Now We’re Here
MobCoach Profiles: Samuel Low
Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Coach Samuel Low has been a fixture at Mobilus for the past 2 years. Though at first glance he may seem laid back in demeanour, Sam brings an attention to detail and movement to all of his classes, taking the time to work closely with members to help them move well. While he may be one of the youngest coaches, Sam has a wealth of experience in sport and coaching.
This month, I sat down with Sam— my colleague, friend and teammate— to take a closer look at his journey into coaching and his growth as an athlete.
What’s something you could beat any other coach at?
Sim racing.
What is your favourite thing to see in a class?
Members cheering each other on.
What is your favourite song/music to work out to?
These days, country.
Before getting into CrossFit, Sam explored a variety of sports,
Sam: My first ever sport was Windsurfing. I did Windsurfing when I was 15 or 16, for a year. They were looking for surfers for the National team— I joined a few trainings, but I didn’t make it.
Samuel rowing with his school’s dragon boat team. (Photo: Samuel Low)
My second sport was Dragon Boat— I competed for the school team for 4 years.
I tried Canoe Polo but it was too hard, and then I went into rock climbing. I started my first job as a trainer, a little bit of coaching for rock climbing. Which didn’t last long, probably about a year, then I went into bodybuilding and did it for 2 years. The first year was to build a good physique, and the second year was more to join a competition.
Annie: Did you ever compete in the end?
Sam: Oh, I double booked myself. Basically on the competition day I had a performance. Laughs
So on the day of my competition I had to choose - cause I played guitar for the band I was with, and I had to choose whether to play for the band or to compete. We were practising for quite some time, so I gave up the competition slot.
Sam performing with his band. (Photo: Samuel Low)
Annie: That’s quite funny, man.
Sam: It was quite shitty though— cause I had prepared for probably about a year -like properly from the bulking phase building mass, to a cutting phase. I did a proper cycle.
Annie: It’s okay, you made the generous choice to go with the band.
Sam: I mean yeah, you’re on a team right. So everyone relies on each other.
So all of my sporting experiences I tried to “make it”, and never really made it. So CrossFit right now is probably the furthest I’ve gotten in a sport I’m interested in.
Moving on from bodybuilding, Sam picked up CrossFit with his friend Kester during National Service.
Sam: We started doing CrossFit together. It was quite fun, getting all the Olympic movements, and it was quite cool cause you’re flying around, walking around on your hands. I couldn’t do it then, but I thought it was cool. Then naturally it became like a lifestyle, and I wanted to get better— I knew I could get better, so I just kept trying.
Sam and Kester both joined Mobilus as members, before eventually becoming coaches with Mob. Sam wasn’t new to coaching, and had work experience in a range of coaching and training roles.
Sam: (Rock climbing instructor) was my first proper job. After that I joined a Personal Training gym as a PT, and while I was a PT I found a job as a music teacher— so I was working 2-3 jobs at that point. I did that, and I made bingsu— but that was just to help my friend’s mom, so I did that just for fun.
Annie: Wait so how old were you then, working three jobs?
Sam: About 18 or 19? I left home quite early, so I had to make a living. I was still schooling, but I skipped school quite a lot just to go to work (at the PT gym), and I worked as a music teacher on the weekends.
Annie: Right. And the bingsu?
Sam: I did that on Fridays, Weekends, night time— but that was just for fun. I worked there just to design the bingsu bowls and try to give the customers as much bingsu as I could, haha.
While working, Sam was studying Sports Management and finding opportunities to put his learning into practice as a personal trainer.
Sam: I was trying to apply what I learnt. I was gaining a lot of experience, finding cues that would help people understand movement. That’s where I learnt how to build rapport with people, build professional relationships, which helped me a lot - How to help people instead of just making them work out. Helping them turn it into a lifestyle.
As his National Service was coming to a close, Sam was offered a coaching job at BFT. Having developed his skills as a personal trainer, working at BFT gave him the opportunity to manage larger fitness classes.
Annie: What are your priorities when you coach a class now?
Sam: Allowing everyday athletes to constantly learn. Most people don’t want to do this professionally, they just want to get a good sweat and work out, so my goal as a coach is to allow them to have that intention but also help them get good at the things that they do. For them to learn something, about themselves or about their body. So they can leave the gym not only sweating, but also with a better understanding of their body and themselves, to be able to move well.
I mean I don’t think they want to just do this for a year, this is part of their lifestyle. So to be able to do this in say, 5 years time, they’ll need to be able to move well and sustain this sport or even continue to work out up to 5-10 years down the road.
In 2021, gym owner Richmond formed a team for the CrossFit Open including all members in order to form a team that would qualify for QuarterFinals, sieving out the top athletes to form the final four. This was Sam’s first taste of competing in CrossFit with a team.
Sam: My first team was in 2021 - put together by Richmond, who asked us to form a team, and I realised it was quite fun.
Thereafter, Sam has competed with a couple of teams, participating in regional competitions like the Bangkok Throwdown and Kalis Games in Manila. He shared about his journey as a competitor, and how he’s grown through the experiences.
Sam: The last few years of teams I felt a lot of pressure.My biggest breakdown was in my first proper team at Bangkok Throwdown. I really bombed out, emotionally, mentally just checked out. I couldn’t get my ring muscle up and mentally checked out, started kicking the box, being very immature.
I wanted to kick everything in my sight— threw a tantrum basically. Later with a clean complex, I lifted a little heavier than I should and completely bombed out, and ran away - really childish. I failed all my lifts. I pulled the team down, with the intention of really trying not to pull the team down.
In 2023, team Crocs With Socks was formed, consisting of Sam as well as Coach Annie Set, along with friends and members Andreas Kurz and Jess Barnes.
In 2024, Andreas had to take a break from the team due to a clash in schedule that meant he would be unable to participate in the team’s goal of making the CrossFit Games SemiFinals. Head coach Aidan Chemaly— though previously planning to retire from competing in CrossFit— decided to come out of retirement to support the team. The team was renamed Croc Bottom.
Team Croc Bottom consisting of members Aidan, Jess, Annie and Sam. (Photo: Samuel Low)
This year, Sam and his team Croc Bottom make their debut at the CrossFit Games SemiFinals in Busan.
Sam reflected on how far he has come as a competitor, having developed a healthier perspective towards competition.
Sam: This year was the best— I didn’t feel much pressure at all. Not because I didn’t mess up, but because I changed my perspective towards the sport. I think with more reasonable expectations, you can prepare your body so much, but whatever happens, happens. You can only control what you can control.
Annie: How do you think you’ve grown as an athlete?
Sam: I’m a little more sound-minded. I go in with a much more solid plan— everything I did this year was more well executed. I know my body better, so I know better about when I can go, when I can push a little bit. I don’t panic as much. If I cannot, just wait a little and go again. I also don’t have that frustration anymore when I workout— I actually look forward to working out. I don’t rage anymore— I used to rage, if I missed a lift I’d slam the bar, throw my shoes, lift until I fail— but I haven’t had that feeling in a long time.
Annie: Tell me more about how you feel about this season’s Team Quarterfinals.
Sam: I think it was done pretty well. My team is pretty solid. I’m really grateful for Aidan - We have a good team dynamic. My team is solid, we keep each other accountable in the workout— we’re always watching out for each other. We push each other, but in a way that isn’t stressful.
My handstand pushups were all over the place, but I still felt like— I just had to keep my head down and keep going— not let the emotions take over, and you guys were there to make sure— you weren’t physically making sure that I keep my emotions in check, but it’s just that feeling you know?
Annie: Would you say it’s like a sense of security? Because our team has talked a lot about who’s got what strengths and weaknesses… And so going into the handstand workout, very clearly I need to rely more on Jess, and you needed to rely more on Aidan and I think— I’m assuming— that you and I felt okay knowing that there was nothing wrong-
Sam: Your teammates will cover you.
Annie: So it’s just go in and do what you can, and let your friend take over when you need
Sam: So you don’t actually feel really bad, but more you’re grateful that your teammates are there. And the thing I like about our team is that you don’t have to say so much, but you still feel it.
Annie: There’s an understanding.
Sam: Yeah, so you don’t really need to communicate much.
From April 3rd to 8th, Team Croc Bottom tackled the four workouts of the QuarterFinals, aiming for a top 30 finish in order to qualify for the SemiFinals.
After the first two workouts, the team was sitting comfortably in 16th place in Asia. Feeling confident as they prepared for the final workout, the team was in high spirits. The workout required the male and female pairs to take turns completing 30 reps of deadlifts followed by 30 reps of shoulder-to-overhead.
After the women finished their first 30 reps and handed it over to the men, Aidan suddenly fell to the floor after his deadlifts, having hurt his back. The team paused the workout and gave Aidan some time to recover. After checking his condition, the team had to deliberate on how to move forward. The final scores needed to be submitted early the next morning.
Finally, while it seemed that Aidan would eventually recover, he was not in a position to pick up a barbell that evening. The team decided that since the workout had no minimum requirement, that they would proceed with completing the workout— with Sam taking all the reps on the men’s barbell himself.
Sam fighting through the shoulder to overheads on the final team workout. (Photo: Samuel Low)
Annie: Let’s talk about that final event…how did you feel?
Sam: I feel like, if it happened to any one of us, all of us would have done the same. At the end of the day, we’re one team and in order to work as a team everyone has to work together.
When it first happened I thought it would just be for a while, that he just had a spasm and I quickly picked up the bar to go again- not knowing it was serious. I felt quite bad, cause I should have just stopped and checked on him. I didn’t know how serious it was until he was on the floor for a little longer and everyone came around.
At that point I was ready, I knew we had to go tonight.
Annie: Did you feel stressed?
Sam: No I wasn’t stressed, I was ready to go. It was more like, I didn't want Aidan to do anything, I wanted him to just rest. I knew that without a question, I would do it.
Annie and Jess sped through their shared 30 reps to allow Sam more time on the bar. He diligently pushed through the deadlifts. As the girls finished the 30 shoulder-to-overhead reps and Sam stepped up, the fatigue began to set in.
Sam: I was pretty ready to go, I might have started off a little hotter than I thought. After that first 30 I felt fatigued, my back was feeling it more than I would’ve expected. Going into the shoulder-to-overhead– I already had a little bit of a wrist injury. I did what I could in the warmup to minimise the pain, so I wasn't feeling much pain at all up till around the 10 or 15th rep and the pain started coming back again.
While Sam worked through the reps, Aidan stood by him to support and help Sam to pace. When he noticed Sam starting to fatigue, Aidan stepped up to the bar. Though it was a struggle to stand the bar up from the floor, Aidan managed to muscle it to his shoulders in order to complete a few reps, giving Sam a much needed rest.
Sam: When I dropped the bar it was really painful and I wasn't sure how I was going to clean it up again. My shoulders were fine but it was my wrist that was really painful. So when I dropped the bar and Aidan asked me to move away I was like ‘shit he shouldn't be doing this’.
But I couldn’t stop him cause I was really in pain, so I was grateful at the same time. It was very mixed emotions, because I don’t want him to do it but I don’t think I can pick up the bar anymore. In that moment I felt like ‘wow, my team is pretty good.’
So this year’s teams have been not just a workout, a lot of other things besides just the workout itself. It’s been really meaningful.
Though the team took last place on that final event, they managed to place 25th— comfortably within the top 30 required to make it to the SemiFinals.
Annie: How do you feel about the SemiFinals?
Sam: I’m excited, I mean I’ve been trying to get in. It’s my fourth year doing this properly to get into the SemiFinals and being able to do all the movements. This is the first year that I can actually do all the movements properly so it’s really exciting.
We’ve been a team for about 2 years, but the first year we didn’t make it because of all the mistakes, so qualifying this year - it’s very meaningful. I’m very very excited. I can’t wait to go there, enjoy Korea and compete.
Sam and team Croc Bottom will be heading to Busan to compete in the SemiFinals at the Far East Throwdown on the 17th and 18th of May. Stay tuned for updates on how Sam and the team fare during the competition via Mobilus Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mobilus.sg/)
To support the team’s fundraising efforts, you can buy a Croc Bottom t shirt at tinyurl.com/crocbottom or register for the Croc Bottom Quiz Night, happening on 11th May Saturday evening.
To stay updated on Sam’s journey, you can follow him on Instagram at @sammchappie.
