Driven, Determined, outspoken, genuine, honest, and ambitious are just a few words that describe who I am; and my passion for health and fitness which are also my philosophies I apply to life. All of the abilities that I possess I can develop, evolve, and transform into who I am to the fullest.
"Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal"
My name is Matt Dillon Malcangi and coming from an Italian/German background I grew up in the city of Eaton rapids Michigan where I had spent until grade 3 to then transfer to the quiet city of St. Johns where I had become a redwing on the ice, playing hockey all through high school and becoming a St. Johns graduate of 2001. Post graduation is when I had started my journey or small hobby at the time of weight training. The health and fitness lifestyle slowly enveloped my life the more I had focused on my own training and observing physical changes using basic principles; it soon became apparent that utilizing that system I could always continue to head in any direction I desire. My thirst for more knowledge in a healthy lifestyle drove my attention to personal training, where I became certified through the American Council of Exercise (ACE).
"Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do"
I am now truly passionate about my work. I am able to help all who I come into contact with gain more knowledge and understanding in a world of so much miss-information. Thus, placing hope and trust in my clients and in myself by a system of simplicity, allowing for all to achieve their greatest goals and overcoming their greatest challenges...and having fun along the way. Anyone can spew out information and facts about a healthy lifestyle but only the few who have experienced the journey first hand can offer the true perspective, and every person’s journey is unique in its own.
"There is a natural progression to everything in life: plant, cultivate, harvest"
Personal training and my own strength training is at the top of my list. And along with those interests come fitness modeling, Art (illustrating), and Music (drums). I have recently illustrated a Dog guide book my amazing aunt Georgeanne Hoffman had wrote titled: So What Do I Know?! Which is an A-Z guide on commonly asked questions? It’s an entertaining read with hundreds of great tips for the average dog owner. The book will be released in late august 09'. Also, I just recently became inspired to create a new style of training grips, which will allow anyone who may have weak grip strength to lift far beyond their capability. Also, the grip universal doesn’t apply only to strength training but also for therapy, construction, or even a household task. Which should also be available starting the first of the New Year in 2010, after some more successful applications with the prototype?
"The law of nature is do the thing, and you shall have the power: but they who do not the thing have not the power"
My own training is nothing short of 120% intensity followed by ultimate focus and complete exhaustion. I plan my workout in everyday around my normal schedule as a personal trainer, so I have experienced many times training at fluctuating times through the week. Whether it is seven o'clock a.m. or eight o'clock p.m. I mentally prepare myself for that slot.
"I always set a goal and pre-pave my workouts, exercises, and burnout techniques to achieve consistent positive results, and by incorporating a variety of training methods always reach that goal....sometimes not smiling on the outside, but only inside." The time that I like to train on most days is about an hour and a half after I wake up in the a.m. I like to eat a hearty breakfast usually hitting 50g carbs complex and simple, 30g of whey protein, and 3-6 g of healthy fats. So my Bowl usually contains: Oatmeal, Blueberries, half Banana, cinnamon, nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts) tabs of honey, and some frothed skim milk for whip cream effect as a topping. I enjoy my breakfast knowing that my intensity during my workout is only as good as my meal.
Usually before I skate out the door, I bring with me about 16 ounces of black coffee with some stevia natural sweetener, and a half scoop of whey protein. Before each assault on the body (workout) I always does a ten minute warm up on usually an elliptical or row machine to get warm up all my muscles and tendons and safely raise my heart rate to a training capacity. Next, which ever muscle group I’m training that day will do about to Feel sets, where I will just get blood flowing to the muscles and onset that pump. Through my routine I generally do 3 exercises for each muscle group and training 2-3 muscles per session. I utilize supersets, tri-sets, and giant sets to effectively keep my heart rate up for a great calorie burn and a tremendous pump. I like to use a weight that challenges me. I am strictly training for mass so I attempt anywhere from 8-12 reps and progressively increase my weight with each set. I defiantly use burnout techniques, which are a great attribute to my size and balance. Burn out techniques is a must if you wish to see new results day after day. I like to use drop sets, Rest-pauses, resistant band burnouts, body weight burns, just any way I can think of to force that muscle to experience new growth (pain) after my successful session I always cool down for about ten minutes on a treadmill or walk outside. Post workout nutrition is most crucial for gains, which I get in the form of a homemade shake. Within each shake contains: 30-40g of whey protein, 50-80g of simple/complexcarb, and 3-6g of healthy fat. I weekly change up my ingredients of my shakes to offer my body the ability to breakdown all different compounds of carbs and fats, which gives my body a full spectrum of vital nutrients and minerals. I like using: Skim Milk, Soy Milk, Natural lemonade, Nuts, Honey, Maple syrup, Blueberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Blackberries, Mangos, Peaches, Strawberries...etc. theres a world of flavor in Natural foods so search out your taste buds and try all combos to fully achieve your best. Along with Hardcore workouts I have understood the need for rest. In the past my mentality was workout more and achieves faster and better results. But like everything it Quality over Quantity that perseveres. Realizing this only through minor strains and pains I started throwing in more rest days and really watched my body take shape. So remember that with a heavy weight session require longer rest. So prioritize your goals and don’t think that one day off will make you shrink into a tiny squirt!
"I have learned how to safely push through my pain threshold and comfort barriers each workout session to bring my physique to a new level each day."
"There is no better feeling to accomplish your goal, then to give birth to another"
Along with a dedication to my strength training I place the same if not more focus and motivation in my nutrition. I expect my body to perform at 100% ability day in and day out and can do so by giving my body the correct portions of the proper "7" Vitamins, minerals, fiber, carbs, fat, protein, and most important water. I only realized the importance of nutrition at first by trial and error, incorporating new natural whole foods in my diet slowly supplementing my daily diet with a variety of diverse fruits, grains, meats, dairy products, fats, and vegetables. I get approached often with the question: "What do you take?"
Referring to what supplements I may be on. To answer, I take a healthy dose of dedication, and supplement with natural foods, which are the keys to my success. But it does not end there; I continually learn and apply new methods which force my mind and body to experience the full spectrum of my goal. I am always in tune with my body, paying close attention to all sensations I may undergo by knowing what I have done with my body and what I have put in it as well. It is an ongoing controlled experiment with always one variable to experiment with. But something more fascinating is how each person’s body is unique, we may share the same goals, but each person’s journey is 100% different in how we reach it. So take it slow step by step and rep by rep. The formula for success is to set that goal...reaches it in a time frame and repeat!
"Don't let your thoughts come in the way of your dreams"
Lastly I would like to share my experience with my most recent shoot and my experience with BBPics. In a word, it was Excellent! I had the opportunity to connect with BB Pics online and over the next couple months had my sights set on a weekend shoot in Connecticut. The photographer John and I had coordinated through phone and via internet the best laid plan for the shoot, speaking of: apparel, sleeping arrangements, nutrition, posing, and locations, all along hoping for blue skies. John coordinated flawlessly me, and three other very talented models to many unique and beautiful locations where we had the ingredients for a great shoot and the opportunity to display our hard work and dedication. On the first day of arrival we had the chance to meet and discuss our plan for the weekend as John was kind enough to take all of us to the local market and get all the supplies we needed (Chicken, Sweet potatoes, salsa, rice cakes, oatmeal, and some bottles of water) Knowing a bodybuilders nutrition John was nice enough to cater to every need and even grill out on his patio. Later that night we each had the chance to work with john as we covered just simple mandatory poses and got to actually start work with BBPICS! On day two of the shoot started around eight in the morning with luckily clear skies. After breakfast we headed to location one where we shot for a couple hours allowing each model to get in fantastic shots, using a simple rotation between us models. As one would be working with John the others would be pumping up or relaxing...or eating lol. After location one we set out to take a mid day breaks as we refueled with food and gas and headed to location two. At Location 2 we all had the opportunity to meet Johns close friend Dr. Doug who is another amazing addition to this experience. I was able to do a personal interview with Doug and have a chance to introduce myself and why I do what I do. He was another true professional who became a part of the BB pic weekend. So after another couple hours of shooting we had completed another day of great pics, working with beautiful scenery with no interruptions. That night we were all drained so after previewing the hard day’s work we set off to sleep and hope again for sunshine. The third day was more relaxed due to overcast, but not to worry John has experience working with clouds and off we went to touch on some fashion shots in black and white...which looked amazing on such a dreary looking day. After another mid shoot break at a local restaurant we returned to the site to this time a clear sky, for a couple hours we did great fitness shots in direct sun using dumbbells to really get a great effect. John is a genuine photographer, person, and mostly friend. He worked as a true professional each step of the way showing his honesty and extreme experience with guiding tips from posing to nutrition. Consistently commenting with positive feedback to capture that specific moment with exact accuracy. With all the elements that Mother Nature had to threw our way John worked around and through all of them again displaying his expertise making the most of the time we had on site. I and the other models got the chance to share tips, ideas, strategies, methods, and overall become great friends through these great couple days of shooting. The pictures John had captured were truly unique, well thought-out and absolutely superb! If you’re considering working with a veteran of the business BB PICS is where you need to invest your time, It’s an experience that you can take away from and come back more inspired, dedicated and driven to push yourself into an even higher level of physical, mental, and emotional achievement. Thank you John
