NOTE: This article contains a correction.
Students, faculty and staff now have an opportunity to experience a workout routine that incorporates a variety of exercises.
The new group workout sessions all started when senior Kevin O'Callahan, an employee at Whitworth's Scotford Fitness Center, began meeting last summer with Alan Mikkelson, assistant professor of communication studies, for special workout sessions twice a week.
Soon Todd Sandberg, assistant professor of kinesiology and athletics, began joining them. While the Tuesday and Thursday sessions at 3:30 p.m. remained between O'Callahan, Mikkelson, and Sandberg, a few more people began meeting on Fridays at 11:30 a.m.
Both O'Callahan and Sandberg became more enthusiastic about the program as time progressed, O'Callahan said. The routine the small groups were using was modeled off an internet routine produced at www.crossfit.com.
O'Callahan, a Santa Barbara City College transfer that joined Whitworth two years ago, had found CrossFit and noticed that it produced a daily workout routine. The program was called CrossFit because of how it mixed different kinds of workouts to produce a holistic effect.
"This type of exercise has many benefits," O'Callahan said. "It helps ward off monotony, it can be more functional than static exercises because we rarely do things in everyday life that mimic, say, a bench press, and you get the benefit of combining cardiovascular exercise with resistance training." Resistance training can be roughly defined as anything that resists your motions.
This idea is not new in gyms and workout sessions, O'Callahan said, pointing out that many gyms have a series of machines that can be used one after another to exercise many parts of the body through a single routine. This is known as "circuit training." Whitworth's circuit training machines are actually arranged in an easily accessible pattern across the Scotford Fitness Center's floor, unlike most fitness centers. CrossFit incorporated the general principles of circuit training in its routines.
"Whatever your goal is, you'll do [it] faster by changing your routine more often," O'Callahan said, but he also knew that the website's routines were unrealistically difficult for those at the Scotford Fitness Center. O'Callahan, for example, lifts under 100 pounds while lifting weights in order to limit himself because of an old back injury. O'Callahan lifts more than most Whitworth students, but CrossFit can call for weights of over 200 pounds.
Instead of letting this stop him from benefiting from the CrossFit model programs of circuit training, O'Callahan took the Web site's idea and modified it.
"You can do anything...it's as creative as you want it to be," he said.
One of the changes he has incorporated is the use of machines, even though it's not traditional CrossFit training. But O'Callahan seems to be working more with the idea of the model than with the specifics.
"[Circuit training is] just a good way to get a full-body workout," O'Callahan said.
O'Callahan and Sandberg accordingly experimented with what they can do in the Fitness Center to get the full-body effect. One time, for example, the weather was good enough for O'Callahan to open the back door. That day, they completed the running part of the routine by dashing to the fence running along the back of the Fitness Center.
O'Callahan said that the fence was farther away than they had thought, but running outside produces the same effect as remaining indoors and using a treadmill instead. The story seems characteristic of how O'Callahan has modified the CrossFit idea for Whitworth's facilities as well as for individual students.
Each student can adjust the speed at which they work through the routine if the routine seems too difficult for their level, O'Callahan said. As students build up resistance or need more time in their individual workouts, they can modify their approach to the routine and find a pace better suited to their personal situation.
"Any card you want to throw in, you can," O'Callahan said, explaining why he likes the CrossFit model.
He added that the changing routines and the novelty of every session kept the participating students excited about the workout, and kept the process from starting to feel familiar and stagnant.
O'Callahan said that Sandberg, O'Callahan's supervisor, also seemed to gain enthusiasm for the idea as he became familiarized with the process. On Oct. 9, Sandberg sent out an e-mail to the students, faculty and staff. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday CrossFit sessions led by O'Callahan were listed under "October Offerings" at the fitness center this year. The class is informal and open to anyone interested.
O'Callahan knows that he'll be moving on to something else in the future. He is considering such options as a master's degree in human movement*, a job at a new YMCA and working as a trainer elsewhere to support his wife and two children. But he also hopes that Sandberg's enthusiasm for Whitworth's new CrossFit offerings will continue.
On Oct. 14, O'Callahan thought that the response of newcomers was positive. Five people besides the original group of O'Callahan, Mikkelson and Sandberg attended. Time will tell how the groups do in the future. For now, O'Callahan expects the groups to average around five or six people.
If you're interested in joining a CrossFit group on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays, e-mail O'Callahan at kocallahan10@whitworth.edu.
Contact Monica Calderon at monica.calderon@whitworthian.com.
* In the original posting of this article, Kevin O'Callahan's possible master's program was incorrectly identified. O'Callahan is considering a master's degree in human movement.
New workout group gives variety
Published: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Updated: Saturday, February 28, 2009
 "Photo:")
Scotford Fitness Center employee Kevin O'Callahan, right, shows freshman Rachael Wilson how to do kettle ball swings while senior Jeff Upton looks on.
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