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PNN Interviews:
Matt Jordan

Matt Jordan, a native of Ottawa, Canada, moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1992 to train at the Olympic Oval as a competitive speed skater. After a successful career as an amateur athlete Matt Jordan completed his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary.

In 1998, Matt began his strength coaching career working with speed skaters and hockey players at the Olympic Oval. In 2003, Matt completed a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology at the University of Calgary. His area of specialization was neuromuscular physiology and his research focused on the effects of whole-body vibration on neuromuscular function. He presented is findings at the 8th Annual European College of Sport Science Conference in Salzburg, Austria.

Matt Jordan is now a strength consultant with the Canadian Sport Centre-Calgary and he also runs Jordan Strength Consulting (www.jordanstrength.com) which is his Calgary based company.
Matt is the personal strength coach to numerous World and Olympic medalists, and has worked with elite athletes in many sports including speed skating, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, hockey, football, volleyball and mixed martial arts. Matt has published many articles on strength and conditioning for athletes and has presented at National and International conferences on strength training methods for high performance athletes.

Dr Berardi:
Hey Matt, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with me. For starters, let’s talk about what you’re up to right now?

Matt:
Right now, I am a strength and physiology consultant for the Canadian Sport Centre-Calgary. I consult with the Canadian speed skating, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, and biathlon national teams. In addition to this, what takes up most of my time, I also train athletes privately who compete in a variety of sports including: mixed martial arts, karate football, and hockey.

Dr Berardi:
How long have you been doing this?

Matt:
I have been consulting with athletes since 1998.

Dr Berardi:
As you’re one of the big proponents of my PN system, I’m wondering what motivated you to seek out my nutritional system?

Matt:
A lot of high performance athletes struggle with nutrition. They struggle with basic things like building meals, and knowing how to eat to maximize recovery from training. They also need to learn about cutting edge sport nutrition information.

In my opinion, most sport nutritionists provide the basics and gloss over most of the areas that are more cutting edge. Yet I also believe that they aren’t nearly detailed enough in their nutritional prescription for even the basics, such as building meals, nutrient timing, and more. This unfortunate reality has led to the perception amongst many athletes and coaches that most conventional sport nutritionists simply do not have the skills to teach good nutrition and or to share cutting edge knowledge. I largely believe this is to be true.

I sought your assistance to help with these problems. You do a good job of blending scientific knowledge with practical tools and ideas that really have a positive impact. I judge the value of a system based on the results that are obtained- Precision Nutrition achieves results.

Dr Berardi:
Be honest, did you have any reservations before you started working with me? If so, what were they?

Matt Jordan:
I had no personal reservations working with you or referring my athletes to you. However, I knew that many individuals in the Canadian high performance sport community would not be ready for a lot of your progressive ideas on sport nutrition.

I think there is a strong culture in Canadian sport that cutting edge sport nutrition and supplementation is risky, and in some cases unethical or illegal. This has resulted in a culture of fear and ignorance.

However, slowly attitudes have been changing, due in part to your work with the Alpine, Cross Country, and Canoe/Kayak Teams here in Canada as well as the work of the physiologists here at the Canadian Sports Centre. Therefore I’m always glad to continue our work together.

Dr Berardi:
What about the distance-based nature of the PN program? Why didn’t you just select a local dietitian? Did you have a hard time getting your head around the fact that I wouldn’t be on site? What made up your mind?

Matt Jordan:
I only support those who excel in their fields, and who are interested in getting results. I have no interest in choosing someone based on geography, and I hate when any consultant is chosen for this reason. I use you as my nutritional consultant because I believe you are a leading expert in this field.

Dr Berardi:
What do you and your clients/athletes like best about the PN system?

Matt Jordan:
There are three reasons nearly every athlete I work with has had success with PN:

1. It is simple
2. It is food based and supplements, while useful, are secondary
3. It gets results

Dr Berardi:
Do any of your athletes find the PN advice hard to follow?

Matt Jordan:
No…. definitely not… especially in comparison to advice given by other sport nutritionists.

Dr Berardi:
So what kind of results do your clients/athletes get when using the program?

Matt Jordan:
They see all sorts of benefits including:

1. Increased energy
2. Accelerated recovery from training
3. Increased lean body mass

Most importantly, the athletes always have a good “buy-in,” which means they believe in and trust in the system. This is arguably one of the most important results of a nutritional program.

Dr Berardi:
Describe your total experience implementing the PN system to date.

Matt Jordan:
My experience implementing this system has been incredibly positive. After learning about the system, all my athletes have been motivated and excited to implement change. The best thing is that I see results.

Dr Berardi:
If someone was hesitant about working with us, what advice would you give them?

Matt Jordan:
Don’t be hesitant. JB has a PhD in sport nutrition and a solid practical background. Also, his system is simple and doesn’t involve a lot of supplements. It will be easy to follow, your athletes will be healthier, and they will perform better.