👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
Hi, This is Matteo Maximilian. Thank you for taking the time to read about my story, journey and the path that I took to reach my current state of livelihood. Your curiosity continues to fuel my ambition.
Originally, my family heritage roots itself in a region of Eastern Italy called Abruzzo.
I grew up in San Francisco, California, and also spent time living in Rome, Greece & Spain.
These days-Berkeley, California is where I call home. The perfect place for a plant-based entrepreneur to start a business and indulge in the infinite cosmos of delicious, mouthwatering plant-based foods that the city of Berkeley has to offer.
If you haven’t yet visited, try to do so soon. Sure, it’s a little bit rustic, mysterious & liberal. But the charm still stands to be miraculously one of a kind.
Learning has always been a connective & comprehensive process that I found myself embodying more harmoniously while being outside, in nature than within a lecture hall or classroom. By default, this led me to focus on learning more effectively by specializing in a few key categories of academia.
Due to my curious and ambitious nature, I studied mainly high renaissance philosophy, cognitive sciences, philosophy of psychology, & sociology.
As learning about how humans interact with our outer world, our inner metaphysical realm, and of course, each other, proves to be an endless rabbit hole of deeper understanding that one can never fully cognize.
How I got into Marketing:
Since life is not monomaniac, I chose to start a business that diversifies my daily focus across several different categories. And with humans being somewhat predictable, habit-driven creatures, I continued to find myself becoming quite flooded with more and more fascination surrounding consumer purchasing habits.
And thus, my business: Hydra Marketing was born and set in motion.
Hydra Marketing is a Marketing & Advertisement company designed to create unique content for products & brands.
My daily role includes crafting go-to-Market strategies for new or more recognizable brands, creating legendary unique content(Like commercials, photos, and advertisements) that allow brands to tell a whole new story or reach a unique demographic.
In addition to running a business, I also do a bit of work as a Plant-Based Fitness Model. Modeling clothes, accessories, car brands or even cologne fragrances & watches.
In doing so, I hope to inspire a more positive image around living a plant-based lifestyle. While I do have representation in Los Angeles and San Francisco, I still work mainly as a free Agent Model.
The Lover:
One major factor in my current state of success is my very loving, supportive & divine girlfriend.
We met at a small coffee shop in Berkeley and were immediately enamored beyond belief. Not only does she push me to grow, but she encourages me to evolve.
Having someone by your side that mutually believes in your goals, dreams and vision can truly augment more passion and catalyze the metamorphosis of dreams into realities. What can be more inspiring than Love?
The Fighter:
I started boxing at the young age of 10 years old. It seemed to be a great outlet to channel typical masculine energy & aggression. And growing up, I had a ton of both. But I also enjoyed the sport of boxing for far more than fitness alone.
I see boxing as an art form, a dance with chaos & destruction impeding inward on both sides of the ring. A romance of fury. In fact, the first time I entered a boxing ring for a match, I felt like all of the clocks on the walls froze in place, all noises were dampened to a silence, and all time seemed to come to a complete stop.
Fighting became my panacea. After 5 years of training, competing and sparring – I began to win local Silver & Golden glove tournaments. The accolades never inspired me, but the masterful feeling of harnessing, channeling, and expelling a chaotic internal power did.
I became a regular at several boxing gyms, boxing clubs around the world, and after another decade of training in Boxing & MMA, I finally worked my way up to fighting internationally at a pro-level in Europe.
Dozens of black eyes later, this powerful feeling never truly faded, and to this day, I still teach boxing classes regularly at multiple gyms in San Francisco.
Stop by for one if you dare.
Body Building:
The Very First ‘gym’ I ever walked into was my home garage weight room at age ten. Shortly later, at age 12, I received a real gym membership as a birthday gift. So lifting weights was not only quick to become my daily standard routine but simultaneously became a passion of mine.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
My Long-time consistent routine has been lifting heavy weights 3-4 days per week.
I typically train at 24 Hour Fitness Gyms for weight-lifting and Rise combat gym in San Francisco for boxing, MMA training. Additionally, for body-weight targeted workouts (rings, bars, and bouldering or rock-climbing), I am also a Member at Planet Granite gyms in the Bay Area.
I typically lift weights solo, but will usually train/practice in boxing or rock climbing with groups.
My Sessions usually last between 45 Minutes and 1 Hour, and are mainly split between Transposing dual isolation heavy lifting days:
- Day 1: Heavy Abs+Legs
- Day 2: Recovery day
- Day 3: Abs+Heavy Back/Biceps
- Day 4: Recovery Day
- Day 5: Abs+Heavy Chest/Triceps
- Day 6: Recovery Day
- Day 7: Cardio: Either Boxing, Running, Uphill Biking or Rock climbing
I rarely take off-weeks & usually spend 5-10 minutes deep stretching before beginning a workout.
Post-workout, I go straight to the kitchen and try to maximize my caloric and protein intake immediately, or within 30-60 minutes directly following my physical activities.
My body, specifically, wants to absorb as many nutrients as possible immediately following a workout. Following this up with a long burning hot shower to keep my muscles warm and begin growth recovery.
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
I am a firm believer in building a limitless body.
First one has to discover, understand and measure their own body’s limits. Then one has to break them.
But doing so in a calculated, healthy and gradual way.
Some methods that I utilize to expand my own physical limitations and push onward:
- Keeping a healthy & balanced emotional brain state by diversifying daily activities.
- Hydration. I drink on average 1-2 Gallons per day of spring water. This also allows my muscles to recover faster and prevent daily headaches or fatigue.
- Meditation and daily mindfulness exercises to first visualize how my body can undergo expansion before physically exerting energy.
- Rock climbing & bouldering has also proven to continue pushing my body & soul to new heights as it replaces limitation with progress, especially regarding how quickly the body can overcome boundaries through masterful technique and training.
Nothing changes without persistence, as healthy new trends can quickly revert to old habits without the driving force of persistence.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
My bodybuilding future does not include any type of fitness competing, but rather I plan to continue working occasionally as a Fitness Model. To do so, this requires consistency at the gym and living a healthy balanced life with enough physical energy output to keep my body in elite shape.
I am not likely to ever discontinue my fitness routines or take an elongated break from any of the gyms that I attend.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
As a plant-based vegan, athlete and high-output energy being,
My top choices for recovery include nutrient & protein rich powdered form supplements.
I alternate between these two supplements daily.
Supplement 1: Vega Sport Premium Protein
Supplement 2: Plantfusion Complete Protein
I have been personally taking these two products for almost 10 years, and have found these products to be consistently delicious, easily digestible, and fast-acting for muscle recovery.
These supplements both feature a strong complex of branch chain amino acids. On average, I usually consume around 3 protein shakes per day – made with a simple blend of protein powder, green bananas, chocolate almond milk, and ground cinnamon powder.
I typically aim for 3 protein shakes per day to pair with the carb-rich meals that I consume daily, which are often heavier on Carbs than on protein. The shakes serve as a protein-paired compound meal to replenish my body and recover faster while building lean muscle simultaneously.
And of course, these products are both completely Vegan & Plant-based.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
Growing up, I always had a deep connection with animals.
My Diet Consists of a 100% Vegan/Plant-Based Diet(Yes, for the Animals)
Growing up, I always had a deep connection with animals.
This cause inspired me to go vegetarian at age 10. Quickly after discovering how easy the transition was, I ended up going full fledge read-every-single-product-label vegan by age 12.
A few years ago, I decided to give intermittent fasting a shot. As everyone absorbs nutrients differently, I began implementing Intermediate fasting by limiting my window of nutrient consumption to a 10-hour total window daily.
Often, this window spans from 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
My average protein intake amounts to roughly 100 Grams of plant-based protein per day.
On the regular, I consume traditional Italian food minus the Meat or cheese: Pasta, Pizzas, Bread, Biscotti, Nuts, Fruit, Roasted Vegetables, and plenty of faux meat in various forms.
I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. My favorite fruits are Mango, Pineapple & blackberry, But Vegan Junk food cravings are never met with neglect. Meaning that I do not often turn down dessert.
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
When stepping into the gym, a boxing ring, or any personal fitness ritual, I find myself often channeling the energy and the strength of Big Cats.
In Observing the movement and ferocity of Apex Cats, I took a specific interest in the Jaguar, as the most powerful yet nimble of the Big Cat Kingdom. Ever since, I have aimed to build my body in a similar lean, quick and versatile compound of power & discipline as clearly evident in the all-powerful panther king of the jungle.
I became very connected to jaguars in learning about their mythological and spiritual origins. The jaguar spirit animal is the gatekeeper to all that is unknown, a mystical totem of power, ferocity, and valor; he is the embodiment of aggressiveness. For some, the jaguar represents the power to face one’s fears or to confront one’s enemies.
The ferocity of big cats always Allured me. As I began to study and learn about how quickly the populations of big cats are dwindling globally, teaming up with biologists and ecologists allowed me to create a strategy of urgent action.
Together, we formed an alliance and started Kaminando, A Habitat connectivity initiative Based in Panama.
I plan to one-day build and open the world’s largest big cat wildlife sanctuary. As I work now to achieve this goal, years of planning, preparation and networking will be mandatory for the success of this project.
If any readers have an interest in getting involved & working together to achieve this paramount goal, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
My largest contributions to any readers wishing to improve themselves and hack their life:
Take the vegan challenge. Hack your brain and hack your life
This will by far make the largest impact on your fitness life and can be the easiest decision you have ever made. Having your body constantly feel great can become an everyday spectacle.
With proper nutrients, the physical and mental results of a Plant-based diet can bring clarity, balance and greater efficiency to your daily routines. Plus, animals may just gravitate to you.
Hydration Hacking (x2)
Take the amount of water you drink daily and double it. I find that hydration means fewer injuries, more consistent moods, and an overall better state of well-being.
This brings about the opportunity to finally start being your best self, and can even give you the cognitive consistency to follow new progress plans or take on challenging new daily routines.
Muscle Isolation Workouts
The biggest mistake I see people regularly making at the gym would be over-doing a workout, lifting too heavy with improper form, or trying to work out every muscle in the body over a single session and getting injured.
Isolation prevents the over-expenditure of energy by focusing on a few key muscles each workout and fine-tuning repetition form. I find isolation workouts to be imperative to achieving a harmonious and sculpted body.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
I am currently not taking on any fitness related clients right now outside of boxing. If you have an interest in body-sculpting or body-building, I can refer you to my top regional recommendations.
Since I run a marketing business and have several projects on the table right now, the only way to get some instructional time with me would be to attend one of my boxing classes or schedule a 1:1 combat refinement session.
I do have the ability to virtually mentor, consult and strategize with any interested clients online, remotely.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
For Marketing Inquiries, please visit: hydra-marketing.com
Facebook: Matteo Maximilianø
Instagram: @Matteomaximilian
