Gym After Cancer: Meet our Founder

We’ve been running a series of Q&As with our On Repeat Sports brand ambassadors, asking them the same questions to bring you different perspectives on training. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, we decided to pose the same questions to our founder, breast cancer survivor and head gym rat, Marry Morales.

ORS: When and why did you start lifting? When do you feel like you became a serious lifter?

Marry: My brother got me into lifting at 12 so he’d have a spotter. I started training regularly at 16, when I signed up for weightlifting for PE my junior year of high school. It became a lifelong habit with some ebb and flow, as I got busy having my kids and running a growing business.

After going through cancer treatment in 2018, I dove back into a dedicated gym routine to rehab an injured knee and get my head on straight. I couldn’t understand how I’d ever let life get in the way of daily lifting. It was exactly what I needed to put health issues behind me and stop feeling like a patient. I took a different approach, working with a trainer and then signing up for an app-based hypertrophy program. This is where things got serious. The gym was no longer about being healthy, performing better in sports and looking good in a bikini. Throwing heavy things around with a plan made me feel in control of my body again. I felt strong, powerful even, accessing strength I didn’t know I had and hitting PR after PR. I discovered a reserve of mental strength, as I explored the limits of physical strength.

ORS: What time of day do you train and why?

Marry: Most days I wake up before 5, take care of my dogs, have my coffee and work a bit. Then I hit the gym around 7. I like this routine because I feel stronger in the morning and less tight at 7, than when I go work out earlier in the morning.

ORS: What do you listen to on repeat at the gym to get you into beast mode?

Marry: Most days, I go heavy. Neffex, Eminem, Hollywood Undead, Korn. A few of my favorites made it into our Playlist Inspired line of tees: Knuckle Dragging by Wrekonize and Jekyll and Hyde by Five Finger Death Punch. Other days I listen to country or rap. On repeat the last few sessions was Own It by Stormzy. When I get deep into a training cycle and start going for PRs, I really get into my music and am usually grooving out between sets.

ORS: Do you have a favorite exercise?

Marry: I love any kind of row and back day is my favorite day. I feel like a beast on back day!

ORS: What is your main fitness goal for the coming year?

Marry: I switched my program to one with three leg days weekly. I sort of unintentionally went into a bulk during this training to see if I could really put on muscle at my age. I’m ready for a cut to lose the flab that accompanied the glute development!! I’ve also been flirting with the idea of competing.

ORS: Do you write down your goals?

Marry: I use Apple notes to write out all my goals: professional, fitness, financial, personal development. I check them regularly and revise them quarterly.

ORS: What has led to the biggest improvements in your training or physique?

Marry: Working with a smart trainer was huge when it came to pushing me out of my comfort zone.

ORS: Who inspires you in the gym? Do you have a hero?

Marry: I’m self-motivated to the point where someone pushing just annoys me, but I pick up on the energy of those around me so I love it when I’m surrounded by serious lifters. I’m inspired by that guy who’s the hardest worker in the gym, no matter what he’s doing. My teenage boys inspire me to be healthy and strong. My oldest son Max amazes me with his strength and dedication to the gym.

ORS: What is most overlooked when it comes to getting the results you want in the gym?

Marry: Rest and nutrition. Period.

ORS: What advice would you give someone new to the gym?

Marry: First, focus on form. Don’t go up in weight until you’ve mastered the movement. Work with a trainer, a friend or lay out a plan in writing. If you are making your own plan, read or watch videos till you feel confident you are doing things right. That way you won’t feel awkward or self-conscious when you get into the gym. Finally, remember you have nothing to prove to anyone. This is your journey.