Volunteers assembled more than 1700 pounds of new free weights at the Houston Leisure Facility last week.
The free weights came courtesy of Canfor, which donated $2480 to build up the gym's equipment.
“The biggest deal is the pro-tapered handle," says Steve Arky, a gym user who volunteered to assemble the new weights.
"The other ones used a bit oversized pipe, and you weren’t getting a real good grip on it,” he added, referring to the 1980s-era pipes that the gym's free weights were outfit with before.
The new weights also have a lower-profile nut at each end, he said, which will also make them safer to work with.
“There’s lots of good equipment—people can come in and get a real good workout here,” he said.