Meet the coaches.
We'll handle the plan. You bring the effort. Every coach here cares about guiding and encouraging each member toward the goals they set for themselves.
Owner
Dr. Kathy Lynch, PT, DPT ☘️
Dr. Kathy Lynch, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist, Certified Functional Strength Coach, and co-owner of Encore Physical Therapy. At Helix Training, she brings a clinical lens to strength training, designing sessions that build resilience, reduce pain, and support long-term movement health. Her work bridges rehabilitation and performance, helping people train with confidence and intention. Whether you’re learning to lift for the first time or chasing a new personal best, Helix is where serious coaching meets genuine fun.
Turning point
Dr. Lynch’s path into physical therapy and strength training began with a knee injury that interrupted her college basketball career. Through intentional strength work, she learned firsthand how proper training can reduce pain, restore trust in the body, and create lasting durability. That experience reshaped her relationship with movement and now informs how she coaches and treats others.
Motivation and passion
Kathy is motivated by the belief that strength is one of the most powerful tools for injury prevention and pain reduction. She is deeply invested in helping people move better, not just in the gym, but in daily life, by blending clinical expertise with thoughtful, individualized programming at Helix. Outside the clinic and training floor, she enjoys golfing, spending time in Corvallis with her partner, Inga Zasada, and their dogs, Rudy and Agnes, and is a rabid fan of all things Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Coach
Dr. Mel McNulty, PT, DPT, COMT, CSCS
Dr. Mel McNulty, PT, DPT, COMT, CSCS, is an Assistant Professor at Western University of Health Sciences, where she teaches exercise physiology, wellness, and nutrition, as well as therapeutic exercise in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. After 15 years of practice in outpatient orthopedics, Mel recently expanded her professional focus to include personal training and strength coaching after earning her Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
A former collegiate athlete and self-proclaimed exercise nerd, Mel believes movement is a powerful tool for optimizing health, longevity, and quality of life – a belief that only deepened after being diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 2018. Navigating her own health challenges has reinforced the profound role exercise plays in physical performance, resilience, and overall well-being, fueling her passion for lifting barbells, as well as others up.
Mel is driven to educate, encourage, and empower others so they may realize and harness their potential. She believes the most powerful posture is one of humility and welcomes the opportunity to walk alongside others in their fitness journey – especially when that walk includes a heavy farmer’s carry.
Beyond exercise, Mel’s passions include faith, family, food, and football (she’s a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan), and she especially loves all things Jesus, her husband, Shawn, and their radical rescue dog, Mason.
Coach
Amy Clem, LMT
Amy, or “Clem” as everyone at Helix calls her, brings style and sass to every session. A licensed massage therapist, she’s an expert at building strength with kettlebells, barbells, and dumbbells alike. She’s also especially skilled in the arts of dance and jump rope, so don’t be surprised if the warm-up has a little rhythm to it.
Qualifications
- BFA in Dance Performance
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Certified Functional Strength Coach
- Certified Functional Range Conditioning FRC® Mobility Specialist
- Bioforce Conditioning Coach
- Certified Craniosacral Therapist, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga Teacher - 500, and Reiki Master
Coach
Tony Alexander
Tony is a certified coach through ISSA, with a specialty in recovery and functional fitness. With a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he has a keen grasp of biomechanical movement and full-body activation. Over five years of strength and conditioning coaching allows him to help people of all ages achieve more on and off the mats. He brings a philosophy of function first to his training sessions, focusing on intentional movement patterns and avoiding compensations. As he likes to say, “Control the weight, don’t just lift it.”
Being a lifelong athlete and martial artist, Tony realized that to get the best performance out of his body, he had to learn how the body moves the right way. He learned from Lucius Tirey, the founder of Greenstrength and a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, that how you move is more important than what you move. After seeing the results play out in his own life, he vowed to share this knowledge with the communities around him.
Tony has a deep passion for teaching and loves to share his experiences with everyone. He believes that a strong mind-body connection and knowledge of correct movement patterns can benefit all walks of life. Whether you are an extreme athlete, just looking to keep up with the grandkids, or somewhere in between, strength and fluid movement are the best gifts we can give ourselves. Beyond teaching, he enjoys flexing his brain with creative projects in art, music, and writing. Or you can find him outside camping, hiking, fishing, or just soaking in nature.
Coach
Nico Doran, ACE-CPT
Nico is an ACE-certified personal trainer with a degree in neuropsychology, and being in his class is like drinking four Red Bulls. His training philosophy revolves around the mental side of training, challenging you to find your limits. He emphasizes the willpower developed through consistent exercise and its positive impact on life outside the gym. Nico understands life has ups and downs, and aims to prepare you to stay engaged in fitness even when times get tough.
Midway through his sophomore year at Oregon State, Nico tore his MCL in a biking accident. Stuck on the couch, he thought about all the things he had always wanted to do before the injury. During recovery, he learned the importance of preparing the body and mind for setbacks through discipline, and the calculated patience involved in healing. He is most inspired by the stories and motivations of the people he trains, and he often relates them to his own challenges. Nico aims to help others overcome the mental setbacks of past injuries and come back stronger.
Nico spent 8 years in competitive swimming and running, forging the discipline needed for a lifetime of strength and conditioning. He also spent much of his youth training in mixed martial arts, earning a brown belt. In college, he followed in the footsteps of his father, who was heavily involved in powerlifting and bodybuilding, and bodybuilding became his own focus. When he’s not training for that, he’s training for the outdoors: fly fishing, snow skiing, water skiing, barefooting, camping, and backpacking.
Coach
Rebecka Weinsteiger
Coach Weinsteiger is a Certified Olympic Lifting Coach through Catalyst Athletics, a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach and a Corrective Exercise Specialist. As the current program designer at Helix Training, she builds strength systems rooted in sound mechanics, intentional progression, and real-world function. Her coaching philosophy centers on strength as the foundation for lifelong mobility, confidence, and capability, inside and outside the gym. She’s an all-around Swiss Army knife, with a sense of humor that keeps you laughing instead of crying while your quads burn.
Turning point
Rebecka discovered fitness through CrossFit, where constantly varied functional movement and time under tension first sparked her love of strength training. What began as a pursuit of performance evolved into a deeper curiosity about how bodies move, adapt, and stay resilient over time. That curiosity ultimately led her to Olympic weightlifting, corrective exercise, and thoughtful program design, shaping the approach now woven into Helix Training’s functional strength training model.
Motivation and passion
Rebecka is driven by a belief that strength training doesn’t have to be about extremes, but rather about building a body that supports the life you want to live. Whether that means chasing kids, hiking rugged trails, or staying independent and capable for decades to come, her work is focused on helping people move well and feel strong doing it. Outside the gym, you’ll find Rebecka adventuring to Oregon’s finest skateparks, exploring backcountry trails, or immersed in her favorite creative endeavors: painting watercolor landscapes, shaping clay into weird but functional treasures, and drawing comics that elevate our collective power toward building a world where everyone has access to a good life.
Qualifications
- Olympic Lifting Coach, Level 1, Catalyst Athletics
- Certified Personal Trainer, NASM
- Corrective Exercise Specialist, NASM
- Nutrition Coach, NASM
- Lifelong Performance Programming Specialist Certification
Want to coach here?
We're always glad to hear from coaches who share the philosophy. Send us a note with a bit about yourself.