Fitness Center at the JCC Indianapolis
The JCC Indianapolis’ 20,000-square-foot Mordoh Fitness Center has an indoor track, cardio and strength equipment, free weights, boxing bags, kettlebells – anything and everything you need to maximize your workout. Unlike a fitness club, we also offer two gyms, racquetball courts, and indoor and outdoor pools. Whether you’re looking for a gym with a pool, a pool with a fitness center, or a fitness center with racquetball courts, we’re the place for you!
Need an intro to all the machines and other bells and whistles? Sign up for a FREE 30-minute fitness orientation with a JCC personal trainer! Available to new members and those who have never had an orientation, no matter the length of their membership.
Benefits of Belonging
- Your Exercise, Your Way: The JCC offers options from Do It Yourself to Personal Training to something in between.
- DIY: The JCC offers all the tools you need to direct your own exercise and wellness. You’ll find that the character of our community center is welcoming and comfortable and we have the spaces, equipment, and accessories you need for building a better you.
You may be a creature of habit when it comes to exercise, always gravitating to the same equipment or doing the same workouts. A personal trainer can introduce you to exercises you may have never done before or would never have attempted on your own. Plus, they balance out your workouts so you’re getting the benefit of a fuller, more well-rounded workout.
Group exercise is the perfect middle ground between working out alone and hiring a trainer. The instructors in group classes demonstrate each move and ensure that you’re using proper form. The majority of Group Exercise classes are free to members as a benefit of membership.
The JCC has two Pilates Reformer studios for focusing on core strength and proper muscle engagement with slow, purposeful movements magnified through the use of the Reformer machine.
The JCC’s indoor walking track circles a variety of equipment and accessories, from treadmills and stairsteppers to medicine balls, balance balls and BOSU balls to free weights, resistance bands and boxing bags to rowing machines, and even a Jacob’s ladder.
The J offers adults-only lockers rooms (ages 16+) featuring a steam room and sauna. For your convenience, lockers have keyless entry, so no need to bring your own lock. And our shower stalls have a door (instead of a curtain) for added privacy. Each stall has its own changing area. Separate from the locker rooms, we offer individual changing rooms with diaper stations and showers for those who prefer it. Visit our Policies page for more.
Our Fitness Facilities
Our large Group Exercise studio fits 30 people at a comfortable social distance. The floor was refinished in 2018 and all new, brighter, energy-efficient lighting installed in late 2020.
All spaces in the JCC have their own air handling systems. See below for “Your Health Is Important to Us.”
Visit our Schedules page for a class schedule, or download our mobile app for iOS or Android devices.
For safety purposes, the studio will be locked when class in not in session.
Due to a fund established by a generous benefactor, the JCC is able to replace outdated equipment regularly. Some of our equipment includes:
- Treadmills
- Console with TV and internet viewing options.
- Integrated footplant technology that recognizes your natural foot speed and matches every stride for an ultra-smooth feel.
- An impact control system designed to provide more absorption in the front where your feet hit the belt and added rigidity at the back for a firm push-off.
- Ellipticals
- Fixed handlebars that allow you to focus on lower body workouts at higher resistance levels or challenge muscle stabilizers during hands-free training. We also have an elliptical with moving handlebars, allowing you to push and pull with your upper body to achieve a total body workout.
- Console with TV and internet viewing options.
- Incline adjustments between 10 and 35 degrees, along with 20 levels of resistance. You’ll get a challenging workout with a more natural feeling stride.
- Upright Stationary Bikes
- Console with TV and internet viewing options.
- Over-molded handlebars for added comfort, while offering dual heart rate contacts and three ergonomic riding positions: upright, cruising, and road.
- Simple seat adjustment allowing the rider to change the position of the seat with one hand, on or off the bike.
- Dual-sided pedals allowing the rider to use the pedals with or without the integrated straps. The extra wide pedals comfortably accommodate feet of all sizes.
- Recumbent Bikes
- LED console.
- Step-through design and low step-over height, designed for easy entry.
- Air flex seat featuring a ventilated panel and unique suspension system for a cool, cushioned ride.
- Simple seat adjustment allowing the rider to change the position of the seat with one hand, on or off the bike.
- Dual-sided pedals allowing the rider to use the pedals with or without the integrated straps. The extra wide pedals comfortably accommodate feet of all sizes.
- Rowing Machines
- Jacob’s Ladder
- Designed specifically for high intensity, low impact exercise, Jacob’s Ladder is positioned at a 40-degree angle and offers natural climbing motion, taking the stress off of the lower back, hips, and knees.
- Air Runner
- Running machine that packs an intense workout into a small package. It is completely manual, with no electric consumption. Monitor your distance, calories burned, heart rate, and more with the read-out console, featuring eight workout options to help you stay motivated.
We also offer wheelchair-accessible equipment like the Freemotion Cable Cross with independently rotating arms to accommodate any movement pattern and independently moving handles. And our Schwinn Windjammer is a great machine for upper body exercises and cardio for users who are rehabbing or unable to use their lower body.
Like the Group Ex studio, the Cycling Studio has a separate air handling system, with MERV-13 filtration (see Your Health Is Important to Us about our air handling system).
For safety purposes, the studio will be locked when class in not in session.
Fitness Center Policies
Under 8 Years
Children under the age of 8 are not permitted in the Mordoh Fitness Center.
8–12 Years
Children ages 8-12 may use strength training machines (not including free weights), the indoor track, and all aerobic equipment under the supervision of a parent or guardian aged 18+.
13–15 Years
Children ages 13-15 may use strength training machines (not including free weights), the indoor track, and all aerobic equipment in the Mordoh Fitness Center. They may exercise on their own if the JCC has received a signed waiver.
Note | Any member under the age of 16 is required to participate in orientation before using the Fitness Center. Stop by the Fitness Center desk any time for a free orientation.
Please contact us to schedule a time at fitness@JCCindy.org.
Yes and no. It depends on the type of class and the age of the child. For classes specifically for families, children ages 8+ are welcome in the Group Ex Studio. For classes like Zumba or classes that don’t involve weights, they should be at least 13 and able to pay attention for the full length of the class and not be disruptive. For cycling, they also need to be tall enough to adequately fit the bike.
For classes that involve weights, e.g., Muscle Tuf, we use the same guideline as using free weights—the child needs to be 16.
Please note that our members are required to wipe down machines and equipment after each use. Sanitary wipes and trash receptacles are located throughout the space.
For security reasons, gym bags are NOT allowed in the Mordoh Fitness Center. We offer storage for personal items in lockers outside the Family Changing Rooms.
For the privacy, safety, and security of our members and guests, please be mindful not to include others in the background of any photo or video.
As well, please be mindful of the language used and volume of conversation used in areas where others are working out.
The JCC does not allow personal trainers who are not on staff with the JCC to train members or guests in our facility.
We offer free fitness center orientations, which are recommended for all new members. We’ll teach you how to use all our equipment to ensure that you get an efficient and safe workout.
Please contact us to schedule a time at fitness@JCCindy.org.
Note | Any member under the age of 16 is required to participate in orientation before using the Fitness Center. Stop by the Fitness Center desk any time for a free orientation.
For more about our overall policies, visit Policies page.
Your Health Is Important to Us
Each area of the fitness center (and of the JCC overall) has its own separate HVAC system, with the size of the system based on the area to be covered. Fans run continuously for the best ventilation and filters are changed regularly. The Mordoh Fitness Center has seven rooftop HVAC units, 5 tons each. The Group Ex Studio has its own 7.5-ton HVAC system. In December 2020, the filters were upgraded to high-efficiency MERV 13, which can trap very small particles including the virus that causes COVID-19.
The JCC has water fountains as well as a rapid water bottle refill station. Please bring your own water bottle to stay hydrated during your workout.
About Leon Mordoh
Leon Mordoh (1936-2019) z”l was the owner of HPS (photocopiers), retiring at the age of 80. His commitment and contributions to the JCC, the Jewish and the general community are extraordinary examples of philanthropy in action.
One of four brothers born to Lora and Mallah Mordoh who emigrated to the U.S. from Greece, Leon grew up in Florida and spent his summers in Indianapolis. It was during those enjoyable summers in Indianapolis when Leon first started going to the JCC. His fond memories are one of the reasons Leon endowed the JCC’s fitness center in honor of his brother, Geon.
In an interview, Mordoh shared his basic giving philosophy, “Being a part of the generation that worked its way up from nothing to something, I feel it is my duty to respond back to the community and donate… and that’s what I do,” he said. “The JCC is a worthwhile organization that does nothing but good.”
In addition to serving on the JCC board, Leon served as President of the Broadmoor Country Club twice and on the boards of the Albert and Sarah Reuben Senior Resource Center (Jewish Family Services), the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, the Rotary Club of Indianapolis, and Etz Chaim Synagogue.
Leon’s gentle, positive nature, his can-do attitude, his big heartedness, his sense of humor, and his devotion to family and friends are why many people refer to Leon as a mensch, a Yiddish word used to describe a person of integrity and honor.
Fitness Is a Core Jewish Value
At the JCC, fitness isn’t just something we do; it’s who we are. Although exercise is not mentioned in the Torah, taking care of one’s health is. In fact, while other belief systems advocate for the healing power of prayer, Judaism encourages people to look after their health and seek counsel from medical experts. In Judaism, good health is not a goal in itself. Rather, it is a means to an end – to serve the Creator.