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Matus Valent

Matus Valent is a fitness model, sponsored athlete and entrepreneur who lives in Los Angeles. Following a career-making move from his native Slovakia, Matus has attracted a lot of attention as an international cover model – known for his well-defined abs and chest.

Despite the excellent physique he displays today, modelling wasn’t even an interest for him growing up. His first love was actually volleyball, which he played to a high-level for almost a decade while lifting weights in his fathers “private hardcore basement gym”.

It was this time working out with his dad, that inspired Matus to create an aesthetic physique worthy of the American magazines. He traveled to the US, working for $6 an hour to pay for his gym fees and living costs, but never losing sight of his fitness modelling goal. Eventually this dedication paid off. He received critical acclaim from scouts and found work with top international magazines.

This is his story:

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Athlete Statistics

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“Consistency and dedication are probably the most important elements in achieving the dream body you want.”

Accomplishments

• International fitness model
• Masters in physical education and sport
• 1st place at Model America 2006
• 3rd place at Model Universe 2006

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Training

Starting Out

Matus’ first lessons in weight-lifting technique came from his bodybuilder father in Slovakia. His dad built a private gym in the basement of their family home, sitting for hours with Matus teaching him the basics.

Because of this strong knowledge base, Matus doesn’t believe he made any mistakes in his training as a beginner. Even so, he did admittedly find the learning process difficult at times, saying “bodybuilding is a process of learning and knowing your body better with time”.

This gradual learning process in his words has taught him a lot. He says that he has been training almost the same way since he came to the US; he believes that if a routine gives results, then there is no reason to change it.

Routine

His current weekly routine looks like this:

Monday

• Flat barbell bench press (8 sets)
• Hammer strength flat press (4 sets)
• Pec-deck (5 sets)
• Dips (4 sets)
• Cable crossovers (5 sets)
• Smith machine incline barbell press (5 sets)
• Abs (16 sets)

Tuesday

• Seated dumbbell preacher curls (5 sets)
• Scott bench machine curls (5 sets)
• Standing EZ barbell curls (4 sets)
• Seated dumbbell hammer curls (4 sets)
• Abs (16 sets)

 Wednesday

• Smith machine squats (7 sets)
• Leg extension (8 sets)
• Leg curls (5 sets)
• Leg press (4 sets)
• Standing machine calves raises (5 sets)
• Seated calves raises (5 sets)
• Abs (16 sets)

 Thursday

• Pull-ups (4 sets)
• T-bar bent over rows (4 sets)
• Cable pull downs wide grip (5 sets)
• Seated cable rows (4 sets)
• Cable pull downs close grip (3 sets)
• Bent over lateral dumbbell raises (3 sets)
• Seated machine rows (4 sets)
• Hyper extensions (3 sets)
• Shrugs (3 sets)
• Abs (16 sets)

 Friday

• Narrow (close) grip bench press (5 sets)
• Triceps cable pull downs super-setting with dips (5 sets)
• One arm reverse cable pull downs (5 sets)
• Triceps (rope) cable pull downs (3 sets)
• Abs (16 sets)

Saturday

• Flat bench crunches with weight (3 sets)
• Flat bench leg raises (3 sets)
• Crunch machine (3 sets)
• Kneeling twist machine (4 sets)
• Roman chair leg raises (3 sets)
• Abs (16 sets)

Sunday

• Rest

Free Weights vs Machines

Matus says that he prefers machines to weights. He says he often trains his chest with 31 sets in one session, so he knows through practice that the machine offers him a more stable movement. When he does use free weights, he incorporates them into his bicep, tricep and shoulder workouts.

Matus also prides himself on his work ethic and the large amount of sets he completes for particular body parts. On occasional arm days, he can complete 16 sets for biceps and another 16 sets of abs; he says this is why he is in the gym for two and half hours most days.

Favorite Exercises

Matus loves the flat bench press as he believes it is the “most important exercise to build a great chest”. He says he “fell in the love” with the exercise, as soon as he saw his father doing it in their basement gym.

Similarly, he has always loved Dips since a young age. He sees the tricep dip as very important as it can “develop definition and attack muscles which other exercises cannot stimulate as well”.

Cardio

As Matus’ workouts are 2-3 hours long, he believes he is burning enough calories while lifting weights so doesn’t need to complete cardio. When he is competing however, he completed Elliptical workouts for 40 minutes per week.

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“The whole idea of fitness and working out is to make it your lifestyle, something you feel and want to do almost on a daily basis, to see the results, to be motivated and to try to improve.”

Nutrition

Healthy Eating

As a fitness model,  Matus likes to stay lean all year round. He eats a very healthy diet – focusing his meal choices around his macro-nutrient needs for each day. He also eats smaller meals spread throughout the day to ensure he has a steady stream of protein and carbs. A meal plan example is below:

• Meal 1: 3 slices of Wheat Toast, 6 Egg Whites and 2 Yolks and a glass of Whole Milk
• Meal 2: Protein Shake with Whole Milk
• Meal 3: Grilled Chicken Breasts & White Rice
• Meal 4: One Banana & Low Carb Yogurt (Preworkout)
• Meal 5: Protein Shake with Whole Milk (Postworkout)
• Meal 6: (Night Time) Steak, Salmon, Toast & Sardines, Low Sodium Cottage Cheese or Pasta

Competition Diet

When Matus has photo shoots or competitions, he starts to manipulate his carbohydrate intake. He lasts 3-4 days with almost no carbs at all, then has 1-2 days without sodium. He also reduces his calorie intake, focusing on eating just chicken breast, red meat, egg white and nuts.

Supplements

Matus uses supplements heavily, relying on them for his pre-workout energy boost as well as his dietary needs. When he is competing, he uses fat burners heavily to and adds water pills, such as Dandelion root, Uva Ursi, Diurex which helps him “dry out” and look as toned as possible.

Matus’ usual stack is below:

• Pre-workout drink,
• Nitric oxide,
• Testosterone booster,
• Beta-alanine,
• Glutamine,
• Liquid aminos
• Whey Protein
• Beta aniline

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“All of it is in your head, if you want to see progress and feel good about yourself you need need to stay consistent.”

Idols and Influences

Matus admires driven athletes. He says he likes to watch individuals who are focused on their sport “150%”. Among his favorite athletes are Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.

In terms of bodybuilders, his top picks are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, Ronnie Coleman, Markus Ruhl and Phil Heath. He was particularly impressed by Phil’s victory in the Mr Olympia competition in 2011.

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“Pain is temporary, pride stays forever.”

What we can learn from Matus Valent

Matus Valent’s struggle to live in Los Angeles while chasing his dream, is a lesson to us all. The ripped physiques we see on on our favorite magazines, were often built through many years of extremely hard work and sacrifice. If you really want a physique like Matus’, be prepared to work extremely hard in the gym.