More than a workout: How group fitness is helping all ages combat loneliness

Members of CrossFit Full Potential in Newburyport, Massachusetts, compete in a partner rowing workout as part of a partner class on Dec 6, 2025. Partner workouts, held at the gym each Saturday, are designed to allow athletes of different experience levels to train together and have fun.

(For grading purposes only in case Alt Text cannot be seen) Alt Text: Several Adult men and women of different ages use rowing machines side by side, during a group workout at CrossFit Full Potential. One partner in the foreground is reading the time on a rower's display as he prepares to take over the machine.

Photo by: Lukas Atwell

As social isolation affects many adults, CrossFit gyms are where fitness and a sense of belonging meet

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (Dec. 13, 2025) — The muffled “thwang” of rubber weights hitting matted, concrete floors fills your ears, while the combined smell of sweat and antiseptic cleaner tickles your nose. Just past thick ropes hanging from steel rafters, stoic paintings of Navy SEALs stare down from the wall, their faces a perfect contrast to the smiling, chatting gaggle of men and women making friends before this morning’s Crossfit class.

One in three adults in the U.S. reports feeling lonely, while one in four adults has no social or emotional support, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. The agency says social isolation and loneliness are risk factors for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety and suicide. Community-based exercise and physical activity are near the top of their list for ways individuals can combat this problem.

“Adult loneliness is something that almost everybody deals with,” said Danny Vadala, the co-owner of CrossFit Full Potential. “I know specifically as a middle-aged man, we put our kids first, and you lose out on some of your previous social circles. You lose touch with people because they get busy with work and with their kids and vice versa. I've had clients who recognize that in their own life.”

Athletes push through a high-intesity conditioning workout on air bikes during a partner workout at CrossFit Full Potential in Newburyport, Massachusetts, during a partner workout Dec. 6, 2025. (Photo credit: Lukas Atwell)

(for grading purposes) Alt Text: Men and women of various ages pedal air bikes in a CrossFit gym during a group workout. The bikes are in two rows side by side, and each athlete is leaning forward with effort.

While many regular gyms might not seem like a place to meet new friends, the owners and coaches of CrossFit Full Potential in Newburyport regularly meet people who not only want to get stronger, but also want to be a part of a community, which is exactly what Kaitlyn Brosnan, a coach at CrossFit Full Potential said brought her into the sport 11 years ago.

“I was feeling isolated. Being a first-time mom at home, I kind of lost who I was,” Brosnan said. “I found a [CrossFit] program near me that did like a six-week challenge. They helped me with nutrition, and from there, I just fell in love with it, and I was like, ‘I need to do this.’ I was a member for a while and then I became a coach.” 

CrossFit workouts are performed in a group, but are scaled to individual fitness levels and monitored by coaches, according to CrossFit.com. They combine cardio, functional fitness and strength training into sessions themed around high-intensity effort.

Locally, the sport attracts athletes of all ages and abilities, according to Brosnan. Clientele range from former athletes to grandmothers.

“I think the younger generations enter CrossFit because they were usually involved in athletics in high school or college, and they're looking for that competitive atmosphere," Brosnan said. “I think we get a lot of middle-aged folks who are looking to get back into movement. We also have a lot of older clients. We help them maintain strength and teach them ways to move so [they] don't get injured.”

CrossFit Full Potential offers a partner workout every Saturday in which members can bring anyone they’d like for free, according to Vadala. These workouts are designed to be completed as a team. While many partner with their spouse or a friend, this workout is also a way to meet new people.

“Just coming in and partnering with somebody that you don't know is a ton of fun because the person who's got more experience ends up working a little bit harder to make up for the other person's lack of experience,” Vadala said. “The person with the lack of experience works a little bit harder because they're trying to keep up with that other person. Both people end up getting a better workout as a result.”

The partner workouts are just the beginning for the gym, which opened its doors in 2011. They have events regularly to support the community and the partner workouts.

“We'll sometimes try to do events after partner workouts, like cookouts or bring in somebody to do some cupping or to measure your VO2 Max,” Brosnan said. “Alongside that, there is the CrossFit Open. We do a ton of stuff to promote the community during that event and battle other gyms on the leaderboards.”

The CrossFit Open is an annual event where athletes from around the world can submit scores and compete in a series of curated workouts, according to CrossFit.com. Athletes and gyms compete with each other on leaderboards for camaraderie. Some members of the community qualify for the CrossFit Games, which is the sport’s most competitive event, while most participate for fun.

Joining CrossFit Full Potential isn’t intimidating, according to Vadala. Every new client starts one-on-one training with a coach who assesses their range of motion, general fitness, and ability to perform basic movements. They also discuss proper nutrition and self-care. 

“[Crossfit] is one of those programs that, on the surface, might not look like it's for everybody, but it's infinitely scalable to different fitness levels, and everybody can feel the benefits of the social circle here,” Vadala said.

In his mid-20s, Vadala said he was looking to lose some weight he had gained while he was focused on his career, when a friend gave him some free CrossFit training sessions at a local gym. While it was intimidating to start the program, it was the people who kept Vadala coming back for more over the years.

“Some people really make strong connections that carry on outside of the gym. It's just something that happens naturally,” Vadala said. Being able to be somewhere where you have a shared goal, where everybody's here to get better, it's a great way to meet people who have similar values and a similar outlook.”

A member of CrossFit Full Potential and her guest talk while they recover between rounds during a partner workout at the gym’s location, Newburyport, Massachusetts. Coaches say moments of rest between sets are often where friendships and connections are made. (photo credit: Lukas Atwell)

(For grading Purposes Only) Alt Text: Two women sit on the floor of the gym at CrossFit Full Potential, talking as they rest. One woman is sitting with her legs criss-crossed as she listens to the other talk, as she reclines slightly on a mat in front of several large dumbbells.

As the “thwang” of rubber weights pounding the floor ceases and the chalk dust settles, the coach calls the session to an end. Nobody is running for the door though. People are comparing sore spots while putting their equipment away. The room smells even more like sweat and cleaner, but nobody seems to notice among the tired, but smiling faces.

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