Today, you get a chance to check out the Eliot, Kirkland, and Winthrop House gyms in the second in our four part series. These "gyms," generally limited to House residents, range from dingy dungeons with a few exercise machines, to dingy dilapidated rooms with a television set and a few more exercise machines. But yeah, maybe they're not that bad. Some are definitely better than others. And if your gym sucks, there is always the MAC or the QRAC. Most gyms are card swipe access for their house only, but hey, you can always make friends and borrow a resident's ID.

As before each gym will receive between one and five stars.

Eliot House Gym (***)

This particularly spacious gym with a musty smell sits under D entryway. While most House gyms are pretty cramped, Eliot managed to avoid that issue. In part, this is because Eliot only has two treadmills, two elliptical machines/cross-trainers, one stair machine, and one bike. (There are also ergs in a nearby room.) In all, there's less cardio equipment here than in Winthrop and Kirkland.

Eliot, as most Houses, has basic weightlifting equipment. It also has a few perks, like a CD/Tape player, a punching bag, and a good supply of exercise mats. They also have amusing posters on the wall of House Master Lino Pertile: "Lino is not as strong as you, put your weights back." Classy.

Kirkland and Winthrop, after the jump.

Kirkland House Gym (***)

Anyone with swipe access can get into the Kirkland House gym, under E Entry. The gym sits in a larger room. As you exercise you can listen to the sound of an adjacent ping pong game. This seems to take away from the gym atmosphere but also means the space is more open and thus less crowded feeling.

Kirkland has three elliptical machines/cross-trainers, two bikes, two ergs, two stair machine, and one treadmill. It also has a punching bag, a fan, and a television. It even has chalk for lifting weights.

Winthrop House Gym (****)

This is unequivocally the best of the three. Under J Entry, you can find four ergs, some exercise equipment, and a punching bag sitting next to a laundry room. But that's not all. Swipe your Winthrop ID and you can get into another room which holds the bulk of the gym's equipment. There are three treadmills, one bike, one elliptical/cross-trainer, and one stair machine.

While this second room is definitely a bit cramped, it is well stocked. It holds a wide range of weights, has a television set, and a large fan. Overall Winthrop offers a complete workout in a clean looking space. While the separation in Adams House into two equally unattractive rooms was a downside, in Winthrop this setup allows the House to provide a variety of equipment without piling things on top of each other.

Photos by Crimson/Eric P. Newcomer