Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Bruninghaus.
Matthew, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born into a sports family; everyone played a sport at some point whether it was basketball, soccer, baseball, hockey, etc. My father coached, and my mother still coaches. She told me that when I was a baby and couldn’t sleep, the only thing to help me fall asleep was sitting on her lap watching reruns of March Madness games. Growing up, I had the opportunity to explore and try every sport. Our basement was filled with athletic equipment; there was always a ball, stick, glove, and bat to pick up and take to the park to play. At the age of ten, I decided that nothing felt better than putting on my soccer goalie gloves and making diving attempts to save the ball from going into the net.
From that point on, soccer consumed my days; if I wasn’t in season, I was anxiously waiting for the season to come back. It is the highlight of goalkeeping to know that your one save can make the difference between winning and losing. After an arduous 90 minutes of hard work put together by your squad, it feels heroic to come up with saves while your team relies on you. Countless hours of training and preparation go into those few moments of great athleticism and skill, as they do for many athletes in all sports. For myself, goalkeeping gave me the biggest adrenaline rush for physical activity.
Directly after high school, I started a successful college career at Lasell College in Newton, Boston. In the summer of 2009, I spent my time training athletes in a sports performance facility, and in the summer of 2010, I went to Wales for an internship, gaining experience in coaching youth sports. In 2011 after a serious injury my college soccer career ended, and I decided to focus on coaching others. In 2012, I started my soccer coaching career at Sacred Heart High School as the varsity boys’ head coach and had a fantastic experience over the next five seasons. I also turned my part-time fitness instructor job into a full-time fitness coach working at the sports performance facility, Athletic Republic. In 2013, I started with Paul Turner coaching premier club soccer. Formerly known as PTUSA, now FCUSA Massachusetts, I am still happily coaching for the club today, surrounded by a great support system that develops coaches and players.
Since graduating college, I earned my Certified Personal Trainer Certificate, Premier Soccer Coaching Diploma through the NSCAA, and my Master Degree in Sports Management focused on Sports Leadership. I have spent the last eight years training, coaching and developing modern athletes in all sports, as well as working with weight loss clients, and post PT clients rebuilding their strength and cardiovascular health, and building an adult fitness class with various programs for runners, obstacle course racers, triathletes, etc. I started building a name for myself working in multiple fitness facilities but had always desired to own and operate my own training facility.
I opened MB PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE in 2016. We are currently located in Kingston, Massachusetts. MBPI is a place for competitive athletes to enhance their performance mentally and physically. We provide a place of community for competitors who continue to work at their craft off the field, court, track, and ice.
To this day, my parents continue to support my passion for sports and coaching. My fiancé helps support my entrepreneurship and gave me the encouragement to go for it, to open MB Performance Institute. I am grateful to be surrounded by a supportive network.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
During a save at the last game of my 2011 junior year of college, I herniated and tore the 4th disc in my lumbar. I was told then it was not wise to continue to keep playing. It was one of the hardest times in my life; it was time to hang up the cleats.
Following the injury, I spent months on bed rest and crutches; I made the decision that I was not done yet. I could continue to do what I am passionate about and help others achieve their short term and long-term goals through sport and exercise.
The first challenge was working through my own injury, rehabbing and committing to never giving up hope to be able to do the physical activities I love so much. Those activities were the foundation of my plan to make an honest living to provide for my two boys and fiancé. There is an immense amount of pressure to maintain peak physical capabilities, and not to allow my injuries to interfere with everything I work for, given the field I have chosen to pursue. With this ongoing struggle comes a great awareness that has enabled me to give to others what works to help maintain all physical capabilities to their maximum potential. Struggles are only small roadblocks or an uneven sea in stormy weather that make it worth your time to overcome those challenges and attain your goals. Then, when you reach them, you are better prepared to set new goals and confront new challenges. “If it does not challenge you, it does not change you.”
Please tell us about MB Performance Institute LLC.
At MBPI we share the passion for athletic training, coaching, and fitness with all our members. Coaches recognize that motivation changes from day to day and adjust the sessions accordingly to help members exceed expectations and reach new heights in athletic performance and fitness. Competition helps develop powerful characteristics in all of us when nurtured with positivity, hard work, perseverance, and integrity. The coaching and training at MBPI are about individual needs, learning and creating the best possible environment for each person to achieve their goals. Every mind and body reacts differently to exercise. We are here to evaluate, assess, and develop the right program for you.
We are here to help provide a challenge for people to overcome and become a stronger individual for it. We specialize in youth athlete development and preparation. One of my clients who has been training with me for four years since 8th grade said, “Now, whether it be on or off the field, I feel much more confident in my strength and athletic ability. None of this would be possible without the personalized workout plans, diet advice, and positive spirit held at MB Performance Institute.” We are known for adapting on a daily basis our clients’ workout, to help them through any rough patch their body may be healing from. A great program needs flexibility because everybody responds and reacts differently to resistance training. We emphasize and take the time to adjust programming, in order to prepare and maximize human performance. We are proud to provide an atmosphere for young athletes to grow athletically and personally into mature athletes and members of the community. The atmosphere offers young people a healthy alternative to YouTube, video games, and TV. Much of the feedback from parents is that it is never a struggle to get their children out of the door and to the facility. They say, “He is asking and reminding me about going to your gym every day.”
Our morning adult programs offer four times a week yearly programming. The programs change as you may decide to sign up for different events such as a 5k road race or the Duxbury Triathlon. If you have a race coming up we will plan and adapt the daily workouts to make sure your body is at full readiness to complete your event at peak performance. For example, one of our clients is signing up to complete the Spartan Beast next year. His programming will vary over the next year as others in the class are completing the daily workout as planned assuming there are no upcoming competitions.
The athlete summer programming builds a strong comradery among those participating while developing strength, speed, and power. Also, the program helps build social skills while training physically and gives athletes an opportunity to be part of a new group. Some clients started at the age of 14 and are still with us as they are in their senior year of college.
Each summer, we are extremely pleased to bring on college students looking for an internship program. Our program gives the student the ability to work with athletes training and coaching them, as well as being a part of program development. We also like to include the business aspect: what it means to run a small fitness facility yourself, the benefits and costs, and most importantly the time it takes.
At MBPI, we share the passion for athletic training, coaching, and fitness with all our members. Coaches recognize that motivation changes from day to day and adjust the sessions accordingly to help members exceed expectations and reach new heights in athletic performance and fitness. Competition helps develop powerful characteristics in all of us when nurtured with positivity, hard work, perseverance, and integrity. The coaching and training at MBPI is about individual needs, learning and creating the best possible environment for each person to achieve their goals. Every mind and body reacts differently to exercise. We are here to evaluate, assess, and develop the right program for you.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I can’t say I have one childhood memory. My favorite childhood memories are out on the field with my teammates playing soccer, sharing moments of defeat and triumph at practices and games.
Contact Info:
- Address: 187 Summer St, Kingston, MA
- Website: www.mbperformanceinstitute.com
- Phone: 774-454-8971
- Email: mbperformanceinstitute@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbperformanceinstitute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mbperformanceinstitute/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBPI_
- Other: https://www.mbperformanceinstitute.com/testimonials
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