to-month.
