Donny Mateaki, strength and conditioning expert and owner of DM Athletics based in Kirkland, WA.
Mateaki always had a passion for strength and conditioning. He is an elite athlete who played at the University of Washington but through injuries and sets saw his dream of going to the NFL fly away.
He overcame his adversity and found his purpose. He used his passion for strength and conditioning and started DM Athletics to be help athletes improve their overall performance and be a source of strength for athletes looking at going to the next level and experiencing the pressures that come.
Strength Quote:
“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”
– Napoleon Hill
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Important Links
- Connect with Donny, Facebook Page
- DM Athletics
- DM Athletics Blog
- ATH Organics, Coupon Code: BEKU for 10% of entire order
Show Notes
Morning Routine
- Wakes up at 4AM and plans day by writing down the 3 Most Important Things to do.
- Writes down what he is grateful for
- Review goals daily (Business, training, and family)
- Every morning is a pre-grame
Adversity
- After his redshirt freshman year he earned 2nd Team Freshmen All American honors and NFL teams began to show interest in him
- Experienced a season ending injury his sophomore season at the University of Washington which threw his career off course, and stopped hearing from coaches and teams.
- Everything up to that point made his identity as a football player but was then abruptly taken away.
Overcame Adversity
- Took it upon himself to learn how he could have done things differently to stay healthy.
- Saw that his passion for strength and conditioning could actually become a career
- Find something in your life that drives you rather than being stuck in a routine
Your break through moment?
- Coaching a football player, from Laie, Hawaii, attending the University of Washington with a couple of ACL injuries, who if suffered another injury may have been the end of his career.
- Improved his strength and performance, which improved his abilities on the field
- Now that athlete, Hau’oli Kikahi, the Huskies’ all-time career sacks leader in his senior season with 34.5, unanimous All-American, named Midseason Defensive Player of the Year by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., and a finalist for both The Butkus Award and the Rotary Lombardi Award, is preparing the this year’s NFL Draft
- Helping Hau’oli overcome the same situation he was in, has been extremely excited and rewarding to help athletes in that position of being under so much stress.
When did you know you become stronger, become Kū?
- Turning the negative experience in college to a positive results. Not only has he helped others become stronger and improve overall performance, but he has helped himself as well.
- This led him to regain his confidence in being stronger and coaching others do the same.
What is your typical training like?
- Most important part of his training is his warm-up.
- Love to lift heavy. Keep it basic and simple.
Top 2 Exercises and Nutritional Advice:
- Bench and Squat.
- There is value behind preparing the body and making it ready for performance. BUT, you need to be strong.
- Stay away from fast foods and educate yourself about healthy eating. Keep it simple.
Book Recommendation(s):
- Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method to Stopping Chronic Pain by Pete Egoscue
Best Advice Given:
- Failures are lessons we must learn on our way to success
Make Strength Contagious.
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Mahalo, Aloha, and Be Kū!
Aipa
2 Responses
Great interview, Daniel! Knowing the level of performance that Donny has performed at and continues to coach his athletes at is truly a fantastic look at some of the most elite ways of living a successful, healthy, Ku life.
Mahalo Matt. It was awesome catching up with Donny and hearing his story. I think he brings huge value to athletes from the islands who leave home and need to have the strong connection.