Meet Matthew Vinzant, Skimble‘s featured Trainer! After witnessing firsthand the positive impacts of exercise on people’s physical and mental health, Matt knew he wanted to focus on helping people feel good about themselves. We recently had the chance to chat with Matt and learn about how he ended up where he is today.
Tell us a bit about your background and where you’re from.
Matt: I’m from Cleveland, Ohio. I’m a loving husband and father of two, a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Performance Enhancement Specialist, and Boxing Coach.
What inspired you to become a personal trainer?
Matt: My love of fitness combined with my love of helping others. I used to coach a friend of mine, mostly just at home in my living room. It resulted in him losing 27lbs! I saw shifts not only in his weight but also in his mood and personality. This filled me with a sense of pride and made me feel good. That’s when I realized that I could be a Trainer – and a good one.
What are your training specialties?
Matt: I specialize in bodyweight workouts; high-intensity interval training, boxing, and combat conditioning workouts.
What keeps you motivated to stay fit yourself?
Matt: Honestly, I just want to be ready for anything that comes my way. My number one motivation for staying fit is that I never know when I’ll have to use my body for something important, and when that time comes, I want to make sure my body is in the right condition. I also want to have optimal health so that I can remain active as I age.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Matt: Yes, of course! I love chocolate and more chocolate 🙂 and red wine.
Who are your heroes?
Matt: Fredrick Douglas, Barack Obama, and Malcolm X.
What are your hidden talents?
Matt: I love writing, making music, and public speaking.
What’s your favorite Workout Trainer feature?
Matt: The “create your own workout” feature is my favorite because I love the fact that I can design a workout or program and everything is perfectly timed, in the correct order, and accompanied by voice cues. It makes workouts easy and accessible to everyone. I’m able to create workouts for my clients the night before their session and this helps me keep my workouts flowing and on time.
Do you have any go-to training gear that you would recommend?
Matt: Resistance bands, speed ladders, and the Bosu ball. I use one of these items in just about every workout.
Please share a secret health/fitness tip with the Skimble community…
Matt: Any activity is better than no activity. A lot of times what stops my clients from being active is the thought that they have to have at least an hour or two to get in an effective workout. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Even if you only have a few minutes, you can still get in a tough, effective workout. One of my favorites is a quick and intense 4-minute Tabata. Pick four exercises and alternate between them; 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off, for 4 minutes.
Thanks for sharing with us, Matt, we’re excited to see what the future will bring for you and your training biz!
Want to follow Matt and other great trainers for inspiration and motivation? Download the Workout Trainer app for Android & iOS, then head on over to the Trainers tab.
Are you a fitness professional? Want to become a Trainer like Matt and have access to our online coaching tools and more? Get started for free on Skimble’s Trainer page.
