Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Collins.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Matthew. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born to help people become the best version of themselves possible. From a young age, I idolized classic bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Platz. I remember when I was 6 or 7, I created a barbell with some crates and a broomstick. One way or another, I was going to be big and strong just like them. More than two decades later, health and fitness is still my main passion and I spend my life teaching others what I do best – Live a healthy and active lifestyle and look damn good doing it.
Although health and fitness has always been a passion, it wasn’t until I was halfway through college that I actually thought about making it into a career. I started my college experience as a writing major and luckily, I can still use those skills today, but at a certain point you can’t fight what you’re destined to become. Ultimately I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Kinesiology and I’ve been helping people improve their quality of life ever since.
After college, I knew I wanted to continue learning and helping others. I had been a Physical Therapy Aide and a Personal Trainer through college and figured why not, let’s give PT a shot. I loved PT school and learned an immense amount of valuable information that I still use to this day, however my lifelong dream of moving to Southern California was screaming at me. With a year left of school, I picked up my life in Boston – the only home I had ever known – and landed in San Diego. This was the best decision of my life.
I immediately began working at a Chiropractic/Massage Therapy/Rehab studio where I specialized in Personal Training and Rehab of the spine and shoulders. Through the next three years, I would become immersed in Rehab and learn the ins and outs of the human body and its relation to performance. I worked with professional athletes, triathletes, weekend warriors and desk jockeys – all walks of life with every type of dysfunction imaginable. I loved it. It was an amazing experience and opportunity that helped mold me into the well rounded and dynamic trainer I am today.
There’s something to be said for becoming your own boss and I have to admit that my entrepreneurial spirit kept knocking at the door. So at the start of 2020, I quit the amazing job that had taught me so much to start my own Personal Training and Coaching business – I called it The Fitness Accelerator. I train people 1 on 1 in person and through live stream virtually and I also offer an extensive online coaching program. Going into business for myself has been nothing short of unbelievable and I am fortunate to be able to help people in San Diego and all around the world love the body they live in.
I have been training myself for almost 20 years, training others for 10, specializing in Rehab and Performance for three and been passionate about helping others achieve success for a lifetime. I have worked with hundreds of individuals and clocked damn near 10,000 hours working with clients and patients. I am certified by the Pain Free Performance Specialist Certification and Precision Nutrition and I am more than confident that I can help every single person that walks through my door maximize their potential while minimizing their risk of injury and have an amazing time doing it.
In my spare time I love to live a healthy and active lifestyle through lifting weights, hiking, biking and snowboarding. I also love to go to the beach and enjoy nature in general. Don’t get me wrong though. I love me a burrito and taking time to relax by the pool.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’d say the life of a personal trainer trying to make their way is anything but “smooth”. Our industry isn’t very regulated and once you earn your degree or certification, you are pretty much on your own. Where you work, what you study, who you work with, how you obtain new clients, how you master your craft – all things that can take a very long time to figure out on your own.
I began working at a big box gym in downtown Boston. I was hired and thrown to the wolves. I walked the floor for countless hours per month and did whatever I could to learn, get new clients and build my business. Years later, I worked at a smaller studio where I was spoon-fed clients. Although the pay was a bit lower here, I was able to churn through countless clients over and over again until I began to develop new skills as a trainer.
Moving across the country is also another bump in the road, as trainers need to start over completely when doing so. It took me a few years to really get established and fill my book with hard-working clients. Now that I am known in San Diego as a solid trainer, referrals count for the majority of my new business. I’d say that at this point, things are pretty smooth, but it was bumpy as hell getting here.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Fitness Accelerator is a one-man show. I work with people from all walks of life. From athletes to average Joes and from rehab clients to performance clients and everything in between. I have the most experience with helping clients build muscle and helping clients rehab their injuries, but I also focus on fat loss, performance, and improving functional movement.
About half of my business is 1-1 in person training and the other half is through online coaching. My online coaching is split up into 1-1 virtual training through live stream and into my online coaching platform. The 1-1 virtual training I do is with clients all across the country who want to work with me but aren’t in my geographical area. My online coaching platform, called the Dream Body Accelerator, is a one-stop-shop for anything and everything a client needs to streamline their progress toward achieving their Dream Body. While this platform doesn’t currently include my 1-1 training for the duration of an hour, it provides every last tool you’d need for success.
As a company, I am most proud of how much time, energy, sweat and tears I’ve put into it over the last ten years working with clients. Everything I do is based on research, trial and error, and what I’ve learned from my past mistakes. I offer several different options for a client to become the best version of themself possible and I do it damn well. I believe the thing that sets me apart from others is my attention to detail and my passion for connecting with others. These two aspects allow me to be a Rockstar trainer day in and day out.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a shy kid. I always acted confident, but rarely felt that way on the inside. It took me years of figuring things out to finally feel comfortable in my own skin and realize my potential. I played soccer for years as a youth, have snowboarded almost my entire life, and did all the normal stuff you’d expect a kid in New England to do. I’ve always been on the more creative side and have enjoyed drawing and building things since day one.
I was definitely a trouble maker from childhood up until college, and always one to test authority and do whatever I wanted. That definitely got me into some tough situations that I had to dig myself out of. I don’t regret a single part of how I grew up, but I am happy to be passed that phase of life and onto the next.
Pricing:
- Monthly subscription 1-1 training in person or virtual $85/session
- Dream Body Accelerator Program – $3,000 for 90 days
Contact Info:
- Address: 4030 Sports Arena Blvd
- Website: www.dreambodyaccelerator.com
- Phone: 508-380-2491
- Email: thefitnessaccelerator@gmail.com
- Instagram: thefitnessaccelerator
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattycol/
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