Mac McCulloch, former military man and current CEO of Unit-27, is exactly the person you want leading a fitness revolution. Unit-27 is a fitness group running premier strength and conditioning facilities, with Phuket’s only CrossFit affiliate. Advocating the adoption of a regimen of a health and fitness lifestyle no matter your schedule, Mac shares his fitness philosophies and why everyone should do strength and conditioning.
Could you tell us a little bit about your professional background? I was in the Specialist British Forces, followed by a number of years living and operating in hostile environments. That’s how I met Rob Hallam, the owner and founder of Unit-27. We’ve been friends for many years because of our similar backgrounds: our military service together has formed a strong relationship, one that only ex-soldiers who have placed their lives in each other hands would fully appreciate.
Why did you choose to become involved with Unit-27? Rob set up Unit-27 in 2013, having seen a gap in the market at the time. I was already running his business in Iraq when he approached me with the offer of running the Unit-27 Group. We have ensured that the ethos and chosen direction of The Unit-27 Group, has been taken to new heights without losing touch with the needs of our ‘Troopers’, our term of endearment for our clients.
How important is incorporating strength and conditioning into a daily routine? There are many reasons why strength and conditioning is important in a person’s daily routine, whether athletes or amateurs. We design our class programming to benefit all who attend, and advantages of incorporating this into your daily routine are huge: from important stuff like injury prevention through eliminating muscle imbalance and strengthening tendons and ligaments, to more performance-driven differences in sport like speed, endurance, power and confidence.
What most people don’t realise is that getting an athlete’s legs stronger through exercises such as squats and lunges is the quickest way to make that athlete faster in whatever they do. Our well-designed strength and conditioning program will make an athlete more powerful by utilising the correct exercises and implementing plyometrics the right way. The hard work and discipline it takes to do strength training carries into the things in life that you don’t like doing or the things that are tough: getting on with it and pushing through will make you a better person.
What type of people do your programmes attract? We have a very eclectic client base here at The Unit-27 Group, from people beginning a fitness journey or seeking transformations in their lives, to athletes from varying disciplines seeking the next level in their training regimen. We have them all, and cater to them all; that’s where we excel.
Is CrossFit suited for everyone? CrossFit is suited to anyone who wishes to attend: all movements and weights are scalable to the person’s abilities. Where CrossFit differs slightly is in its workout, or WOD (workout of the day). The WOD is principally set with a particular routine, or a set number of exercises and the individuals compete against only themselves and the clock. The workout is as intense and difficult as the individual allows—our coaches will undoubtedly ask you to push yourself but only within your own personal limitations.
Describe an ideal health and fitness holiday in five words. Inspiring. Motivational. Fun. Challenging. Rewarding.
What’s your take on the phrase, ‘short term pain, long term gain’? This is a very ‘gung ho’ term and one which can often be taken out of context. Perhaps a revision of the first part should read, ‘Make regular visits outside of your comfort zone?’ To be better tomorrow, you have to work harder than you did yesterday is something everyone can relate to in terms of becoming stronger, whatever your chosen goal may be.
What are the crucial factors involved in implementing a successful healthy lifestyle change? Most of the people who come to us for a fitness holiday have already made the decision to engage in a healthier lifestyle—these are not the people who need too much in the way of encouragement. In addition to our scheduled class programmes, we also run a bespoke and intimate programme called Operation Transformation. We coach and mentor people through a process of change within a physical fitness regimen, as well as providing dietary advice and decision making changes from our fully qualified coaches and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioners. We have had very encouraging and positive results through this specific programme: two of our previous four clients have had a dependency on Type two diabetes insulin removed from their daily intake, a huge success in terms of improving health.
Follow Unit-27 on Instagram for some military-style motivation @unit27thailand.
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