The Hammond Campus Fitness Center added the Lion’s Cage outdoor workout area, located on the east side of the Fitness Center, for students and members in late June.

The facility, which is open on weekdays from 2-8 p.m. and is free for students, contains similar workout equipment to the inside of the Fitness Center as well as new equipment such as tires for flipping and punching bags.

Matt Dudzik, assistant athletic director for Facilities and Recreational Sports, said the new workout area allows people to enjoy exercise and summer weather at the same time.

The workout area will remain open until winter and will reopen next spring.

Joshua Perez, Fitness Center employee, said the new area allows for workouts that can’t be conducted inside the Fitness Center due to space limitations.

“Sometimes it gets really crowded and noisy inside the workout room, so the cage allows people to freely move around and use more equipment in a shorter amount of time,” Perez said. “It’s also very peaceful out here, so that lets people focus on clearing their minds before exercising.”