27 Years of Moving People Forward
From the Navy to New York City to Louisville — Matt Semrick has spent a career learning what keeps people strong, capable, and moving well for a lifetime.
The Story
Built on Real Experience
Matt Semrick didn't start in fitness with a business plan. He started with a barbell and a deep curiosity about how the human body works.
As a Navy SeaBee in the Construction Battalion, Matt learned what it means to show up every day and do hard work — the kind of work that demands your body be ready. That experience planted a seed: the realization that physical strength isn't vanity. It's capability. It's readiness. It's the foundation for everything else.
After the Navy, Matt moved to New York City and spent years training at a physical therapy clinic, working alongside therapists and learning the science behind rehabilitation, movement quality, and injury prevention. That time shaped everything about how he coaches today — the attention to how you move, not just how much you lift.
When Matt relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, he brought nearly two decades of experience with him. In 2017, he founded First Move Fitness with a straightforward mission: help real people build strength that actually matters in their daily lives. Not six-pack abs for Instagram. Not extreme workouts that leave you broken. Just honest, progressive training that makes you more capable year after year.
Twenty-seven years later, the mission hasn't changed. The methods have gotten sharper, the experience deeper, but the core belief is the same: your body is meant to move well for a long time, and the right training makes that possible.
Credentials
The Experience Behind the Coaching
NSCA-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association — the gold standard in the industry.
Kettlebell Athletics Instructor
Specialized training in kettlebell technique, programming, and coaching for strength and conditioning.
27+ Years in Fitness
Nearly three decades of hands-on experience training clients of every age, ability level, and background.
Navy Veteran
Former SeaBee in the U.S. Navy Construction Battalion. Discipline, work ethic, and attention to detail built in from day one.
Philosophy
Healthspan Over Lifespan
Living to 90 means nothing if you can't get off the floor at 70. That's the truth nobody in the fitness industry wants to talk about — longevity isn't just about adding years. It's about what you can do with those years.
Matt's coaching philosophy centers on healthspan: the number of years you spend strong, mobile, independent, and doing the things you love. Every program, every session, every exercise is chosen with that long view in mind.
This isn't about crushing yourself in the gym. It's about building a body that carries you through decades of living — playing with your grandkids, traveling without pain, picking up heavy things without thinking twice, and waking up each morning feeling capable.
The work isn't glamorous. It's consistent. It's progressive. And it compounds over a lifetime.
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." — Arthur Ashe
Ready to Make Your First Move?
A discovery call is free, no commitment, and the best way to find out if we're the right fit. Let's talk about where you are and where you want to go.