Sick of the same old treadmills and ellipticals? The Canyon Rim YMCA might have a solution.

The YMCA updated its offerings last week, and a cardio room with all-new equipment is its crown jewel. Other improvements include a kids’ room, a lounge, an aerobics room facelift and new coats of paint.

The new cardio room occupies the area where two former racquetball courts used to be. (Don’t worry, racquet fans — two other courts remain.) When the construction dust settles, 32 machines will fill the space. As of Thursday, the gym was still waiting for delivery of four more machines.

Included in the mix are cardio machines for people with mobility problems. The SCIFIT PRO allows users to sit while getting an upper-body cardio workout, said TwinFalls YMCA chief executiveGary Ettenger.

“You pedal using your arms, which is pretty awesome,”he said. The machine is also popular with hardcore athletes training for triathlons.

Next to the SCIFITPRO machines are four Expresso Bikes, which combine working out with video games. Users pedal through different sceneries, and the bike’s resistance changes to match the shifting scene. Y members love the Expresso Bikes at theElizabeth Street YMCA, said fitness director Eric Snow, so Y leaders decided to add more to the Canyon Ridge facility, along with two Dogfight Active Gaming Flight Simulators. The Dogfight machines let users shoot at hot air balloons — or, if they prefer, each other — while using the pedals to propel themselves. The Expresso Bikes and Dogfight machines give the same physical benefits as regular bikes, but add a layer of fun to the sweat.

“It’s a total distraction from the actual workout,”Snow said as he demonstrated the Dogfight.

Member Justin Lammers especially enjoyed the bikes during a Thursday workout. “Those things are awesome,”he said.

Lammers was still trying to get the hang of the climbing station across the room from the bikes, although he was optimistic about the machines once he figured them out. Two VersaClimbers and two Jacob’s Ladders are designed to work Ymembers’ whole bodies. On the other side of the room, two Precor AMT machines customize workouts by adapting to a user’s movements. Instead of being on a track, the elliptical-like steps move freely back and forth and up and down, and can be used as a stair-stepper or a glider.

The cardio room isn’t all high-tech. Ten new Precor treadmills and six Precor ellipticals flood the floor and are still among the most popular machines, Ettenger said. Nine 52-inch Sony flatscreen televisions with wireless audio transmitters face the exercisers, and most machines are equipped with wireless receivers. Plug in your personal headphones, pick which channel to listen to and you’re set for the workout.

“The TVs are a bonus,”said Y member Chris Campos. Although he has been a member for only a month, he is still impressed with the new equipment. “It’s way better than the old stuff,”the Twin Falls man said.

Not all the improvements are downstairs. The second-floor aerobics room has a new vinyl tile floor that looks like wood.

“It has a lot of give to it,”Ettenger said, adding that it’s forgiving on knee joints. That room is home to the new aerobics class “Drums Alive,” in which participants rhythmically beat on stability balls with drum sticks, explained instructor Kay Parker.

The spinning room, adjacent to the fitness room, is awaiting its makeover. One of the biggest problems with the old facility, Ettenger said, was the huge spinning room sitting unused for all but two hours a day. Soon, an 82-inch television will play spinning DVDs all day, so people who can’t make it to the twice-daily classes can still take advantage of the 25 new Schwinn bikes.

Down the freshly painted hall, a kids’ room offers supervised, active play for children while Dad jogs or Mom lifts. The room has foosball, air hockey, dome hockey, two ping pong tables and space for a television that will have a Nintendo Wii and fitness video games. A similar setup at the Elizabeth Street YMCA is constantly packed, Ettenger and Snow said.

A downstairs area that formerly housed a few treadmills and a small television will be transformed into a lounge where people can relax, play pool and socialize after workouts or while waiting for classes.

Although Ettenger doesn’t want to be “bragadocius,” he said,the 25-year YMCA employee is confident this facility now has the nicest cardio theater in the West.

Although the remodeling wasn’t finished on Thursday, Ettenger said he had already heard fantastic feedback from members.

Melissa Davlin may be reached at 735-3234 or melissa.davlin@ lee.net.