Matt Wenning is a strength and conditioning coach, powerlifter with multiple world records to his name, and entrepreneur based in Columbus, OH. Among the many highlights on his resume, he's best known as a coach for his work with multiple branches of the military, as well as training law enforcement and fire departments across the United States. He is also the inventor of one of the best reviewed and utilized belt squat machines in the world, "The Wenning Belt Squat." In this episode, we talk a bit about his history, how he became interested in strength training in the first place, his training philosophy on longevity in sports that typically don't lend themselves to it, athletic development for all sports, and much more. Matt's had the great fortune of crossing paths with some greats in strength training (William Kraemer, Louie Simmons, Charles Poliquin), and it was a real treat; Pleases subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed this!

DiSalvo Performance Hour

#8 - Matt Wenning

Charlie Vinch is a jiu jitsu black belt under the Migliarese Brothers (Balance Studios in Philly, PA) and the owner of Budo Martial Arts in Ewing, NJ. He's had long career in martial arts, from fighting MMA in the early days on the East Coast circuit, to now being a coach and school owner himself. He's been a great resource to many local school and gym owners, including myself, for many years. In this podcast, we get into a lot of different subjects, in particular why he's a big advocate for coaches and coaching in general, what made him shift so hard in the direction of coaching vs. further pursuing his athletic career, and much more.

#7 Charlie Vinch (Owner of Budo Martial Arts)

Rich Van Houten is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Marcelo Garcia, a former pro MMA-fighter, and owner of the UFC Gym/Hoboken Jiu Jitsu in Hoboken, NJ. In addition to having a successful career as a personal trainer & coach to many MMA fighters, Rich is the co-founder of Prestige Property Group, a real estate company in NJ. He most recently cornered Valentina Shevchenko for her Flyweight Title Defense in the UFC (125lbs). A veteran of both professional sports and the fitness business, Rich has a great perspective on both topics and has great perspective on how to use skills you gain as an athlete to make a living, as well as the intangibles & qualities of a successful coach and athlete.

#6 - Rich Van Houten

Zac Streva is a strength and conditioning coach at Performance Enhancement Professionals in Scottsdale, AZ. He, along with the PEP staff, are world renowned for their work with NFL players and professional athletes. Zac is a retired powerlifter and former gym owner (Colorado Barbell Club), and has years of experience working with athletes of all levels, across a wide array of sports. He also is a supplement sleuth, now working closely with Optimum EFX in Scottsdale. We talk about a wide array of subjects, but particularly focus on athlete development at high levels. We also get into growing individual sports and strategies he thinks would work well to grow niche sports and monetize them a bit better. We also talk a bit about his time as a close colleague and friend of the late Charles Poliquin.

#5 - Zac Streva of Performance Enhancement Professionals

Ben Velazquez is a sports performance rehab specialist, with a focus and expertise in traumatic brain injury and the ELDOA Method. He's consulted and worked with a number of professional sports teams on both fronts. Ben has almost three decades of experience in the strength & conditioning industry as a coach, trainer, and rehab specialist to athletes of all levels in baseball, hockey, soccer, and much more. He is the founder of Grey Matters Performance Group, based in NYC and co-hosts the Thrivalist Manifesto Podcast. This is one of my favorite interviews to date: we get into Ben's experience, as well as his work with some of the industry's best coaches, past and present, including Mel Siff and his friendship with Charles Poliquin, to his modern work with Dr Alfreddo Herrera and much more. You do not want to miss this one!

#4 - Ben Velazquez

Roothchild St Germain is a jiu jitsu coach and athlete in NYC. He's also the owner of Focus Brand, a jiu jitsu apparel and lifestyle company that emphasizes support and sponsorship of lower belt athletes in jiu jitsu. In this podcast, we talk about his mental toughness that's famous amongst his friends and training partners, his preparation and what shaped him, and his journey in the sport so far. This is one you won't want to miss.

#3- Roothchild "RC" St Germain

Coach Jared Saavedra is an Atlanta based Strength and Conditioning coach who owns Athlete Global Ready- a state of the art online training and coaching platform that sources info and feedback from strength coaches around the world. He's worked with UFC fighters, NFL players and athletes of all levels and ages. This episode was recorded during a recent trip of his to NYC.

#2 - Coach Jared Saavedra, Owner of Athlete Ready Global

In the pilot episode of DiSalvo Performance Hour, Mark sits down with Alex Ecklin from the HQ/gym in NYC. Alex is the co-owner of Masterskya Brooklyn, is a black belt in jiu jitsu, has competes professionally in jiu jitsu, and is known as one of the most technical coaches in Jiu Jitsu on the East Coast.

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DiSalvo Performance Hour

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