Coach Matt Talley
Matt has been training in private and semi-private settings for over 15 years.
He's taught several hundred people how to lift and run without joint pain, how to lose weight through sustainable nutrition habits, and how to build size and strength with consistent, focused efforts.
Matt is not someone who has been athletic and fit his whole life. Before he got into lifting, Matt was a big nerd who loved reading science and philosophy books, building computers, solving Rubik's Cubes and playing video games. He personally understands what it's like to struggle to change your body, having weighed over 300 lbs in high school and dealt with a variety of debilitating joint problems.
Matt is not someone who has been athletic and fit his whole life
Before he was 20, Matt had multiple knee dislocations, recurring shoulder pain, chronic headaches and crippling back spasms that regularly left him on the floor, unable to move. One day he decided he wanted to do something about his weight and begin studying how to exercise.
Over the next couple years, he lost over 100 lbs and was able to steadily fix all of his joint pains and limitations through carefully planned exercise. He slowly built significant levels of strength and athleticism he once thought impossible.
Matt is both a student and a teacher at heart. He understands how useful having a great coach is when learning new skills, and has learned from over a dozen different lifting and fighting coaches over the years: powerlifting, strongman, bodybuilding, Western boxing, Thai boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, rock climbing and parkour.
He enjoys sharing insights and providing guidance, and his clients know him as a stickler for form with great attention to detail, always ready to explain why they're doing something a particular way and how it will help.
a stickler for form with great attention to detail
Matt has deadlifted over 500 lbs without a lifting belt, performed deep squats with over 400 lbs and bench-pressed over 300 lbs, all without any joint pain. He practices a variety of methods in his own training so he can confidently speak from experience while teaching others.
He started his first training business in Seattle, working with personal clients and small groups for a few years before moving back to his native state of Idaho. He started The Lifting School LLC in 2020 and has primarily worked with people as an online coach since then.
Matt also loves to hike, camp, run and go on long bike rides with his wife, best friend and lifting partner of over 15 years, Summer. When Matt & Summer aren't working out together, they enjoy reading, cooking, playing video games, watching great television and walking their floofy dog Sammie.
