Athlete Testimonials

I started training with Mat at the beginning of the 2019 NEAFL season with the aim to improve my strength and power with a focus on developing my acceleration and addressing injury prevention. Throughout the year I saw massive improvements within my AFL club’s strength testing, most notably I saw a dramatic increase in my hamstring strength from being able to produce 420N to then 492N. The 2019 season was the best season in relation to having no soft tissue injuries which was the initial goal.

I trained with Matt for over 3 years and can strongly say that over this time I learned the foundations of strength training and got introduced to plyometric training. Matt helped me get physically prepared week for my NPL football season and helped me to stay injury free for this period. Matt helped me significantly improve my strength through deadlifts, squats, bench press etc. whilst in the process helping me put on muscle and weight. Matt pushed me to lengths I didn’t know I could reach and got the best out of me. Matt is a great person and I looked forward to our sessions each week.

Mat provides both a very friendly and professional environment along with a great knowledge base towards various areas of S&C coaching. Through my time both at Manly Marlins, whom Mat was our S&C coach and more recently working with him within a personal training setting I have developed my fitness, strength/power and changed my body composition.
Mat is a technical coach who in addition to supplying a S&C program, provided us (at Manly Marlins) with several running techniques drills during field training which helped me move with greater efficiency and speed.

I have trained with Mat for 4yrs. In that time, he has helped me achieve numerous personal fitness goals. I’ve competed in 2 novice powerlifting competitions, celebrated turning 40 by prepping for a photoshoot and achieving 10% body fat. During the last 12 months I trained for the Sydney Harbour 10km and ran a PB of 42mins.
The highlight of training with Mat is his ability to tailor a plan of attack to best suit my specific personal goals.

Mat has been my S&C coach for 6 years now and my strength since starting with him has skyrocketed and my football performance has never been better! I have stayed injury free for majority of those 6 years because of the training that I do wit h Mat and the time and effort he puts into my training plan is outstanding!

Throughout the 2018 – 2020 AFL seasons I experienced a range of injuries. My intentions this year were to do something about the recurring setbacks and Matt has facilitated just that. From the initial consultation, he has provided a professional service that prioritises you as an athlete. His strength and conditioning programs are highly personalised and flexible around individual schedules and sporting commitments. His online coaching has allowed me to continue my program at my local gym with text support and critique. The monthly coaching sessions emphasise the correct technique, movement, and activation. The slight modification in my lifting technique has allowed me to continually develop throughout my program and add considerable weight to my exercises.

“When I first began seeing Matt I was coming off an ankle injury, and had very low ankle mobility and leg strength. He put me on a program that I closely followed over the off-season, and it allowed me to build up a lower body strength base that was better than pre-injury. This has helped massively for my AFL, as I am now more explosive and stronger through the lower body and core. Touchwood I haven’t had another related injury since.”

I went to Matt for guidance in order to put on weight going into my first senior season. The programs that he created were well thought out and personalised. His program gave me a great balance between helping me bulk up, whilst maintaining a high level of fitness. This was extremely beneficial throughout the season.

I first started training 1:1 with Matt in 2018. Matt’s ability to find exercises relevant to your sport/goals is unmatched. You never feel like you’re doing a pointless exercise with Matt as he provides clear reasons as to the benefits of the exercise and how it is relevant to your specific sport. Matt significantly helped me develop my strength as I moved into senior footy in the AFL Sydney Premier Division. I would recommend Matt to any athlete without hesitation.

I got in touch with Mat in order to try and build some size and strength to help me better prepare for the jump from U18’s to U20’s National Premier League Football.
Prior to seeing Mat I was a very timid and soft player but with some new found strength I have found the confidence to use my body more effectively against my opponents.
Mat did this by designing a very personalised and well thought through S&C program which he guided me through on a weekly basis during the 2017/18/19 playing seasons. He ensured I was completing the exercises with good technique and at the correct intensity to ensure progression. Mats approach to strength and conditioning training for the most part has allowed me to stay injury free.
He introduced and taught me the fundamentals of key exercises used in the gym to help improve my performance. These included all things squats, pressing and deadlift variations.

Mat helped with my strength and conditioning building up to my 2020 Shute Shield Rugby season. During which I unfortunately suffered a season ending foot injury. Whilst I was in a boot for 6 weeks, Mat developed a tailored program to work around my injury to ensure I maintained as much of my strength and fitness as possible. Once I was out of the boot he worked with my physio and put together a specific return to play program which incorporated a range of specific exercises/plyometric movements to prepare my foot for the demands of playing Rugby. As a result, I am now back to full capacity in my foot whilst my strength and fitness has gone through the roof. I’m now more than ready next season.

I have personally known Mathew Cabrera in a variety of capacities for many years. He has been my trusted colleague in the security industry and has also helped me prepare for international tournaments and super-fights in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Matt has been responsible for guiding me in aspects of nutrition and strength + conditioning. Matt’s philosophy, preparation and keen attention to detail is what separates him from other fitness professionals. His emphasis on scientific based evidence towards training and mastering of fundamentals movements makes his programs world class while ensuring his clients meet their specific needs and goals. My time spent learning and training under Matt will always be a highlight in my professional journey. I highly recommend his services to anyone who is serious about their athletic careers and for anyone out there looking to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

I have been training with Mathew for 6 months during 2020 preparing me for the 2021 Football Premier League season.
Prior to seeing Mathew, I have had multiple knee injuries/surgeries which has never fully recovered, however since being with Mathew, he has written up a full “return to sport” program for me personally focusing on strength, conditioning and plyometric drills to compliment my rehab with the physio.
Mathew has not only given me the physical capacity to be fit but also the confidence mentally to be able to trust my body and process to be able to play football again.
Mathew has been nothing but supportive and is very knowledgeable, I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to be able to better play their sport at a higher level or for anyone who wants to better themselves.

I trained with Mat during 2018-2019. Through this time, we have met on a weekly basis and worked on developing both my strength/stability and endurance in the lead up to my competitions in Japanese Ji Jitsu. Mat is always available via text or call to discuss/ fine tune anything that I needed and is a reliable source of information regarding my training needs. Through Mat’s knowledge and guidance, has helped me get favourable results in my sport notably silver medal in WCJJO world Championships in Florida in 2019 and North-star Ji Jitsu national Champion.

Before training with Matt, for about 2 years being in the gym, I hadn’t been able to progress in my training, I had been riddled with injuries due to rugby since I can remember. I reached out to Matt, for guidance and support. Mats training programs addressed my previous injuries and current lifting capabilities, which in turn allowed me to increase both my strength, power and running conditioning. This is something that I hadn’t been able to fully accomplish in over 2 years in training. This was evident within the first 3 months where I had improved on a number of key performance metrics/tests (both lifting and fitness related). Without Matt, and his extensive knowledge in exercise science, I would have never been able to accomplish this in my training and I am forever grateful for his guidance.