Grammy Sophonsakulrat came to Texas Tech wanting to become a physical therapist, but her own time at the power rack sent her on a different path.

On a warm afternoon leading up to spring break, a weight room at Texas Tech University’s recreation center is bursting with students deadlifting and bench-pressing barbells. Not much can be heard other than the clanging of weights and the grunting of those bearing them. 

Among a sea of mostly male students is one of the most focused and methodical in the room – Kornkanok “Grammy” Sophonsakulrat – who is a student at Texas Tech’s Graduate School, earning a Master of Science in kinesiology. 

Grammy began lifting weights with friends in high school to socialize and burn calories, but when she started college in 2020, she recognized there was a whole lot more that weightlifting could offer than looking toned. 

“This has become a discipline for me,” Grammy says. “Now it’s a habit and its done so much for my mental clarity as a student. It helps me feel calm.” 

Warm Up 

There is something about the practice of returning. 

Returning to a class that wasn’t passed the first time. Returning to a tough conversation. In Grammy’s world, the practice of returning to the power rack brings out the best in her. 

As weightlifters understand over time, the grit it takes to lift over and over again begins showing up in all aspects of life. 

Grammy’s parents moved from Thailand to Dallas, where Grammy grew up. She was always an active kid, but the emphasis was on being skinny. 

“In Thai culture, girls are very slim,” Grammy says. “No muscle definition or strength. It’s all about being tiny.” 

So, when she began lifting weights with friends in high school, her parents got nervous. 

“They thought I was going to get really big,” she recalls with a laugh. 

Grammy says this is a misconception many women have about pairing weight training with cardio. 

“I often thought I was in great shape just because I was small,” she says. “But when I’d start playing basketball or other sports, I’d find myself out of breath all the time and I was uncoordinated.” 

For someone with so much drive, it was a frustration for her. But luckily, a coach she was working with suggested she take that competitive streak and compete in powerlifting. 

Grammy was shocked. 

“I was the worst lifter there,” she says. “I had no idea what the coach saw in me.” 

At first, Grammy wasn’t winning any trophies. She was a newcomer to the sport and needed a lot of practice. But she had the determination, and that was evident to those coaching her. 

“I wasn’t very good, but I did have a lot of fun,” she says. 

Over time, Grammy’s competitiveness turned inward. Suddenly, it was about beating her own records, pushing past her own limits and showing up for herself. 

“I loved the way I was feeling, and I wanted to help other people feel the same way,” she remembers. 

So, in 2020, Grammy enrolled at Texas Tech with the intent of becoming a physical therapist. She’d learned a lot about form and functional strength and believed she could use that to help people overcome injury. 

Activation

What Grammy didn’t anticipate was falling in love with research. She discovered all the groundbreaking work being done in Texas Tech’s Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, and realized she could do more than help people through exercise – she could discover breakthroughs in exercise science herself. 

As she took courses, she noticed trends that validated her own experience of weight training as a young woman. She noticed most of the research on how exercise effects the body had been done with male participants. 

“We need more research into women’s health in general,” she says. “But I want to focus on their exercise.”

This fascination was so apparent to those around her that Grammy found her way into a research lab as an undergraduate. 

Associate Professor of Kinesiology Jacob Mota was teaching “Applied Exercise Physiology” and noticed Grammy’s laser focus in the course. 

“She came to office hours consistently and asked genuinely good questions,” he recalls. “I could tell pretty quickly that something was driving her beyond just getting a good grade.” 

This positive impression led Mota to extend an invitation to join his research group.

“That was the best decision I’ve made as a faculty member at Texas Tech,” he says.

And as happy as he was with Grammy’s work, Grammy was on cloud nine. She says the best part of being at Texas Tech has been working on that team. 

“I never go to the lab with the thought of “T-minus six hours until I go home,” she offers. 

This positive momentum solidified Grammy’s decision to stay at Texas Tech to pursue a graduate degree. She still enjoys helping train others, but research is what’s captured her attention. 

Working Sets 

Graduate school has been the true test of Grammy’s strength and focus. 

An average day runs 10 hours, beginning at six in the morning when Grammy laces up for a workout before most of campus has stirred. She then teaches a weight training course for undergraduate kinesiology students, as well as a course in diet and exercise. 

Some of these students may pursue a career like Grammy’s but others may coach athletes or become physical therapists. It’s her job to ensure they get a foundational understanding of the core principles needed. 

“I’ve had students approach me privately before class, nervous about the workouts and unsure of themselves in the weight room,” she shares. “I try to work alongside them rather than just directing them in front of a room.” 

Grammy puts herself through every workout before asking her students to do it. 

After teaching, she switches her focus to the lab. She has continued in Mota’s lab where they’re looking for non-invasive ways to assess muscle function in both men and women. Some days this means analyzing data, but other days, Grammy has assisted with studies involving local firefighters and police officers. 

When she can help others get better at what they do, it’s worth all the long hours. 

“I love seeing others succeed at what they do,” she says. “Knowing I was a small part of that makes me happy.” 

Cool Down

Grammy has had a successful run at Texas Tech. But no path is free of obstacles. 

“I had a health scare a few years ago before I started graduate school,” Grammy shares. 

Her doctor found a pre-cancerous cyst in her body that had to be surgically removed. 

“I was blessed they got it out, but the recovery was challenging for me,” she says.

After she was cleared to return to the gym, reps that would have been a breeze beforehand were making her break a sweat. She could barely get in two to three reps before she had to stop. 

Lifting was a core part of who she was. Its sudden absence threatened to take something of Grammy with it. 

“I had to find a way to use that set back as fuel,” she says. 

It took months, but she came back stronger than ever. Before finishing her undergraduate degree, she was able to deadlift 245 pounds, weighing in at 125 pounds. 

“I was so proud of myself,” she says. “I gained so much discipline from that experience. I had to keep returning to the bar until I was in control again, not the obstacle.” 

Stretch

Grammy has been accepted into a doctoral program out of state where she will continue pursuing her dreams of becoming a researcher and professor. She hopes to make a difference in students’ lives the way her teachers made a difference in hers. 

“Texas Tech introduced me to people who helped my character and my work ethic,” Grammy says. “Not to be cliché but this university helped me find myself. It’s where I found my love for resistance training and for research.” 

Those who spend time with Grammy notice her enduring positivity. 

Her smile and encouragement are not surface level, but a conscious decision she made about how she shows up in a space. 

“Her positivity really is her biggest strength,” says Mota. “Being ‘positive’ can sound like a throwaway compliment. With Grammy though, it’s a superpower. Nothing takes her down. When things go sideways in the lab – and in research, as in life, they always do – she finds a way through. 

“She is one of the hardest working, disciplined and genuinely positive students I’ve ever had. That combination doesn’t come along often.” 

If Grammy could go back and change any detail about her time at Texas Tech, she wouldn’t. She did what she came to do. 

“If students can build healthy habits now, it sets them up for success in the real world,” she says. “Nothing is going to be the same when college is over, but we’ll always have a choice to show up for ourselves."