 |
Images of
Todd Matthews
View Photo Portfolio Not a BBPics member? Join Now! Birthdate: April, 1991
Height: 5 6 1/2 Weight: 157 to 165 Email: matthews42791@gmail.com
Business Site: n/a
|
 |
My name is Todd and I am a personal trainer at Anytime Fitness in Weirton, West Virginia. I’m twenty two years old and I already love the fact that I am fortunate enough to live through fitness twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. It’s my life, and I love everything that goes into it.
I am originally from Canton, Ohio, where my family and I lived for four years. In 1995, we moved to Wintersville, Ohio so my parents could be closer to family (they’re originally from the Ohio Valley). We have lived in the Ohio Valley ever since.
I went to Edison High School in Richmond, Ohio from 2005 to 2009, where I discovered that working out was fun ever since I first stepped into the weight room. Note that I said ‘working out’ and not exactly fitness because I had a very long way to go before I could actually say that I was living the fitness lifestyle. What I mean by that is that I knew how to work out every day, but the nutritional part came later. In fact, the nutritional portion didn’t come along until my senior year of high school in 2009. Here is how my current nutrition plan looks like today, modeled after a couple of my fitness idols, which I have found really works well for me:
Pre-workout: 1 scoop whey, 1 scoop casein, pre-workout powder, multi-vitamin, CLA, carnitine, omega-3, BCAA.
Post-workout: 40-50 grams whey, 50-60 grams dextrose (or any simple sugar), BCAA, omega-3, multi-vitamin
Main Meal of Day: Usually a type of lean meat (tuna, steak, chicken), and any type of green vegetable, with raw nuts for healthy fats. This meal is usually around 1,500-2,000 calories, which is high in protein and unsaturated fats and lower in carbs.
I don’t eat carbs before working out, ensuring that I’m using fat as fuel instead of sugar and that I am constantly burning fat while I work out. The one solid meal looks unconventional to many, but giving the demands of my job: training, consulting, cleaning, designing programs up for clients, and entering client’s stats into the computer among other things, eating every three hours isn’t feasible.
One to two days a week I like to go off of my diet and hit up places such as Subway or Dominos. I can literally sit there and eat three subs in one sitting or an entire pizza with breadsticks, complete with pop, hard lemonade, or Gatorade. I live for my cheat meals, and I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ll have a one to two day free for all. However, I’ll cut them out 3-4 weeks before a shoot, a show, or if I’m not shooting or competing, the hottest days of the summer!!
Usually I’ll hit the gym again for a second workout, especially during the spring and summer. The meals for my second workout mimics my pre and post workout meals. I have found this diet effective, easy to follow, and best yet, it never gets old, because I can vary what I eat on any given day, as long as it sticks to the meat/vegetable/raw nuts protocol.
I currently hit the gym six days a week with one day a week that is more cardio/fun based. Here is an example of my split:
Day One: Legs, Chest
Day Two: Back
Day Three: Legs, Shoulders
Day Four: Arms
Day Five: Weak Area (Usually a muscle group that I may not have hit hard enough that week)
Day Six: Cardio/fun based training (Jacobs Ladder, Battle Ropes, TRX, Kettle Bells, done in a variety of ways)
Day Seven: Off or Trail Run with clients.
In the morning, I like to train heavy, with my sets being between six and twelve rep and in the evening, I like to do the same workout I did in the morning, only with lighter weights as well as abdominal movements scattered throughout the evening workout. I tend to stick to the free weights and I always have. I’ll add in some machine work later on in the workout. I don’t like to take breaks or rest in between sets, my rest is usually less than thirty seconds between sets. I try to get a lot done in forty five minutes to an hour.
I became a certified personal trainer right after high school. At first, it was more advising others for free, so I had to really pay my dues before actually breaking into the business here at Anytime. So I worked odd jobs until 2011 when I got a job as a bagger and stockman at a local grocery store chain, Riesbecks. It wasn’t a bad job but I wanted more, so I updated my personal trainer certification with the ISSA in August, 2012. One month later, I was able to switch gears and join the fitness industry hopefully for good, but I’ll never take it for granted.
I have competed in the NPC in the past, mainly in Men’s Physique, but I’m really in this industry to help others achieve their fitness goals, and expand my horizon to more than just competition…….I have always wanted to try fitness/fashion photography. This is where John of BBpics.com comes in. He contacted me all the way back in 2010, and then again a couple of other times as I further improved my physique and we did a two day photo shoot in back in August, 2012. It was an awesome experience, and shooting photos became more important to me than just competing, but I have a ton of respect out there for those that do compete; their discipline and dedication remains unmatched by any type of athlete.
Working with John of BBpics.com for a second time is an excellent opportunity for me to expand my portfolio because he is huge on variety, whether it is a gym shoot, an athletic scene, or a fashion scene, being able to show others that I can do a variety of things is key.
My future plans are to continue training others and hopefully break into the modeling scene. I would literally be living the dream from then on out. Modeling would also be a great way to inspire my clients too, telling them that they can do anything in fitness that they want to do no matter what their current situation is now.
