Meet Ryan J. Mathias | Strength Coach, Athlete, Author & Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan J. Mathias and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan J., is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“Successful people do what they must, whether they feel like it or not.” That is a quote I think about often. Anytime I feel tired, overworked, lazy, or have any downward thoughts, I remember that there are things I have to do to get to where I want to be, whether I feel like doing them right now or not. Business and life in general are not easy. Both take a lot of work and persistence in order to be successful. You have to keep fighting forward, no matter how hard it all seems. You have to do whatever it takes, whether you “feel like it” or not.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The idea and goal of creating the Mathias Method began on December 25th, 2015 (Christmas Day). I was sitting at home thinking of what I wanted to do with my life. I had my Personal Training Certification, but after doing some training I found it did not fulfill me.

I was less than a year away from graduating college with a Degree in Exercise Science, and a Minor in Business, but I was unsure of what I wanted to do. My Financial Aid that paid for College was racked up to nearly $30,000 at this point. I wanted to find a way to invest $2,000 I had saved up, and turn it into a way to pay my loan.

I had just finished reading the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, a few months before (which taught me to save the $2,000 while still going to college) in an effort to learn more about how to be smart with my money. I looked at a few things to invest in, but none felt right. I had been searching for answers as to what I wanted to do in life for a while, and all I could think of was “Change the World”.

That’s when I decided that if I’m going to invest in something it should be an investment in myself. I believe in myself more than anything else, so if it went anywhere, it should go towards helping me follow my dreams. At least then I knew I truly was in control of my future and what I could accomplish. I wanted, and still want to, change the world, but at the time I did not have a “how”.

How was I going to change the world that is changing on its own so rapidly?

I had already accomplished a lot at this stage of my life, as I was soon to earn my 3rd Degree Black Belt in Martial Arts, after over 13 years of consecutive training. Still, I had no plan of how I was going to utilize my knowledge and experience. I began doubting myself and was not sure that I had the strength to change the world.

I wanted to help others by sharing with them my knowledge of how to get stronger, and make a difference in their lives! Then it hit me!

It was like an idea just dropped right in my lap and told me what I needed to do. Suddenly, I knew what I wanted to do! What I was meant to do. I wanted to help others change their world in order to change the world. With that in mind, the plans for the Mathias Method were born! I quickly grabbed a note pad and started writing…

I began by writing down all the different programs, that you see as Levels 1-8, which teach people how to get stronger from a beginner level, all the way through competitive strength sports.

That same day I also put together the Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercise Routine, which teaches people to commit to themselves every day, and always be moving forward towards their goals.

I even did the first drawings of our Mathias Method Logo with all of its colors that same day, alongside the help of my family. I dove in head first as soon as the ideas popped into my head and have never turned back.

I based everything off of the knowledge that Strength is the basis for all other fitness goals. We all have to develop a base of strength in order to improve more efficiently and effectively. All of the knowledge that I learned from my personal experiences, enabled me to create the Mathias Method Strength System which can be applied to any training regiment in order to optimize your results!

From that day forward, I worked on developing and improving the Mathias Method every single day. I forced myself, no matter how late it was or how tired I was, to do at least 1 thing every day to build up the Brand. That made for many late nights, as I was still driving back and forth to college every weekday, and teaching Martial Arts many days a week as well.

I took the $2,000 and invested it towards paying for my new found Business, which quickly turned into a $3,000, $4,000, $5,000 investment of my normal income.

I would get up at 5:15 am every day, to leave by 6:00 am, drive 2 hours to school, drive back in the afternoon, then either drive 20 minutes to the gym to work out for 4 hours, or drive 30 minutes to my job of teaching martial arts and do that until 8 pm before driving back home for dinner.

I didn’t sleep much, but I was enjoying what I learned at school and creating the Mathias Method was fun, though tedious at times.

I was also in the midst of preparing for my first Powerlifting Meet during this time. It was scheduled for March 5th, 2016 in San Diego, CA. I flew in with my mom, aka my designated camera woman, after getting my first 2 t-shirts made in a rush order from a lady that worked out of her barn. They were dark and ugly with my logo on the front and said “MathiasMethod.com, Available March 16th, 2016” on the back.

As ugly as they were, I was excited to see my Brand in full color. It was finally becoming real.

I had a few people talk to me about it, but no one really knew what it meant. I wasn’t even sure what it meant. As I said, the idea was just put in my head and I just learned as it grew, never truly knowing where it was going to end up.

My first Powerlifting Meet went well overall. I weighed in 7lbs under what I expected and took 2nd in my division, plus I got some PRs.

After my first meet, I did exactly what I said I was going to do… on March 16th, 2016 I made MathiasMethod.com available to the world. Though I still had many things to add, it had most of the content you see on the site today, starting with the Daily 30, available to start helping others grow stronger.

I continued to work on the site every day trying to put out the best information I could for FREE. I had learned so much during my experiences, but I also got a lot of FREE help along the way. Having the site be FREE, although nearly everyone advised me not too, was one of the main purposes of what I was trying to do.

I wanted the information about how to get stronger to be available to everyone at all times. I feel everyone should have access to learn how to free their internal strength to change their world, and so the site was, is, and always will be FREE.

Overall, I just want to empower people with the self-motivation and drive to pursue more out of life. No matter what they want to do, dream big and go for it! It doesn’t have to make sense to other people. You just need to find something you love to do and figure out a way to earn money doing it. I love helping people, that is what I do everyday, and I couldn’t be happier!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Everything we would do, would be focused around the gym. We would wake up, eat (probably something simple at home like meat, eggs and oatmeal), get ready, and go hit the gym for a hard workout. Afterwards, we would have our protein shakes and either come back to my place for a decent meal or go out if there’s something good near by; wherever serves steak or a good burger. Then get cleaned up at home and watch a movie or something around dinner time. On days we don’t hit the gym, we would either play some mini-golf or go for a good long hike up a mountain. Just some light activity to keep ourselves entertained while resting up for the next days hard session. There’s no place specific we would go, but instead would switch things up each day to have a new experience to keep things interesting.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be where I am today without the help of many people. First, and most important, my parents. They have supported me from the moment I first had the idea to create something of my own, and have never stopped. They have helped me navigate a new world and have given me guidance when it was most needed, as well as sparked new ideas that developed into even greater dreams.
Second, my brothers who have given me the opportunities needed to try, and sometimes fail, at different avenues in order to find what I really wanted to do with my business.
Third, is my mentor, Tony Reyna. You have taught me so much about both business and life. I probably would have never aspired to create something of my own without seeing your success and gaining your confidence first. Thank you for all you have taught me!
Finally, I would like to thank everyone that I have interacted with who have helped me along my journey. No matter how small our interaction was, every little moment and purchase has helped me keep moving forward in creating something of my own. Thank you!

Website: https://MathiasMethod.com

Instagram: @MathiasMethod

Twitter: @MathiasMethod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathiasmethodstrength/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MathiasMethodStrength

Image Credits
Mathias Method Strength