Fitness is an essential part of developing good habits and a healthy lifestyle. Students incorporate this into their lives through many ways, whether it be lifting, running, or playing sports. There are people who dedicate themselves to exercising in a gym a few times a week, and then there are the more intense fitness fanatics who take the intensity one step further. Senior Sean McCullough is one of these athletes who devotes himself to his health through the sport of CrossFit.

Recently accepted into the United States Naval Academy, McCullough knew he had to prepare his body’s strength and endurance to meet the expectations of a military academy. He sought out training that could properly keep his body in good condition. Finding a local CrossFit Box, McCullough felt he’d found the training guidance he needed. “I found a location that matches my personality called CrossFit Sisu in Plymouth. I found out about it through the CrossFit website, and a general understanding of the CrossFit games,” McCullough said. 

CrossFit is known for having extremely intense workouts, called WODs, or Workout of the Day. These workouts are high intensity and can include anything from power lifts like squats and cleans, to simpler exercises like pullups and rows, and usually have many repetitions of an individual exercise. CrossFit also has military roots, which made it a very attractive for McCullough. “The creator of CrossFit was initially hired to train military and police, so that’s something that drew me in. Also, the reputation for how hard the workouts are got me interested,” McCullough said.

McCullough has also found that the tight-knit community that CrossFit has to offer makes workouts at CrossFit Sisu much more enjoyable, as well as makes the workouts more intense, which he enjoys. “The intensity [of the workouts] is where the competition and the hard work is put. The community itself is what brings this characteristic of wanting to build off of each other. They both help each other out. Without the community, you can’t have as intense of workouts or competition,” McCullough said.

More than anything, McCullough has found that CrossFit is all about mental strength, which he believes is something that everyone could benefit from, so he encourages others to try it out. “You can [be] strong, but everyone has severe weaknesses at the start of CrossFit. I’m still weak at a lot of things, and I have a long way to go to be good at [CrossFit]. Just doing the different workouts, seeing the different weaknesses, and continuing to [work at] it is what builds your mental strength,” McCullough said.

Although McCullough has only been doing CrossFit for about two months, he has found it to be very beneficial for him, especially for his training for the Naval Academy. At the Naval Academy, he plans to continue his CrossFit training to maintain his athleticism and stay in shape. “At Navy, they have a CrossFit club called Crossfit Blue and Gold, so I will [participate in] that,” McCullough said.