By Heather McLean
Barbells banged against the ground as Crossfit class kicked off at the start of the morning. Student faculty and alumni paced their way through the grueling workout.
Kevin Daniels, assistant athletic director, has been coaching Crossfit at Peace since 2012.
Crossfit class is an hour long and it begins at 7 a.m. Classes are every day except Wednesday, a rest day. Class has always been in the auxiliary gym but with the new athletic center opening it has moved there.
Crossfit is a blend of intense cardio built around Olympic weightlifting. An example of a workout in Crossfit is Fran, which is three rounds of 21-15-9 of barbell thrusters and pull-ups.
“I’ve been doing it for almost three years now. Exercise is the benefit but the camaraderie of the community and if I can’t lift something they are gonna push me,” said alumni Alli Leggett-Woolard.
Leggett talked about how far she has come and how in the beginning she couldn’t even run correctly.
Leggett also does hot yoga before Crossfit and says it helps her kick start the intense workout. She also laughed about how she enjoys teasing the coaches and Daniels.
“I feel like for me it’s the easiest way to stay in shape because they are such quick and intense workouts,”said volleyball player Lindsay Alford. “I like how concise and straight to the point the workouts are.”
There are many benefits to doing Crossfit, especially for athletes. Alford talked about how it has helped her stay in shape for volleyball and improved her overall stamina and quickness on the court.
Crossfit classes are opened to all students at WPU and Leggett mentioned how she would like more women to join her in classes. WPU faculty can also join in for classes to improve their overall fitness.