York University Gym: Tait McKenzie Centre and Recreation

Tait is a three-storey building at 1 Thompson Road on the Keele campus. York Lions Athletics lists 58 cardio machines, 29 sectorized machines, functional training equipment and free weights in the fitness centre. The pool is six lanes wide and has a user-operated lift.

Most spaces run on posted schedules. Lane swims, leisure swims, women's-only swims and drop-in sports all have set times, so check the schedule in RecYork Online or the recreation app before you go.

York gives every enrolled student a recreation membership automatically. It covers drop-in recreation programs, the pool and general access to the building. It does not cover the fitness centre or group fitness classes. For those, you buy the Undergraduate/Graduate A&R Membership, listed at $25 including HST and valid from August 1 to July 31. The page doesn't name the academic year, so confirm the price when you buy.

Your YU-card gets you in. If you forget it, you can sign in through the York A&R app. York allows three manual entries a year and then charges $5 each time.

York's hours page lists the fitness centre as open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The building itself is listed as open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The page doesn't say which term these hours cover, so check it before you plan early or late workouts.

Program registration runs through RecYork Online. York's app page names the Fusion GO app, while other York pages call it the York A&R app. Either way, you use it for schedules and sign-in.

Intramurals are the easiest way to play a team sport without trying out. The Intramural Membership is free through the Recreation York portal. You then register in the Fusion Play app with your Passport York login. You can enter your own team, join through your college or sign up as a free agent.

There are three levels: competitive, semi-competitive and recreational. Games run Sunday to Thursday, with different sports on different days. York doesn't publish team fees on its intramural page, so check the league listing before you register.

Sport clubs are student-run and registered through York's student organizations office. York says students join them after activating their Tait membership.

These are mostly varsity and event venues. Knowing which is which helps when a club, intramural league or game day sends you somewhere other than Tait.

York Lions Stadium was built for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. It seats about 4,000, has FIFA Quality Pro FieldTurf and hosts York United FC, AFC Toronto, TFC II and varsity teams. An air-supported dome covers the field for about four to five months a year, and York says intramurals, recreation, fitness and sport clubs use it.

Glendon has its own gym, the Glendon Athletic Club (GAC) at 2275 Bayview Avenue. York lists a pool, gym, weight and cardio room, group exercise and boxing studios, four squash courts, outdoor tennis and pickleball courts and an indoor golf driving range.

York and Glendon students pay $25 a year. GAC lists hours of 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. Membership is bought through the GAC's own site. If your classes are split between campuses, weigh the $25 GAC fee against the $25 A&R membership at Keele.