Inhuman Fit: Taking Athletics to a Whole New Level

Grace Olsen interviews members of the College of William and Mary’s most intense workout group — Inhuman Fit. Learn what sets Inhuman Fit apart from traditional workout groups, its mission, why members train the way they do, and plans for expansion. 

COURTESY IMAGE // INHUMAN FIT

“I’ll start at the beginning,” Nick Dantzleward ’22 said. “It all started back in November when I just got a group of guys together for a long exercise routine.” 

From this humble, relatively informal beginning, Inhuman Fit was born at the College of William and Mary. Inhuman Fit is not just your typical workout group — its extremely intense workouts truly set it apart. After all, not many fitness groups’ routines typically include a 20-mile ruck (walking with a weight-loaded backpack), 1,000 push-ups, 1,000 squats, and then 1,000 burpees all in one workout. 

Inhuman Fit operates under the belief that fitness is both physical and mental strength. As for why Inhuman Fit places such a high value on mental strength, members cite ultra-endurance athlete and former Navy SEAL David Goggins’s “40 per cent rule” — when the mind and body begin to fatigue, people are only able to achieve about 40 per cent of what they are actually capable of because the brain, in an attempt to prevent the body from further discomfort, holds people back. According to Goggins, developing mental strength is the key to unlocking full potential. This insight motivates the team to train the way it does.

“Goggins’s ‘40 per cent rule’ is crucial,” Dantzleward said. “For a lifestyle where you have the opportunity to put your best foot forward, you have to discover and unlock that mental connection. Watching people become the best versions of themselves and develop that mind-to-body connection is motivating and is where the greatest potential of Inhuman Fit lies.”

The group emphasizes camaraderie as they partake in monthly team challenges like rucks to put their mental and physical strength to the test. While joining the program is free, it requires a pledge of constant effort and discipline. Due to the sheer intensity of training, a scrupulous selection process is required. Out of roughly 40 applicants, only 15 were selected to join the team last year. Below are brief profiles of five of those members.

COURTESY IMAGE // INHUMAN FIT

The Team: 

Nick Dantzleward ’22

As founder and president, Dantzleward is the face of Inhuman Fit and has established many of the team’s core principles, most notably the group’s vision of fitness.

“Fitness is not static. And it’s not how much you’re able to do relative to someone else,” Dantzleward observed. “I think there’s an antiquated view of what fitness is. When people compare themselves to social media, the rest of the world always imposes other visions. What fitness really is, though, is making sure that you’re taking one step forward every day, taking responsibility for your improvements, and going towards the things that are difficult and that you think are impossible, even though you have doubts and fears. That’s what fitness is.”

As president, Dantzleward researched and designed the majority of the program alongside Oliver Miller ’24, who serves as vice president. As one might expect, Dantzleward has some military training. During his first year at the College, he participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and thrived in the program. He soon started looking for a bigger challenge, something that would tap into developing mental strength and determination — something that would become Inhuman Fit. 

Dantzleward is planning for a career in the military where he will be able to apply the principles of fitness to his everyday life and responsibilities. This summer, he will attend the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School and, upon graduation, will be eligible to be commissioned as an officer.

“It’s important to me that I push myself before entering the military. We have this quote: ‘Lead from the front,’” Dantzleward said. “Basically, all that means is whatever you ask others to do, make sure you’re doing yourself but better.”

Dantzleward hopes to lead from the front in all that he does at Inhuman Fit. As for his vision for the group, Dantzleward dreams of one day being able to host nation-wide community challenges. He also hopes to see an increase in female involvement in the group. While there currently are no female members, Dantzleward has trained women in the past and has seen great potential, especially as the club expands to college campuses across the country.

Tommy Williams ’22

Tommy Williams ’22, a data science major at the College, joined ROTC in 2018 as a freshman. Williams became interested in Inhuman Fit when Dantzleward was still in the beginning stages of establishing the program. For Williams, one of the biggest motivations for participating is the sense of accomplishment that comes from pushing himself. 

 “It’s one of those things where you don’t think you can do it until you do it,” Williams said. “But afterwards, you really carry your head high. It instills motivation and a good mindset. Being able to push myself to the maximum — mentally, physically — is really, really tough. But we don’t feel sorry for ourselves.”

Williams and other members of the team collectively agreed that one of the toughest (and most rewarding) aspects of the program is the self-discipline it requires — community challenges often require a 5am wake-up and 6am report time.

“I don’t know a lot of people waking up on Saturday morning who want to go work out in the rain and cold,” Williams remarked. “But also, it keeps me out of trouble. So, if I have to wake up at five in the morning, I’m not going out Friday evening. It’s a bit of a selfish reason right there, but it keeps me in line.”

Blake Batchelor ’23

A year ago, Blake Batchelor ’23 doubted that he could run a mile. Now, Batchelor is waking up at 5am with the rest of the team for 20-mile rucks and intense strength and endurance exercises. 

“I used to do a lot of this kind of intense exercise stuff with my friends at home,” Batchelor said. “But last year, I was super out of shape. I didn’t work out regularly. But then I started working out over quarantine. I found out about Inhuman Fit when the vice president, Oliver, shared some information on his Instagram story. At first I kind of thought the group was a scam. I even told Nick this. I couldn’t really figure out what it was all about. But once I did figure it out, it was definitely right for me.”

Batchelor believes in the philosophy that developing physical strength is not the only element of fitness.

“Obviously, you do it to get in shape. But also, you're doing it to push yourself, and you feel really good afterwards,” Batchelor remarked.

Daniel Flood, CNU ’22

Inhuman Fit has already begun expanding to other college campuses — while the College is home to the original branch, students at Christopher Newport University are now getting involved in the movement.

“Let me start by saying, I don’t go to William and Mary. I go to CNU,” Flood said. “I joined when I saw a post that Tommy put on his Instagram story. We worked out a lot over quarantine. We had a lot of fun together. And I thought, wow, you know, this is a great opportunity. I mean, if nothing else, I’ll make some friends.”

An integral aspect of Inhuman Fit is that members have one another not only to lean on when the going gets tough, but also to celebrate with. After completing community challenges, the team comes together to celebrate group and individual achievements. The team has almost a family-like atmosphere — and similar to a family, they encourage and count on each other to contribute to the best of their ability. 

“I remember at one of the community challenges, I got these blisters like never before because I wore Tommy's old combat boots that weren’t molded to my feet at all,” Flood said. “But Nick stuck with me. Granted, he was carrying over 100 pounds, but I was so lucky to have somebody by my side. We walked, we ran, we walked again, and I didn’t get left behind.” 

Even though Flood is not a student at the College, he is as important a member of the team as his fellow members, exemplifying the group’s focus on community. Expansion to Christopher Newport University was Inhuman Fit’s first introduction to another campus, and this expansion is by no means done. By the end of the spring semester, the team hopes to have expanded to at least four more universities, and by the end of 2021, to double that number. Social media has provided a powerful platform for the group to recruit new members — after community challenges, members share pictures, videos, and reflections on personal Instagram accounts as well as the group’s Instagram page, @inhuman.fit. Additionally, Inhuman Fit’s website, inhumanfit.com, has allowed them to spread the word and inform potential applicants about the group’s mission statement, application process, and diagnostic fitness test.

David Seidel ’23

David Seidel ’23 also discovered Inhuman Fit through an Instagram story, and like Batchelor, originally questioned the validity of the program until he did more research. Seidel’s initial skepticism and reservations about the group stemmed from his idea of campus culture regarding fitness.

“You know, it’s not really a common thing at this school to see people working out in general,” Seidel observed. “It’s also a lot less common to see Instagram posts about a new fitness group on campus. I was kind of shocked but interested all at once.”

Seidel, despite being initially surprised by the workload and commitment required by the program, sought the camaraderie that membership offered. However, he often faces questions from non-member friends about why he chooses to partake in such rigorous and physically draining challenges.

“When I’ve told people what I was doing the next day, they’d go, ‘Why are you doing that?’ And it’s weird because I never really have a good answer,” Seidel said. “It’s kind of just to see if I can do it, to be honest. I don’t think I could do any of those rucks by myself. When you’re doing it with nine other guys, you have each other to lean on. It’s a pretty cool feeling — you’re challenging yourself, and you’re also pushing your brother.”