Tag: Matt Jansen
Coach Dominick Mutascio Opens Up On Split With Nick Walker: ‘I Just Wish Things Were Handled Differently’
Men’s Open division standout Nick Walker is gearing up for the upcoming Olympia 2022, scheduled for Dec. 15-18 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a recent interview with Dave Palumbo of RxMuscle, coach Dominick Mutascio revealed the reason behind his split from Walker. Walker emerged as one of the most…
Matt Jansen is No Longer Working With Nick Walker
Matt Jansen and Nick Walker go their separate ways.
It appears that bodybuilding coach Matt Jansen has parted ways with the talented Nick Walker. The bodybuilding coach recently addressed the issue in a statement on his Instagram account.
It takes more than just an individuals will to get to the top of the bodybuilding world. While every individual who chooses to become a pro bodybuilder has to have their own resolve, it takes a team to bring their dream to fruition. A bodybuilder without a decent team behind them could find it difficult to get to the top. It can be done, but having a coach can really take a competitor to new heights. It’s what helped Nick Walker become a man to watch on the pro circuit.
There’s no doubt about it, Nick Walker had quite an impressive 2021. Not only was Walker able to secure his position at the 2021 Olympia, he was also able to win the Arnold Classic in the same year. In his first year on the Olympia stage Walker was able to crack the top five. It just goes to show that the up and comer is clearly a future top contender in the Men’s Open division.
That good lighting before getting tanned up for the Arnold.
This year is going to be a competitive one.
Can’t wait to watch !!!
With that said, Nick Walker didn’t get there alone. Walker was able to achieve so much due in part to the team who supported him. One of those team members was bodybuilding coach Matt Jansen.
Parting Ways
A veteran of the bodybuilding game, Matt Jansen was an impressive competitor in his own right. He has since become a trusted bodybuilding coach who has helped many competitors reach great heights in their careers. Nick Walker is among one of those athletes.
But now it appears that Matt Jansen and Nick Walker are no longer working together. Jansen broke the news on his Instagram story. The reveal was in response to a fan question.
It appears that Matt Jansen and Nick Walker have chosen to travel different paths. It will be interesting to see where Walker goes from here, but it’s a safe bet that he’s learned enough to carry him through to the next level.
What do you think of Matt Jansen and Nick Walker going their separate ways?
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Matt Jansen Answers: Did Big Ramy Cement Mr. Olympia As A Size Game?
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Matt Jansen believes that Big Ramy further cemented Mr. Olympia as a battle of size… but there’s one wild card catch.
Matt Jansen is the trainer who has been working with Nick Walker during his rising success. Walker has been compared to Dorian Yates and his size is being praised as he continues to improve and prepare for the Mr. Olympia. With Big Ramy’s win in 2020, it seems he is further raising the bar when it comes to muscle mass. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, we ask Matt Jansen if Big Ramy has cemented Olympia as a game of size – and how that may help Nick Walker’s future.
During our conversation with Matt Jansen, we asked him how he first got into bodybuilding and coaching. What brought him to the place he is today – now known as an iconic modern coach responsible for fantastic physiques? Jansen goes into detail about his past as a bodybuilder and how his entire world was changed when he started focusing on a new training strategy that included a bigger focus on rest.
This change of pace opened Matt Jansen’s mind towards the power of coaching and training knowledge. He later then became mentored under Neil Hill – which began his path towards becoming the coach and trainer he is today. He’s now coaching one of the most threatening up-and-comers in the pro league – Nick Walker.
Nick Walker is a bodybuilder who brings unprecedented amounts of mass for his age. Still in his 20s, he already looks like a mass monster who had been training well into his 30s or 40s. Of course, he still has improvements to go – but he already has become highlighted as a big contender in the sport.
That’s why we also asked Matt Jansen about Big Ramy’s win at the Mr. Olympia 2020. Ramy represents true mass monster size unseen since Ronnie Coleman. While he has struggled to match the same kind of sharp conditioning that made Ronnie Coleman one of a kind – Ramy pulled it together for a truly rewarding physique last year.
Does Big Ramy’s win finally put the nail in the coffin when it comes to size? Has the Mr. Olympia proper become a battle for the most shockingly massive bodybuilder with good conditioning?
Matt Jansen believes so – and also jokingly admits that this will help Nick Walker’s future at the Mr. Olympia. If judges will all be pairing up competitors against Big Ramy in the center – having mass monster size will be of huge importance.
But Matt Jansen does also admit that the mass monster battle is not 100% set in stone. There is one wild card that can change the way judges lean – whether it be this Mr. Olympia or down the line. Matt Jansen believes that Shawn Rhoden presents a smaller but immensely aesthetic physique that can still overcome the likes of Big Ramy. Of course, Rhoden is not able to compete as of Mr. Olympia 2021.
If Shawn Rhoden were able to compete – Matt Jansen believes it can skew the Olympia lineup to favor both aesthetic and mass monster equally. Shawn Rhoden won the Mr. Olympia before against many mass monsters larger than him. He has the talent to do it again.
Alas, we don’t know when or if that will ever happen at this point. So for now it seems mass monster size will dominate as Big Ramy returns as the Olympia champion. Of course, the joy of competitive sports is that anything can happen. Nothing is set in stone – but for now Matt Jansen is feeling good about Nick Walker’s future pairing up against the likes of Big Ramy.
You can watch Matt Jansen speak in detail about his coaching origins, Big Ramy, and the Mr. Olympia in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Matt Jansen: The Biggest Health Issues In Bodybuilding That Everyone Should Know
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Matt Jansen talks about the health risks and rewards of competitive bodybuilding.
Matt Jansen is a powerhouse bodybuilding coach who has been building an iconic reputation in the industry for his knowledge and success with athletes. He is most recently best known for training Nick Walker, who just landed a first place victory at the New York Pro 2021. We used our time speaking with Jansen to dig deep into his well of knowledge. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Matt Jansen shares important details on the biggest bodybuilding health risks all competitors should be aware of in their career and lifestyle.
During our time speaking with a wide variety of athletes, experts, and coaches – we’ve always made a point to ask a very point blank question. Is pro bodybuilding an extreme sport with unavoidable health risks? During our conversation with Matt Jansen, we asked him this question as well.
Instead of speaking in extremes, Matt Jansen answered our question with context and details to put everything into perspective. In short – yes, a bodybuilding lifestyle can lead to health risks and issues. In fact, Jansen believes that in order to be the best in any professional sport, an athlete puts themselves at risk. By definition these competitors are trying to push the boundaries of what is athletically possible. That comes with possible downsides.
That being said, this doesn’t mean that pro bodybuilding is a death sentence or a health nightmare. There are many lifestyles that all people on this earth engage in that are risky. The amount of sugar and salt that is standard in most foods we eat in markets all pose a risk. The amount of alcohol that most places find socially acceptable pose risks. Bodybuilding isn’t exactly the same as those things – but in general, it’s a lifestyle that many accept that can pose certain risks.
That’s why Matt Jansen is an advocate about being informed and trying to be as healthy as possible as you move along your bodybuilding journey. The bigger problem is less the inherent risks – and more the lack of precautions taken to mitigate those risks. To help, Jansen identifies the two biggest health risks that all bodybuilders should know about.
High blood pressure and not being aware of glucose levels are the two biggest issues within bodybuilding. This is largely because it’s “easy to shut your mind off,” as Jansen puts it, to the way these two things can slowly “wreak havoc on your body.” Of course, high blood pressure is also a specific issue that most Americans have regardless of bodybuilding. The bodybuilding lifestyle certainly doesn’t help – when you’re not paying attention to the details.
Both of these two issues can lead to damaging your heart, your liver, and your kidneys. This kind of organ damage in the long run can lead to serious health problems down the line – and for some even death. That might sound alarming – but it’s not one-to-one that bodybuilders will suffer these issues. These issues are more likely to happen with a bodybuilding lifestyle if you don’t pay attention to the details of your diet and supplements that are being put in your body.
You can watch Matt Jansen go into detail about health in bodybuilding and the importance of the details behind a bodybuilding diet and lifestyle in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Matt Jansen: Genetics Are Only Truly Seen Through Work Ethic
Matt Jansen goes into detail about why it’s a mistake to judges a bodybuilder’s genetic potential early in their career.
There’s a lot of talk about genetics in bodybuilding. That’s because when you reach the top levels of pro bodybuilding – your genetic potential can make or break your chance at Olympia victory. Though there have been exceptions – genetics can be the deciding factor between being a Ronnie Coleman and a bodybuilder who doesn’t make the top 5 at Olympia. That being said, there might be too much emphasis put on genetics to the point where it discourages bodybuilders from succeeding. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, bodybuilding coach Matt Jansen explains how the true potential of bodybuilding genetics might not be known without putting in the hard work first.
Straight off the heels of a big victory for Nick Walker at the New York Pro 2021, Matt Jansen is a bodybuilding coach worth listening to. He’s behind some of the best upcoming talent in pro bodybuilding. Most importantly, he has the knowledge to be a true valuable asset and not simply an online self proclaimed guru.
During our conversation with Matt Jansen, we asked him the role genetic potential plays in bodybuilding. How important are the right kind of genetics to succeed in bodybuilding? Are some people genetically predisposed to not succeed in the sport? Should they call in the towel before they sacrifice too much time?
Matt Jansen believes that it’s a mistake to judge a young bodybuilder’s genetics early in their career. According to Jansen, it’s impossible to truly know the genetic potential of someone before they actually put the work in. Too often has Jansen seen genetics used as an excuse to quit or as a reasoning for poor placing. The reality is it could take years of hard and honest training to know what your genetics truly are capable of.
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Watch our GI Exclusive segment with Matt Jansen above!
Matt Jansen uses bodybuilder Brett Wilkin as an example. Jansen states that if he had assessed Wilkin’s genetic potential four years ago – he would have given him some grim news. That would have likely discouraged the bodybuilder. Maybe he would have found another path in life.
Instead, Matt Jansen worked with Brett Wilkin to see how far his body can be pushed. Four years later and Wilkins has shown incredible improvement and is poised to be a true threat in the coming years. Jansen believes that Wilkin would not have made such improvements if he were told that his genetics are holding him back.
At the core of bodybuilding there is something that’s almost impossible to grasp. In fact, it’s at the core of all sports champions. There are many tactics, guides, and expectations that are needed to be a champion. Habits and techniques you can learn. But to be truly great requires something deep down. A mental state that can push further past normal limits. There’s no real way to teach someone how to achieve that psychological state.
Perhaps evaluating a person’s genetic potential too early on further hinders a person’s mental preparedness to be great. Matt Jansen seems to believe that nothing should be final until every single option has been tried.
You can watch Matt Jansen go into more detail about bodybuilding and genetics in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Matt Jansen: The Real Way To Burn Stubborn Fat Areas Without Ruining Strong Points
Matt Jansen shares the brutally honest truth behind the myth of spot reducing stubborn fat areas.
Losing weight can be hard. It can become especially hard when you’re trying to build up muscle and maintain a sculpted physique at the same time. Each body is different. We are all familiar with having trouble areas. Spots on the body that carry more weight than the rest. How do you spot reduce those fatty areas without burning too deep into your muscle tissue? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, trainer Matt Jansen debunks the myth of spot reducing stubborn fat and how to really bring in trouble areas.
You’ve likely seen headlines and ads online all the time that claim to provide the secret to spot reducing stubborn fatty areas on your body. Whether it is a supplement promising a cure or simply a certain workout – the myth of spot reducing fat has persisted for decades.
Unfortunately, here’s the real truth. There is no way to spot reduct stubborn fat areas. It is physically impossible to target certain points of the body to burn stubborn fat. Crunches do not burn more fat in your stomach. Specific diets cannot hold the secret to burning fat in problem areas.
The general truth is this – when you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose fat. Since every body is different genetically – some areas might take longer to lose fat than others. But if you stay persistent, it will all drop off eventually.
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Check out our GI Exclusive with bodybuilding coach Matt Jansen above!
When it comes to bodybuilding, however, this poses an interesting challenge. What happens if a bodybuilder has strong areas of their physique but carry extra fat in other specific problem areas? How do you burn stubborn fat without diminishing the hard earned muscle and taper?
We asked Matt Jansen this very question during our video interview. As we mentioned, he makes it very clear that you cannot target fat loss in certain areas. So if an athlete has a problem area, Jansen’s tactic is to plan a longer period of dieting leading up to a competition.
As Matt Jansen explains it, if a bodybuilder doesn’t carry fat evenly, then it’s a delicate balancing act to burn off fat in the problem areas and keep strong areas on point. This balancing act will be trial and error. That’s why a bodybuilder should plan a more extended time than usual during contest prep dieting.
This additional time allots for the athlete to cut fat from the problem areas and also then work on fixing any strong areas that might have been diminished through the fat loss diet plan. It’s almost like balancing a scale. You fall too much to one side, so now you put more weight on the other. Then it teeters too far to the other side, so you keep balancing until it evens out perfect.
Unfortunately, this simply requires more time and effort to accomplish. That’s the rub when it comes to having “less ideal” genetics. More work, consistency, and time need to be put in to perfect the athlete’s physique.
You can watch Matt Jansen talk in more detail about burning stubborn body fat in our latest GI Exclusive interview above!