Pillar of the international Metal scene as the singer and guitarist of TRIVIUM and IBARAKI, world class gamer, Esport ambassador, accomplished athlete, entrepreneur… His days are particularly intense: rehearsals, concerts, tours, promo, album recordings, sports routine... Matthew embodies the METAL WORKOUT project he co-founded with Yann Heurtaux: with suitable and regular training on Metal music, nothing can stop you!
1) What is your relationship to sport, what place does it have in your life?
As a young kid, I dabbled a bit in karate, but it wasn’t really until later in life that I dedicated myself to specific sport practices. Sure, I casually lifted weights as a teenager - but it wasn’t regimented until later in life.
Around 2009, I got heavily into Ashtanga yoga - a practice I still have quite present in my life. In 2013, I got into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - something that is a huge part of my life. . In 2019, I began training with steel mace - which is now primarily my own source of weight lifting.
All of these practices have helped me immensely mentally and physically.
2) What sport(s) / sports activity(ies) do you practice regularly?
Ashtanga Yoga, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Steel Mace.
3) What does it bring you as a musician and in your everyday life?
Being a musician, you use the body to perform and create; when your body and mind are well-taken care of by proper diet, sleep, and exercise - the body and mind do all things better.
Through the training of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I was able to apply it’s regimented style of drilling and exercises back to what I do for a living - singing and guitar playing - and in turn become better at what I do professionally, thanks to essentially witnessing what it is to train and learn something that was so new to me (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu).
4) Do you listen to music when you workout, and if so, what kind?
I always try to pair correctly the right music for the right physical occasion.
With yoga, I try to stick to baroque classical music, or perhaps some sort of world music if I am in another part of the world (matching my scenery with the music); with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and steel mace though - I need heavy music for doing heavy things. Metal, extreme Metal, Hardcore, Metalcore - I need it to fuel the intense situation of the training there.
5) On tour, how do you maintain a constant level of training and a healthy lifestyle?
You just have to do it. It can be tough - the tough part of tour is how much downtime there is - and that’s where musicians struggle and lead themselves down bad paths.
As a musician, you need to create a sustainable training regimen on the road that makes sense for you. You can’t over train, but you also can’t under train.
I’ve overdone it with 90 min Brazilian Jiu Jitsu rounds with a 90 min headliner - you have to gauge what appropriately works.
Proper sleep, hydration, and eating is a must on the road. Then you find the balance of training too.
Trivium is a 23 year strong internationally touring Metal band. For that longevity, you need discipline and good caretaking of your mind and body.
6) Do you have any sport / health / nutrition advice to share with us?
The mind is as important - if not more so - than the body, when it comes to taking care of it.
Do bring in meditation, talking out your feelings (whether to a friend or (more recommended) to a licensed mental health councilor); acknowledge that keeping the mind clean and clear is as important as the body.
Where the head leads, the body follows; when the mind is well tended, then the body will be even more so.
Try whichever diet works for you, but I prefer the 4-5-6 times a day of eating. On tour, I do two “real” meals - breakfast and early dinner. The times around those, I’ll have half a protein bar or a shake with water or oat milk.
I drink lots of water, and try to sleep at least 8 hours a night.
It’s tougher for me to eat a lot on a show day with the singing/ screaming component. I probably am a touch under calories on show days, but I make up for it on the off days.
7) What is your current news?
As co-owner of Metal Workout, I am so excited to finally be able to share the insight on how I keep myself healthy and fit in what I do.
About TRIVIUM, the world tour is still going and we released a new video for the single “No Way Back Just Through“.
