Story by Liesel Schmidt
Photography Courtesy of D1 Training Alexandria
Looking at Malachi McNair’s family history, being athletic seems pretty much written in his genetic code. His mom is one of the all-time top North Carolina high school track and field performers in the 400-meter and triple jump and is in the Sports Hall of Fame at East Carolina University. His dad was a multiple-sport-athlete who mastered the football field in addition to playing basketball and running track. Clearly, he’s got a lot to live up to.
At 15, the 6-foot, 2.5-inch, 235-pound McNair has shown he’s more than living up to expectations, both as an honor roll student and an incredible athlete. During his first year of playing football for Wakefield High School, he was called up to varsity and played as a sophomore, earning his first varsity letter. Over the past three months, he’s strengthened his game through some intense training with the experts at D1 Training.
“I came to D1 because I’m motivated to get in tip-top shape and be ready for my junior season of football." - Malachi
Primarily focused on losing weight, getting stronger and having better stamina, McNair has been incredibly dedicated to reaching those goals to become a better athlete and provide his teammates with greater support on the field. That dedication has been paying off noticeably. “It’s intense and takes commitment, but my training has helped my athleticism tremendously,” he says. “I have been able to do things I didn’t think I could do, like having a max 370-pound deadlift, a max squat of 305 pounds and a max bench press of 225 pounds, plus finally jumping a 36-inch vertical on the box jump.”
McNair’s future training goals are to maintain momentum and increase his explosive power as well as his strength. “I want to correlate those gains to the football field and hopefully earn a D1 scholarship,” he says.
Hobbies include hanging out with friends, playing sports and “money—making it, saving it and watching it grow.” In the future, McNair dreams of becoming an entrepreneur and has interests in computer networking, technology and business.