UCSD Recreation

I’ve taken classes here for the past two years and it is the best deal in San Diego for recreation. I’ve taken aerial silks, and yoga and both of the class packages are highly affordable. Iyengar II at 6:00pm is my favorite so far, and the class price breaks down to about $ 6 a class! Most yoga classes cost $ 16 – 20 for a drop in!

The Rec classes that UCSD offers is a steal. If you actually compare the pricing with other outside classes, you’d be signing up for classes right now.
There are a variety of classes — dance, swim, circus arts, spin, among other things.
I’ve only taken the aerial silk classes and I LOVE them so I’m a bit biased. The instructors are all very knowledgeable and it’s just such a fun class.

I’m a willing student in the school of tough love. I really appreciate it when people are constructively direct, can look you in the eye tell you what’s up and then you can move forward. No sashaying or tiptoeing around the obvious. Got something green in my teeth? Tell me. Don’t like the way I peeled out of your driveway? Fine, I’ll slow down. Want me to turn off Rage Against the Machine? Too bad. Some people hate this approach and need things a little softer. But seriously, grow a pair! If you want to challenge yourself and improve you have to face the truth, even if it hurts.
«Sergeant» Yolanda Vargas, a superstar of the ballroom scene, teaches at RIMAC, and she uses humor and a dose of tough love to cultivate exceptional results out of her students. Over the past few years, Chun P. and I have taken Yolanda’s Beginning Couples Ballroom, International Tango, Samba, and now International Foxtrot (hard) and Rhumba. Yolanda’s classes are very challenging, but she is patient and persistent in helping her students achieve their full potential. Plus, RIMAC is a beautiful facility, and classes are affordable for everyone — even when priced for the community non-​UCSD student set.
If you want to be a great ballroom dancer, you need someone who’s going to tell you when you look like Fred Mertz when you think you dance like Fred Astaire. Yolanda’s an awesome teacher, and I’ll gladly enjoy a ballroom beat-​down from her any day. She’s shaped me into a something fierce on the dance floor!

This review is for the UCSD Recreation classes. I’ve taken several tennis and swim classes, and they are reasonably priced with a good selection of class times. Many classes fill up quickly, though, so it’s always a good idea to register early. I’ve also been a Rec Card holder, and the facilities are good, if not great. There’s a lot of expansion going on though, so maybe the weight and cardio areas will get some upgrades!

UCSD Surfing Class — Best Deal In Town! (At La Jolla Shores just north of the pier — I took it in July/​Aug but there are others available). I have always wanted to learn to surf and Austin D. turned me on to this class… 7 classes in the water once a week for only $ 65 including use of a board! Each class was about an-​hour-​15 min. The instructors were hot little surfer dudes in college (and cute girls came in as subs too). You need to buy/​rent/​borrow your own wetsuit.
The instructors taught us basic skills and got us in the water right away. They talked briefly before each class, but basically said that the best way to learn was to get out there. The skills were really helpful… like how to deal with not getting beaten up in the impact zone (where the wave breaks). The instructors helped us out in the water one-​one-​one, and were patient and supportive. The instruction helped with my confidence to get out there and just do it. (The water wasn’t even cold once you got in!)
Tip: There were 3 sections on Saturday and I took the middle one… that means the first class had to carry the boards onto the beach (from a nearby shed), and the last class had to put them away. I got to just show up on the beach and pick a board there waiting for me. :-)

Good gym, lots of equipment.
I’ve taken many classes here, and that’s the real purpose of this review. I took my first yoga class here with Yoga Nazi Nicole, who would lay on you to increase your pain, and flexibility. I also took a west coast swing class from which I remember nothing.
However, I am not taking their beginning Latin dance, with instructor Yolanda Vargas. It’s great, she’s great. She’s this 40ish salsera who makes funny sex jokes to the crowd of 50+ people. She’s hilarious, and probably has made the same jokes every quarter since she started teaching, but she still looks like she truly enjoys being there. She also let people join late, even beyond the class size. This means that you won’t get a whole lot of individual attention, though.
It’s fun, well taught, and classes are a lot cheaper than other studios around here. Parking is only $ 1 an hour and is pretty abundant and convenient.
I also used to teach swim lessons through UCSD Rec, and I humbly think that they, too, are well run and taught.

I took a strength training class here. It was superb! First 30 minutes we did weights inside the gym. last 30 minutes we did a cardio workout outside in the stadium.
my body was bangin!
p. s. its kinda crazy seeing your TA working out. yikes. unless they are the cute TA of course ;)

RIMAC rocks… The best gym i ever used. They have many olympic weightlifting platforms for deadlifts, lots of Hammer Strength stuff. Nice staff and everything is well maintained.

UCSD is a great place to take classes of all kind. Marital arts, massage, dancing, exercise… all for a price that is pretty discounted compared to private instructors you find in La Jolla. Even if you are not a student at UCSD, you can still enroll in these class (it’s just a little discounted if you are a student). I took the beginning ballroom dancing with my boyfriend here and it was a lot of fun!