Project Summer: Meet Jericho McMatthews and Joel Freeman, Creators of Core De Force

The Beachbody trainers and co-creators of CORE DE FORCE share their go-to workouts and where they find inspiration.

This summer, we’re bringing you inspiration from some of the top celebrity fitness teachers and athletes and sharing their summer workouts, power songs and more. Your dream summer starts here.

Jericho McMatthews holds degrees in psychology and physical education and kinesiology, as well as personal training certifications with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). She’s spent the past decade traveling the globe as an international trainer and presenter, educating thousands of new instructors and presenting at esteemed fitness industry conferences. As a Beachbody Super Trainer, McMatthews is the co-creator of the mixed martial arts-style program, CORE DE FORCE™, and other workouts available on Beachbody On Demand. A mother and wife, McMatthews spends her free time traveling and adventuring with her family.

A Beachbody Celebrity Trainer, Joel Freeman’s career in the health and fitness industry spans over 15 years. From running day-to-day operations in a Washington gym to directing Group X programming at Gold’s Gym® SoCal and becoming an International Certified Fitness Trainer, he’s done it all. In 2016, he teamed up with fellow Super Trainer, Jericho McMatthews and Beachbody to create CORE DE FORCE. When he’s not working out, Freeman enjoys spending time with his wife and two furry Bengals, golfing and being a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

24Life: What’s your go-to source for inspiration?

Jericho McMatthews (JM): Music. It moves me in so many different ways and evokes so much emotion. I love to move to great music and often times it will inspire my workout choice, whether it be dancing, boxing/hitting heavy bags, yoga or weight training.

Joel Freeman (JF): The people I surround myself with: my wife, my family, my teammate, my friends…they all inspire me to be the very best version of myself.

24Life: What do you teach and why?

JM: I’m currently teaching CORE DE FORCE since we are still in the launch phase, and I’ve been traveling like crazy! But, I’m itching to teach dance again; it’s one of my biggest passions.

JF: I don’t teach any classes on a weekly basis anymore, but have been working with Jericho to create CORE DE FORCE LIVE, the group exercise format of our in-home MMA-styled workout CORE DE FORCE. One of my favorite things about the format is that we designed it for everyone to work at their own pace, but they will always be challenged!

24Life: Why is fitness so important to you?

JM: I want to live life to the fullest for as long as possible, and I don’t take my health for granted for a second! Moving makes me feel good from the inside-out and makes me feel like the best version of myself. It relieves stress, clears my mind and makes me happy. The ripple effect that fitness has created in my own life is incredible. It’s made me a better mom, wife, sister, friend and human!

JF: Besides the obvious health benefits of fitness, it’s the underlying positivity that means so much to me. Being surrounded by such positivity can only spread to and enhance all the other aspects of life.

24Life: What is your ideal workout (that is 24 minutes or less)?

JM: My ideal workout is usually something fast and effective. I love HIIT cardio and plyometrics, as well as incorporating some boxing/kickboxing/MMA inspiration. I love playing around with intervals and different timer apps to build my workouts.

One of my favorite workouts is six moves (45 seconds on, 15 seconds off) repeated three times for a killer 20-minute workout. I’ll do a simple warm up (i.e. two minutes of jump rope) and follow with the interval work. I mix up the moves often, but they could be anything from squat jumps to mountain climbers to switch roundhouse kicks. I love getting creative with body-weight exercises, switching energy systems and alternating muscle groups.

Try my go-to summer move, the four punch sprawl. It’s way more fun than a burpee, but just as effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcqKiTf7h9E

JF: My ideal quick workout is a lifting/HIIT mix that will typically be six specifically muscle-focused movements, like dumbbell chest press and tricep push-ups, mixed with short, high-intensity cardio spikes, like 30 seconds of mountain climbers.

For summer, try this sidekick from CORE DE FORCE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpuDGJvj1qA

24Life: What’s your greatest passion, outside of the work that you do?

JM: My greatest passion outside of my work is my family. I have a husband and beautiful little boy that mean the world to me. I love spending as much time with them as possible traveling, staying active and adventuring!

JF: I am a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and absolutely love spending time with my Little. We’ve been matched for over a year and it’s so awesome to be a part of his life as he’s growing up. I hope to be able to keep influencing him to focus on the positives of life and help him find his own path as he grows up.

24Life: Describe your perfect summer day.

JM: First, I’d sleep in with my boys. (There’s nothing like waking up to tiny kisses and snuggles from my little blue-eyed blondie!) Next, we’d make blueberry pancakes in our pajamas and then load up our beach cruisers and hit the beach for an afternoon of fun in the waves and on the sand. I’d finish the day with a sunset bonfire, s’mores and a glass of wine!

JF: My perfect summer day would be sleeping in with the wife and kitties, a late breakfast, an awesome lifting sesh at our local 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport club, then out to the pool to enjoy the SoCal sun (and probably a nap). Evening would be sitting outside on the patio with a glass of wine and enjoying the end of a great day.

24Life: What’s your power food?

JM: Does dark chocolate count?!

JF: If it’s food, then it’s my power food. I love it all!

24Life: What’s your number-one stressor and your surefire stress buster?

JM: My number-one stressor is time management. I’m still learning how to juggle work with mom life and to not beat myself up if I miss something. Some days I feel like I’m killing it and other days I feel like I’m failing miserably! My stress buster is meditation. I’m new at it, but it works wonders!

JF: If I’m ever feeling stressed, an hour on the bags or with my Muay Thai trainer always does the trick! There’s nothing like taking some aggression out through a pair of boxing gloves.

24Life: What is one thing people might not know about you?

JM: I’m an identical twin.

JF: I have a phobia of smelling bad! So, I have deodorant and cologne in every bag I might use daily, and apply both several times a day. I’m constantly doing the “pit smell” to make sure I’m smelling nice!

24Life: What’s your secret to getting stuff done?

JM: Wake up and sweat EARLY! The rest of the day always flows better. Also, scheduling in advance and goal setting to stay on track!

JF: I’m always ready to roll! If something needs to be done, I’m ready right then and there to handle it. Procrastination drives me crazy, knowing I have something to do. I’ll rest when everything is finished.

24Life: What is your power song for summer?

JM: My summer soundtrack has been Rufus du Sol’s “Bloom.” I listened to it for the first time in early June driving to Mammoth Mountain for a snowboarding trip, so it set the pace for my summer vibe. It’s carried over the summer months and is still equally badass to listen to while hitting the beach or BBQ’ing or cruising on the bike path.

JF: Any hard rock song (like Metallica, Pantera, Shinedown). Give me some rock and I’m ready for anything!

24Life: What’s your secret for a great night’s sleep?

JM: A bubble bath with a glass of wine and a grateful heart.

JF: Have a full enough day that my body is ready to sleep by bed time.

24Life: Any interesting performance rituals that you have before you teach, work or train?

JM: I usually always take a sip of water before I start teaching my class. If I’m nervous before a big event, I’ll do sprints, shadowbox, stretch or anything I can think of to get the jitters out!

JF: A huge deep breath and inwardly telling myself, “You got this.”

24Life: Best advice you’ve given or gotten in 24 words or less? Or a quote you would like to share.

JM: Be fearlessly authentic. Also, kindness is gangster.

JF: “There is no reason for me to get upset over something I can’t control. Being upset about somebody else’s actions only slows me down.” –Gary Vaynerchuk

You can follow McMatthews on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and Freeman on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Beachbody