Some students are using the campus Wellness Center more often to shed a few pounds for Summer.

Sophomore Logan Corle said he visits the gym daily.

“I switch my focus every day. I’ll do legs one day and then change to arms the next,” said Corle.

He also said he uses an application on his phone, My Fitness Pal, to count the calories he ingests each day.

To get in shape, Pitt-Johnstown’s head wrestling coach Pat Pecora said a lifestyle change is imperative.

“It has to become a part of your routine, a part of your day,” said Pecora.

Pecora is known by a handful of athletes for his intense workout sessions.

Senior Nikos Garofola was coached by Pecora during the wrestling season until an injury took him out for the rest of the year.

“Coach Pecora’s workouts keep you in good shape. This one time, we (the wrestlers) had to carry each other on our backs up the campus ski slope twice,” said Garofola.

Before beginning to work out and changing one’s diet, Pecora recommends visiting a doctor. After that, he suggested research of exercises that work key muscles.

“On top of working out, your eating is huge. Be smart about what you eat and what’s going into your body,” said Pecora.

He also suggested swimming as an exercise because swimming has been shown to be easier on one’s joints while maximizing the use of muscles. He said he had his wrestlers swim one day each week during their preseason workouts.

Garofola said for one swim workout, Pecora made the wrestlers tread water while passing around a brick-filled bucket. If the bucket went under water, it would become heavier, so the team did everything they could to keep it above the water.

Different aquatic classes are offered, for credit and no credit, in the Wellness Center’s Zamias Aquatic Center.

Lisa Ursino is an aquatic aerobics instructor who visits campus a few days each month to teach classes.

To find more information about different aquatic classes, one can contact James Hedrick at 814-269-2006.

Along with swimming, Pecora suggested running, lifting and other core workouts. However, he said that getting in shape should be more of a full life-style change.

“It’s something you don’t have to do forever, just for the rest of your life,” said Pecora.