Transformed and Renewed, Riley is Prepared for the Job
Spring is coming and for many seasonal companies, that marks either the start or end of their busy season. For Matt Riley, owner of an asphalt maintenance company, it marks the start of the season. And this year, rather than dreading the months of work to come, Matt will be ready.
He spent the winter months transforming his body to withstand the difficulty of being on his feet all day in the hot sun by training at PowerStrength Training Systems!
“I’m constantly lifting things, working extremely long hours, it really wears your body down, you are continuously bending down, standing up, picking things up, weird angles and movements, you are always tweaking your back, or your shoulders, or your knees, it is always something,” Matt said.
“I am really looking forward to going back to work this spring with a healthy body for once where I normally dread going back to work because I know it’s a long bumpy road for about six weeks as your body readjusts to being off for 4-5 months. I’m looking forward to work, it’s going to be easy, it’s going to be fun.”
CHALLENGE CHAMPION
He began at PowerStrength in the fall as part of the 30-Day Transformation Challenge which crowns champions who make the most relative transformation in their body composition. In just a month, Matt gained nearly 2 pounds of muscle, dropped 4.2 percent body fat, lost 11 pounds, and won the challenge!
“First of all I was shocked,” Matt said about winning, “because everybody that comes here, we are all kind of at that stage in our life where we have all kind of gone down hill, some of us, and you kind of get in the habit of doing what they put on the table for you to do. I was shocked, but at the same time it just excited me even further to share the story of PowerStrength and what it did for me through the challenge. I encourage anybody to come here, the simplicity of this place, the staff, I look forward to coming here everyday that I come, just seeing the employees, this place is great.”
GOAL SETTING
Matt came to PowerStrength for many reasons, to get in shape for his job was one, but he also wanted to lose weight and extend his life.
“I’m 50-years-old now and not getting any younger,” he said. “My job is very taxing on my body, I am always getting hurt at work and it is primarily because I am out of shape. So my first goal was to get in better shape. I want to live until I’m 80-plus and the path I was going down, I probably wasn’t going to hit that number, hopefully this takes me there.”
Matt has lived an active life. He was a 3-sport star in high school, tried to play college football before a knee injury derailed that dream, but he continued to play football, basketball and softball recreationally into his 40s. But his favorite pastime was jogging.
“I used to love running,” Matt recalled. “I was on the track team for a few years, but I used to enjoy, back in the day you had the big massive headphones instead of air pods, but I loved putting those on and just going for an hour, hour and a half just jogging. It is a great way to clear the mind and it feels great.”
After numerous knee injuries and surgeries, Matt is trying to work his way back onto the trails.
“I want to be able to run again,” he said. “I haven’t been able to run. When you are overweight your body hurts, everything hurts, every joint hurts, your back always hurts and over the past 4 months I’ve been coming here my back’s gotten way better, this is the healthiest I’ve probably been in 10 years and it’s only going to get better.”
DIET AND NUTRITION
Since starting at PSTS in the 40-and-over fitness group, Matt has already dropped 40 pounds while improving many aspects of his life.
“The results have been amazing! I have lost a substantial amount of body fat, I’ve gained a lot of muscle, my energy level is way higher, my sleep’s gotten better, my diet is completely different from what I’m used to,” Matt said. “I actually read labels before I buy stuff, when I go to restaurants I skip most of the menu and I look for certain things immediately. I’ve learned not to put into my body what it wants, but what it needs. And with that all day I am just full of energy, I’m not really that tired.”
While consistency and hard work have been catalysts to Matt’s transformation, he credits his nutrition and discipline, which are pillars of PowerStrength’s regimen. The coaches work with each person to figure out the right diet for each individual to reach the goals that they set.
“I got all of it from here, my diet was horrible,” Matt said. “It was the “it diet,” if I saw it, I’d eat it. It is no longer like that, I don’t have the sugar cravings, I don’t need a beer, I don’t have that, those cravings are gone because I know all the time, and hard work, and money that I put into this, I’m not going to ruin it, it is just not worth it, I feel too good to ruin it, and every week I feel better, and better, and better.”
As a result, the pounds are dropping and Matt can’t help but notice the difference.
“It’s up there, I quit keeping track,” Matt said about how much weight he has lost. “I don’t really pay attention because everything just fits differently, and clothes are falling off and I don’t pay too close attention to the scale anymore.”
THE RIGHT FIT
The gains that Matt has made at PowerStrength are impressive, something he had been unable to accomplish for many years while taking a different approach to exercise.
“I had a membership to MVP when it was Champion,” Matt recalled. “I had one all those years up until last year and I would literally go there, I’d walk in, I’m constantly getting distracted, I’m talking to people because I know so many people, and wind up back in the same steam room. So I had this glorified membership to a steam room for 16-17 years. I never knew what I was going to do when I went there. You try the old traditional arms, legs, tris, and lats. I could never personally get into a rhythm. Coming here it is all laid out for you, there is nothing to think about, it was just the biggest waste of money for all those years.”
“Typical gyms I dread going there or you get there and you don’t have a clue what you are doing,” he continued. “You come here and it is all structured for you, it’s not simple, but it is simply laid out for you. For me that’s great and I think it is for anyone else that comes in here.”
Every session at PowerStrength is meticulously planned to fit the needs of each individual and features a small group setting to allow personalized attention from the coaches.
“This has such a great structure, you can’t really get distracted here. You got to stay on point with what you are doing, otherwise you are not going to get your sets in and you are wasting your money at that point,” Matt said. “You stay focused and get through things and really pay attention to what you are doing and the amount of weight you’re doing on those reps and keep getting stronger and remember what you did last time. At a traditional gym you go in, you’re looking around, there are just too many people, there is too much commotion. Here you are focused, you are in your small group with your trainer and they are watching you, they are correcting you, making sure you do everything properly so you don’t get hurt, but also so you build your muscles up.”
There are a wide variety of times available to train at PowerStrength from early mornings starting as early as 6am, Matt’s choice, into the evening beginning as late as 5:30pm and many in between to accommodate all schedules. Each session lasts 50-60 minutes.
“You come here and see how simple it is, you are in here and out of here in an hour,” Matt said. “If someone doesn’t have an hour to get their health back in shape, it’s on them. But if you take that time and follow the script of what PowerStrength offers, the results speak for themselves. I think the proof is in the pudding when you come here, you see the same people that continuously come here, it is not like an attrition of people coming and going, in fact I think it is busier than it was when I even started here.”
On top of the 40-and-over groups, PowerStrength also trains athletes in 5th-12th grade helping them become faster, stronger, and more confident. Matt’s son Jake is in 8th grade and is a part of the PSTS Army and his wife, Jaime, recently joined as well.
“Jake loves coming here, he really enjoys it,” Matt said. “Jamie, she’s 47 and the mom that had the kids, the family, you kind of let the other things not go, but you just get older, and she has stepped in and finally realized this is great. She is coming 3 days a week and I anticipate her to keep coming. I could see she was excited and working out isn’t her thing per say and she walked away with a smile and was happy, right at home, it is awesome to see.”
Matt’s PowerStrength journey has changed his outlook on life and set him up to really enjoy his future.
“Thank you PowerStrength because this has definitely changed my life, my mental health. It is not just physical, it changes your whole outlook on a lot of things, and I will keep sharing your story because it is worth coming here, absolutely.”
READY TO TAKE CONTROL?
Men and Women over 40 seeking a stronger, more energized lifestyle can join the personal training programs at PowerStrength at any time. No previous workout experience is required as each program is customized to the fitness and ability level of each individual.
Multiple small group and private sessions are offered in the early morning, mid-morning, late afternoon, and evening.
Click HERE to learn more program details and schedule your risk-free consultation.