a little bit about me…

Originally from Ottawa, Ontario I loved playing sports growing up. Hockey, Soccer, and eventually beginning in high school, Ultimate Frisbee. Believe it or not it’s while playing Ultimate that I began to develop a passion for training in a gym setting. Constantly suffering injuries and being on the bubble during team selections at the higher level of play got me motivated to change what type of athlete I was at the time. Not to mention I put on the old freshman 15 (more like 30) at the beginning of University that a lot of us do when we move away from home.

Initially I was influenced by a close friend who at the time was a Powerlifting Canadian record holder. I became almost just as into figuring out how to up my squat, bench, and deadlift, becoming stronger and faster as I did about actually playing ultimate. As my physical abilities improved, I began to play larger roles on my local team, represented my country at several world championship events, and even played professionally for both Ottawa and Vancouver.

After enough comments from friends and gym buddies who I had helped saying “Mat you should do this for a living” I left the part-time retail gigs, left the small landscaping company I was running at the time and went full tilt into a fitness career.

This coincided with my move out to Vancouver. I got certified with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), as well as several other bodies of certification (FRC, Fascial Stretch Therapy to name a couple). Over the past 3 years I have helped people from all walks of life- powerlifters, rugby players, stay at home parents, people in recovery, sports teams. This line of work is rewarding. It’s a contribution to the a community that as other trainers will tell you is a messy industry to find the path that leads you to success in what you’re trying to accomplish. Having been in a position many times myself where I wanted to change my physical appearance, my athletic performance, my mind set, I know where you are coming from when it seems overwhelming starting out, or when unforseen circumstances (injuries, financial, etc) hit you hard.
I don’t believe in a business model where you pay for a trainer one hour at a time. If I’m your coach then I’m a text or phone call away whenever you need me. We get hard work done during our training and therapy sessions, but there are 23 hours left in every day, and I want to be an influence on those hours just as much. Shoot me a message through the Contact tab at the top, and we can have a no pressure conversation about what the right move for you should be.