KAYLA BUENAVENTURA - NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES LAB ASSISTANT AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (SDSU)
I started working with Matt after a long hiatus from training. I was recovering from an sciatica injury and gained around 40 lbs of weight after the injury. Post-recovery, it became difficult to get back into a program on my own, and I found myself hitting a lot of brick walls and plateaus. After a months of searching another coach, I found Matt and since then, he and I have worked through several training programs. It was really refreshing to receive a program that didn’t skip over the fundamentals: restoring/maintaining range of motion, flexibility, and mobility. The first program I did with him was an attempt to get back into full-time resistance training and transition from aesthetic-based weightlifting to powerlifting. Six-weeks in, my outlook on weights had completely changed with all the new, versatile movements I’d learned and the personal records I’d set. Week 12 saw many of those records surpassed to above and beyond anything I could have hoped for. The next training program I completed with Matt was the most impactful, as he helped reintroduce specific exercises into my workouts again; movements Matt knew I felt apprehensive about due to my past injury. Through a program that focused on mobility work, addressing the thoracic spine, improving lost lateral rotation, and improving core and glute activation through asymmetrical loading. Matt helped me form a concrete understanding about the foundations of multiple movements; my squat saw a 108lbs increase in 12-weeks.
Matt’s programming has helped me restore my confidence in myself as an athlete. It’s allowed me to doors to learning, and open-mindedness about achieving goals. Matt is an incredible coach, and it has been a blessing to work with him. He’s fully invested in helping you become the best athlete and person you can be, and the passion he has for his clients is truly something to be experienced.