Long Beach, California
My First Step Fitness
A personal training gym built on small coached teams — high-intensity resistance work at a cardio pace, run by trainers who program every session and watch every rep.
Founded
2009 — family owned, Loma Avenue
Format
Small team training and private sessions
Built by
Mike & Amanda Matuz, personal trainers
The Team Training System: Coached Small-Group Workouts Designed to Burn Fat and Build Lean Muscle
Four principles ran through every session on the floor.
High-Intensity Interval Circuit Training
Continuous movement between resistance stations and cardio bursts. Heart rate stays up for the full hour instead of dropping through long rests.
Muscle Confusion With Rapid, Evolving Progression
New weights, fluctuating reps, a quicker pace. The body never settles into an efficient pattern, so it keeps adapting.
Calorie-Burning Cardio Paired With Lean Muscle Work
Sprints, plyometrics and isometric holds layered against free-weight compound lifts — both energy systems trained in the same session.
Targeted Fat-Shredding Body Composition Techniques
Programming weighted toward large muscle groups and full-body patterns, where the metabolic demand actually is.
How a Sixty-Minute Coached Session Is Structured From Warm-Up to Cool-Down
The workout was written fresh each day. This is the general shape of the hour.
Dynamic warm-up and movement prep — 8 min
Resistance circuit — free weights, compound patterns — 22 min
Cardio intervals, sprints and plyometrics — 18 min
Core, isometric holds and finisher — 8 min
Cool-down, stretching, mobility — 4 min
Coached Team Training Compared With Open Gym Access and Large Boot Camp Classes
| Format | Coaching included | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Team training | Session programmed, form corrected, load set per person | Anyone wanting structure and accountability without private pricing |
| Open gym membership | None — sold separately | Experienced lifters already following a written program |
| Large boot camp | One instructor, high headcount, little individual correction | Confident exercisers chasing intensity only |
| One-to-one training | Full individual attention throughout | Rehab cases and significant medical limitations |
Energetic Diet Solutions: A Nutrition System That Skips Calorie Counting Entirely
Amanda led the nutrition side. The rule was simple — a plan people quit after three weeks is worthless, however precise the math.
No calorie counting. Food quality, portions and timing instead of daily arithmetic.
High alkaline, whole-food base. Vegetables, fruit, lean protein, unprocessed carbs.
Protein through the day. Supports recovery and lean tissue during fat loss.
Recipe guides and store tours. Coaching moved into the aisle, where decisions happen.
Effective for Every Age and Starting Fitness Level Because the Workout Scales to the Person
Members ranged from late teens to adults in their sixties, from first-timers to competitive athletes. The same session was loaded, slowed or substituted movement by movement.
Load and Range Adjusted Per Member
Box squat instead of a full squat, dumbbells instead of a barbell — same pattern, different demand.
Low-Impact Swaps for Knee, Hip and Back Histories
Jumping and sprint work exchanged for equivalents that spare the joints.
Technique Cleared Before Weight Is Added
Newer members work shorter intervals with longer recovery, then build. Form first, always.
The Long Beach Personal Trainers Who Founded First Step Fitness and Built the Program
Mike Matuz
Co-founder
Spent his early career as a fitness director across several large-chain gyms in Orange County, then left because he believed members there were never given what they actually needed to succeed. Played football at Chapman University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, alongside his fitness certifications.
Amanda Matuz
Co-founder, nutrition lead
Came to personal training through a lifelong background in dance, which shaped her emphasis on movement quality and pacing. Ran operations and the nutrition program, developing the eating framework, recipe resources and client coaching that ran alongside the training floor.
We Serve Proudly, Those Who Proudly Serve
Long Beach has a large military, veteran and first-responder community, and they trained here alongside everyone else. The team format suited them — shared effort, and programming that flexed around the physical demands and old injuries those careers leave behind.
Success Stories and Member Feedback From Long Beach and Orange County Clients
Individual experiences, published on the original site. Results from any training program vary from person to person.
“Training for just 2 months and I have seen noticeable results in fat-loss and muscle tone. I can’t wait for this summer!”
Audra Purdy, Newport Beach
“I travel spontaneously and it has been very challenging to stay fit. Mike and Amanda work well with my schedule and provide the knowledge and discipline I need.”
Y. Lee, Long Beach
“By far the most intense and innovative program I have been in. Five months in and I am seeing the results I hoped for.”
Mike Weilert, Long Beach
“They tailored the workouts to my specific needs. That’s what made a real difference in how quickly I saw changes.”
David Oldfield, Lake Forest
Questions People Ask About High-Intensity Team Training, Programming and Nutrition
What separates team training from a normal group exercise class?
Class size and coaching depth. Groups stay small enough that a trainer watches individual technique, adjusts your weight and modifies a movement mid-session.
Why does the workout change every single day?
The body adapts to repetition. Varying exercises, tempo and loading keeps the stimulus novel and the metabolic cost high. Coaches still tracked progression underneath — variety sat on top of structure, not instead of it.
Can a complete beginner handle this intensity?
That was the intended starting point for much of the membership, which is where the name came from. Lighter loads, shorter intervals, longer recovery — intensity rises as conditioning does.
Where was the gym and does it still operate?
The studio ran from Loma Avenue in Long Beach, drawing members from across the city and Orange County. Mike and Amanda transitioned ownership to a coaching couple from within their own membership after 2016, and the gym has continued under them since.
Before Starting Any High-Intensity Training Program
Anyone with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, a joint or spinal injury, a history of chest pain or fainting on exertion, or who is pregnant or recently postpartum should speak with a physician first. The same goes for adults returning after a long sedentary period.
This page is informational only. Nothing here is medical advice or a treatment recommendation, and it has not been reviewed by a physician.
This page documents the training methodology, nutrition philosophy and history of the First Step Fitness program as recorded in the business’s own published materials and public coverage. It does not represent current membership terms, pricing, schedules or staffing at any facility.