The person behind the program
by Matt Holland co-founder & owner- NW Fitness Project (Seattle, WA)
At NWFP, we talk a lot about training for your ascent. What we talk about less is what it takes to keep showing up when the terrain gets hard, not in the gym, but in life.
Our co-founder Matt Holland had back surgery yesterday. The procedure went well, and he's already moving better than his nurses expected. That part doesn't surprise us. What we want to share is the story behind it, because it says a lot about who Matt is, and about why NWFP exists the way it does.
From Matt:
What started as a post to let my community know what I've been dealing with turned into something I didn't expect: a lot of reflection on how I got here, and what it actually means.
L5-S1 TLIF, a Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
The surgery was an L5-S1 TLIF, a Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion. In practical terms: the surgeon removed the damaged disc, decompressed the nerves, placed a spacer and cage where the disc was, added bone graft to create fusion, and stabilized everything with rods and screws. The diagnosis included degenerative spinal issues, stenosis, a collapsed disc, and bone spurs. "Degenerative" sounds dramatic. In simple terms, it means years of wear and tear finally catching up.
I've been trying to avoid this surgery since last July. I tried everything. There were stretches where I was hopeful, but they never held. Admitting I couldn't just fix myself mentally hit harder than I expected.
The honest truth is this surgery didn't come out of nowhere. Long before last July, my body had already been through a lot;
Crohn's disease and twelve surgeries.
A shattered wrist.
Rotator cuff surgery.
A broken ankle.
More fractures than I can keep an accurate count of from years of pushing hard doing the things I love. And in my late twenties, over a seven-year stretch, I was involved in four major car accidents. Each one happened before I'd fully recovered from the last. That kind of cumulative trauma changes a body. I learned to work around my limitations so well that most people had no idea. That worked, until it didn't.
What I didn't fully see until recently is how much all of it shaped the coach I’ve become.
I got into training the way a lot of people do: aesthetics, intensity, lifting heavy, pushing hard. But years of rebuilding my own body changed my lens completely. When you've lived through fear around pain, the mental grind of chronic injury, the difference between discomfort and damage, you stop thinking about how to build physiques and start thinking about how to help humans function better long term. Corrective exercise, movement quality, regressions, progressions, training for longevity. Those things didn't become important to me because I read about them. They became important because I lived them.
That perspective is a huge part of why NWFP became what it is. High standards, low ego. Train hard, yes. But train smart. Respect where people are. Meet them there. Build them up patiently.
This season has been heavy in a lot of ways. Major transitions at the gym, my daughter getting ready to graduate and head off to college, and quietly battling pain every day while trying to show up for everyone around me. This surgery has brought fear, frustration, and some genuinely dark moments. I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
But I've been through hard things before. And I've grown through them, not just survived them.
Recovery. Rehab. Patience. Humility. I can't ride. I can't train the way I'm used to. I can't show up physically the way I normally do. But maybe what I gain during this season matters just as much.
More time.
More perspective.
More appreciation.
More presence with the people I love.
Lots of rehab ahead. Lots of patience required. But I’m hopeful. And if there’s one thing I know for sure:
Setbacks can either harden you or deepen you.
I'm choosing the second one.
To everyone who has reached out, checked in, and been patient through this: it means more than you know.
This is what being in strong company means- showing up for each other and supporting each other through the hard seasons- inside and outside of the gym. If you’re going through a challenging season, we’re here for you.
Expect to see Matt back in the gym towards the end of the month and thank you to our community for your support.
