I started with Matt in August of 2017, at the ripe ol’ age of almost-32. I was decidedly a non-athlete for the bulk of my life, but eventually began exercising and progressed to lifting around 2015-16. I fell in love with the empowerment that came with getting stronger and began fielding questions about powerlifting. I had never considered doing anything competitive before, so I found this absolutely intriguing.

Upon meeting Matt’s fellow coach Chad and taking his recommendation, I contacted Matt. We decided that I might be able to do something with this, and off we went! My first competition was February 2018 and I’ve been hooked ever since.

In my opinion, Matt’s biggest strength as a coach lies in his innate ability to “know the athlete.” He seemingly never forgets anything that has ever happened throughout my few years of lifting with him. Whether it’s appeasing my vanity, or knowing when to tell me it’s time to forget about it, he seems to always have the right answer. Throughout injuries and my own neuroticism, he’s time and again navigated perfectly and found the path of least resistance to get me moving again.

My ultimate goal is to hopefully compete at the National level as a Masters. Matt’s gotten me the first step of the way, coaching me into a QT for Provincials. I would never leave him as an athlete, regardless of where I am. I’m more than convinced he’s the only one I want getting me to Nationals.

I reached out to Matt after injuring my back, having trained for powerlifting on my own for several years prior.  I was just looking to rehab and get to a place where I could safely compete again, but within 2 months he had completely changed the way I was moving inside and outside of the gym, and for the first time in years I wasn’t dealing with constant back pain.  

Working with Matt leading up to my most recent powerlifting meet took away so much of the stress of competing, and I was able to PR my total by 7.5kg after a long plateau.  His attention to detail has helped me improve my brace and overall technique, and has made me much more comfortable with my heavier lifts.

I highly recommend Matt for powerlifters, injured or not.  He is incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging, and constantly uses my feedback to make my program more effective and enjoyable.  Can’t wait to see what we can do for my next meet!