Meet Coach Molly
What got you started at TwinTown? Have you done anything like CrossFit before?
I got started at TwinTown because I was sick of holding onto a gym membership that I never used. I would go to the gym, dink around for an hour while barely breaking a sweat, then not go back for weeks. It was pointless. It took me a while to give CrossFit a try because I was scared that I couldn’t do it or that I wouldn’t have the time to commit to it. But when I couldn’t walk or lift my arms above my shoulders for a full week after my first foundations class, I knew I had found the place for me!! I’ve been addicted ever since.
I had never done anything like CrossFit before (unless you count gymnastics when I was young), but I’ve always had an intense personality and a love of competing, even if it’s just with myself. I wish I had started CrossFit earlier!
What has been the accomplishment you’re most proud of since starting?
Besides becoming a coach? That’s probably my biggest accomplishment so far and I’m super excited to be a part of the incredible Twin Town coaching team!
Workout-wise, I vividly remember the last Open workout of 2016: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of Thrusters and Bar-facing Burpees…UFF-DAH. I get anxious before any workout, but I was MEGA anxious for this one since thrusters completely crush me. But it was the first really tough workout that I legitimately dominated. It took me to a whole new level that I didn’t know I had in me! Even though my time wasn’t the best, I was super proud and knew I had given it my all!
If you were programming for yourself, what would your favorite hour-long class look like?
Overhead squatzzzzz all day! Then some long, grinder workout of box jumps, pull ups, and light weight snatches.
What would it NOT look like?
Any combination of wall balls and rowing…icky.
We’ve watched you improve your pull-ups remarkably since getting started here. What advice would you pass along to someone looking to get their first one?
Aw man, I used to HATE pull-ups. I was so weak that it was just frustrating when pull-ups were written on the whiteboard. But pull-ups are badass and I refused to let them be the only reason I wasn’t doing a workout Rx, so I worked on strict pull-ups religiously. Building up enough strength so that I wasn’t solely relying on the kip was really important for me. Then I went to a magical kipping clinic and **poof** kipping pull-ups were born! I’ve been obsessed with them ever since.
But in all seriousness, it takes a lot of patience to work on your kip piece-by-piece instead of jumping right into kipping pull-ups or toes-to-bar. I broke down the kipping pull-up into steps and would build them up in sequence every time I practiced instead of hopping on the bar and hoping to get a pull-up the first try.
I know we’ve got a lot of women at the gym right now that are so close to kipping pull-ups, so let’s make it happen!!
What are some of your non-gym passions?
I love talking about, studying, and designing architecture and I’m super lucky to have it as my day job! I also enjoy working on our new house, snowboarding, going to concerts, and traveling. Oh, and snuggling with our kitties Parkour and Butters! ME-OW!
What does an ideal weekend look like for you?
Staying in my pajamas till noon while drinking coffee and snuggling with the cats. Then, checking some house projects off the endless list. Wait a minute, this is an “ideal” weekend, so let me rephrase that: Me staying in my pajamas + coffee + cats, while my wonderful husband Sam checks some house projects of the list Then, we’d head to the gym to work on lifting, go for a walk around one of the lakes, order Thai food in and have some friends over to watch football or an animated kid’s movie. I think I could watch Despicable Me every day, no shame.
Everyone else has got this one so you are too… What’s your favorite YouTube clip?