Inspiring Conversations with Andre Mattson

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Mattson.

Hi Andre, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The road that led to becoming an NBA strength and conditioning coach has been eventful to say the least. As a young boy, I was completely consumed with anything basketball related. I would play from sun up to sun down, watch every game, painted my room orange, and even sleep with my basketball at times. My passion for weight training came to life following my freshman year of high school. I was an undersized, pre-pubescent boy standing at only 5’4 with a skeleton-like body. I remember one instance when my teammates and I were all jumping toward the hoops backboard and trying to hit it. I was the only person on the team that could not hit it. I was made fun of for being small and unathletic. Following that instance, I decided to make a change. I began weight training to prove them wrong and show myself that I was capable of accomplishing any athletic feats I desire.

Throughout the entire off-season I trained extremely aggressively and saw drastic changes in my athleticism. Simultaneously, I grew six inches. With the increases in height and athleticism, I was the first person on my team dunking. I fell in love with the results and bought into the science of strength and conditioning. My training continued and I used my athleticism and skill to obtain a scholarship to play basketball in college. While in college, I realized that I wanted to become a trainer to NBA athletes so I took all the necessary steps to accomplish that. I went on to get a master’s degree in sports performance as well as obtain several certifications. Following my academic ventures, I worked at varying universities. I attended numerous conferences and went above and beyond to develop a strong NBA network. After years of rejected applications, failed interviews and undeniable persistence I finally got my opportunity in the league.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey has been far from smooth. Strength and conditioning is a saturated field with no unionization. A combination of those two things has created desperation in many instances. This leads to many unpaid or very low paid positions. Simultaneously, coaches are competing with each other in academia through many expensive and time-consuming degrees and certifications in order to obtain certain positions. For me, I worked for free for over seven months, and even had to live in my car just to make that feasible. Even after those massive sacrifices, I still was underpaid in my first position. However, years passed and I continued to endure to unfair circumstances, until I was given what I deserved. At the end of the day, it is very rewarding and I am proud that I persevered. After all, nothing worth having comes easy.

As you know, we’re big fans of Andre Mattson Performance. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Andre is driven to help people enhance their mental and physical capabilities within their sport and in their lives. By using my experience as an NBA, collegiate strength coach and collegiate athlete, I understand the crucial components that influence the optimization of health. I use my extensive knowledge of strength training and nutrition to thoroughly educate my clients. Andre Mattson Performance uses and intricate evaluation process, which includes various movement screens, data tracking and questionnaires to acquire as much insight as possible with each new client. Following the evaluative process, each client is provided a customized, structured and progressive plan to accomplish their short and long-term goals. In addition to the training component, every client is provided a 250 page nutrition PowerPoint which is used to educate them and teach them how to optimize nutrition, therefore enhancing quality of life. Andre Mattson provided in-person training and online training depending on where he is and his availability. More information can be found at trainwithdre.com

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Various nutrition books and health influencers. To list a few you can follow the work of: Ben Greenfield, Mark Sisson, Kate Shanahan, Ted Gundry, David Perlmutter, Max Lugavere, and Ted Neiman.

Pricing:

• $100 per session (in person)
• $135 per month (online training)

Contact Info:

• Email: theanklesaver@yahoo.com
• Website: trainwithdre.com
• Instagram: andremattsonperformance
• Other: theanklesaver.com