Hondre McNeil ’03 has fond childhood memories of doing fitness videos with his mom in Lakeview, S.C. — Hip Hop Abs and Pilates were two of his favorites. He then would spend a few hours each weekend playing basketball with his dad. He liked the way an active lifestyle made him feel, but he didn’t understand why until he became a student-athlete on the Wofford football team.
“I red-shirted my first year and focused on getting into top condition,” says McNeil, who majored in computer science and mathematics at Wofford. “I began to understand the whys of athletic conditioning and training. I learned exactly what I needed to do to become a better, faster, stronger athlete.”
Now, in addition to his work as a human resources information systems coordinator for a local hospital in Lancaster, Ohio, he trains aspiring college student-athletes as well as people who want to get in shape and live a healthy lifestyle — both mentally and physically — as owner and operator of SWET Fitness.
“Fitness is a night and weekend job, but it’s my passion,” says McNeil.
Certified through the American Council on Exercise, McNeil also competes as a bodybuilder and coaches other bodybuilders in posing. He has his International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness pro card and competes in physique events. He and his wife, Jenny, have two children: Gabriel (10), who plays football and basketball, and Grace (7), who does gymnastics year-round.
“I understand the challenges of balancing family, work and fitness, which is why SWET Fitness’ tagline is ‘NO EXCUSES,’” says McNeil. “It’s all about balance.”
Visit myswetfitness.com for more information.
College flags hang from the beams at Motivus CrossFit in Spartanburg. The gold and black Wofford College flag represents coaches Jan Woods Keith ’86 and Chandler Brazeal ’14, as well as the Wofford graduates who come to the gym for their fitness fix and the community that trainers like Keith and Brazeal bring to the place.
“Motivus is so diverse. Old/young. Male/female. Good athletes/beginners. People from different backgrounds. I wasn’t an athlete in college, but from day one, people were cheering me on,” Keith says. One of her strengths is the ability to relate to people who are apprehensive about lifting weights. “I was thrilled with what CrossFit brought to me as a late starter in the form of strength training. … CrossFit also gave me the confidence to complete a half marathon a few years ago.”
Keith majored in biology at Wofford and planned to enroll in medical school, but her family founded Pic-A-Flic video, and “in 1986, video beat med school hands down,” she says. Keith now runs a commercial real estate business with her husband, Jim, and coaches at Motivus, which is owned by her daughter, Joy Keith (Converse College), and two other coaches, Curtis Norwood (Newberry College) and McKenna Payne (USC Upstate and College of Charleston).
“Every class can be competitive — super competitive if that’s what you want — but it doesn’t have to be,” says Keith, who has found a niche working with wellness or master’s athletes who want to build strength and mobility as a way to improve their functional fitness. “The best weightlifter is not the best CrossFitter. The best runner is not the best CrossFitter. Everyone is out of their comfort zone. Everyone has room to grow.”
Brazeal is Motivus’s newest coach. Like Keith, he has his L1 certification and a reputation for positivity and encouragement.
“That goes back to being on the golf team at Wofford,” says Brazeal, who was captain during his junior and senior years. “That role and learning how to communicate with different people, rally a team and make everyone feel involved definitely translates to coaching CrossFit.”
Brazeal made a run at playing golf professionally after college and is now a routing specialist at Adidas and a coach at Motivus. He gravitated toward CrossFit as a way to remain fit and competitive.
“I’ve been a member at different gyms, but Motivus is the least intimidating gym I’ve ever been in, and that’s a good thing,” he says. “There’s always something I can do better, always something I can improve upon, but the community is still the best part.”
By day Meg Morrison Peebles ’07 is the director of trading operations at Global Endowment Management in Charlotte, N.C. By night, or at least while it s still dark at 5:30 a.m., she teaches core-centric, Pilates-based classes that clear her clients’ minds, sweat out toxins, boost mood and build strength.
“My goal for clients is for them to leave feeling better than they did when they walked in,” says Peebles, a trainer for the Hilliard Studio Method. “I get the young professional crew who are ready to get the day started off right, check the workout off the list and get back to business!”
Peebles started taking classes at the studio in 2013. After being a runner for years, she struggled to find a workout that was low impact but high intensity. “I knew after the first 20 minutes that this was the answer. I got my heart rate up, my limbs were shaking, and I saw results that I had never seen before.
Her routine has shifted a bit since she and her husband, Ty, had their first child, Maggie. Now Peebles mixes three weekly Hilliard sessions with after-work walks with Maggie. She also eats well but gives herself a break on weekends.
“Exercise keeps me sane. … I’m a million times more productive at work after waking up at 4:45 a.m. to teach the 5:30 class than if I would have slept in.
Mike Nicklas ’15 weighed about 270 pounds when he was on the offensive line for the Terriers.
“I was big, and after I was no longer playing football, my body just wasn’t healthy carrying that weight,” he says. “I graduated and dug into the fitness industry. I was on a mission to find a balanced workout and nutrition plan.”
Nicklas fell in love with exercise because the International Sports Sciences Association and now helps others struggling to lose weight and get fit. Home is Los Angeles, Calif., where he primarily works with clients who have home gyms. Nicklas also has an online fitness site, mikenicklasfitness.com, that gives beginners four different fitness modules over a 66-day period to introduce exercises and routines that may work for them.
“Getting fit and taking care of your body will transform your life in ways that you didn’t even think were possible,” says Nicklas. “It’s the foundation for everything else.”
To stay fit, Nicklas does strength training three times each week and has started a hip-hop dance fitness class at the Playground in downtown L.A. He’s using his major in business economics to run his own business, and he’s using the skills he learned as a student-athlete at Wofford to balance an increasingly busy schedule.
It didn’t take long after graduation for Niki Klasnic ’13 to find her niche in the world of fitness. After briefly exploring coaching, acting and personal training, she was watching YouTube fitness videos when she realized this was not just something she could do, this was something she would enjoy.
“I started sharing faith, fitness and wellness,” says Klasnic, whose SugarySixpack YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and app now have more than 325,000 followers. She’s worked with international fitness brands such as Adidas and Carrie Underwood and has done photo shoots with Cosmopolitan magazine. She’s also entered the speaking circuit, recently speaking at MommyCon in Charlotte, N.C. “Following this path, I’ve gotten to do a lot of things that I would never have imagined.”
Klasnic married college sweetheart Alexander “Gus” White ’12, and they’re now the parents of a busy toddler. Klasnic already was educating herself on pre- and postnatal fitness, when her pregnancy with Noah gave her the opportunity to live the wellness practices she was promoting.
“It blew my mind how much misinformation was out there,” Klasnic says. “Fitness for expectant mothers has been neglected for so long, but exercise is so positive for both mom and baby. Babies are healthier and more well-adjusted after birth. Moms who exercise recover faster postpartum, have less swelling and minimize common aches and complications.”
Roshonda Rogers Thomas ’07 is a soldier, a mother, an entrepreneur and the owner and founder of Fortitudine Studio, a gym in Anderson, S.C., that focuses on functional fitness for women while offering healthy after-school and summer programming for children.
“I created Fortitudine because there really weren’t gyms in my area that were kid friendly for working moms,” says Thomas. “I saw a need, came up with a business plan and opened the studio.”
For Thomas, the gym had the added benefit of helping her stay physically prepared for military service while allowing her time with her three children. It gave mothers a community of support and offered healthy snacks, homework help and physical activity for children. Thomas also used Fortitudine to launch her own coffee and smoothie line, as well as Anderson Axe Throwing.
“As women, sometimes we put others first, but it’s important to think long.term,” she says, citing diabetes, thyroid issues and heart disease. “It’s also about feeling good in your clothes (both literally and metaphorically). It’s about really taking ownership of your health and respecting what you have to offer as a woman.”
For the next 10 months, Thomas’s work with community health at Fortitudine is on hold. She deployed in November with her U.S. Army Reserve unit to Iraq.
“Wofford teaches you to work really hard for what you want. You can’t just go into a class and know you’re going to make an A; you have to work for it,” says Thomas. “The pride, confidence and work ethic I honed at Wofford, have translated to every part of my life.”
As a TPI-certified golf fitness specialist, Mike McDonnell ’10 helps golfers hit the ball farther, improve their scoring average and enjoy pain-free play.
“Fitness in golf in becoming more apparent,” says McDonnell. “The golf swing is a powerful, ballistic movement that can cause pain and trouble down the road. Top golfers have a TPI professional on their team, so if you’re not implementing golf fitness, you’re missing out and will be a step behind.”
McDonnell, who majored in psychology at Wofford, was a student-athlete on the college’s baseball team. He struggled with a back injury during his last season with the Terriers and found his way into the fitness industry as he recovered. After graduation, he moved back to New York and became a personal trainer.
“I loved it,” says McDonnell. “I enjoyed establishing great relationships with clients, and my psychology background helped me understand the deep-rooted why when it came to their motivations for improving their fitness.”
After becoming a Tier X coach and curriculum innovator with Equinox in Greenwich, Conn., McDonnell and his wife, Cait, moved to Charleston, S.C. He expanded his online coaching business to stay connected with loyal clients and now trains junior and competitive amateur golfers across the globe.
McDonnell practices what he teaches. He lifts weights to strengthen his core and works on mobility and range of motion.
“Staying healthy and fit also means I’m cognizant of nutrition, and I’m a big believer in sleep,” he says.
McDonnell’s clients appreciate his attention to analytics and assessment, both of which he uses to design a customized program for each golfer.
“I formulate plans that get results,” says McDonnell. “It’s all about helping golfers maximize performance.”
Visit coachmikemac.com for more information.
By Jo Ann Brasington ’89