Meet Kat Matutina of Ass Camp in Atwater Village/Silverlake

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat Matutina.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kat. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been involved with music and plant-based nutrition since I was a teenager. As I became an adult, my professional life as well as personal interests continued to involve music as well as plant-based food, holistic health & wellness, and eventually fitness. When I first moved to LA, I was riding my bike all over town, working in Venice and living in Silverlake.

I was riding my bike over 30 miles roundtrip, so I was naturally fit without really trying. I had a gym membership, but every time I tried to take a fitness or dance class at the gym, I wasn’t impressed. I started doing research and I became intrigued by the plethora of dance classes and studios in LA. I ended up taking some hip hop dance classes, dancehall dance classes, pole, and then I found myself enjoying these twerk workshop classes the most. It was a great workout and I got to focus on shaking one of my best assets haha. All of the classes were far out on the west side or in the valley, they were $37 a class, and I could rarely get my friends to go with me because they seemed “far.” Since there was nothing like this on the east side, I wanted to create something affordable and accessible to people on the east side and central LA proper.

As a music curator, DJ, and event producer who was also excited about these twerk/dance-fitness classes, it was only natural for me to combine my interests into one project, which is what ASS CAMP started out as in spring 2017. The original ASS CAMP was a twerk workout class that I hosted and coordinated alongside a twerk choreographer named Taisha. The classes gained popularity after posting videos on social media. After a few months, I decided a twerk workout wouldn’t have too much longevity and wanted to host something I could do on my own, so I created my own class concept which incorporates a fuller spectrum of workouts packed into one hour, with heavy focus on adding mass to the ass and tightening the core utilizing bodyweight strength training, these special resistance kinetic bands, kettlebells, weighted balls, and plyometrics. Everything I teach in my classes are exercises anyone can do at home, outside, in their hotel room, alone or with a partner. I wanted to make working out fun, and I wanted to share all my personal secrets to sculpting my body with efficient training that anyone can do.

Everyone who comes to my class can also sip on organic pre-workout tonics and vegan post-workout smoothies packed with functional ingredients for recovery. I believe in a holistic approach to health, wellness, fitness and beauty and I incorporate this into everything I do.

My study of holistic nutrition began at a young age: at age 14, I became vegan after learning about the meat and dairy industry’s effects on innocent animals, as well as the environment and our health. When my dad was diagnosed with leukemia, I wanted to make a change with the way my family and I ate to achieve better health. I ran a vegan pop-up cafe at an all-ages punk venue from 2000-2003 in downtown LA called The Smell. A lot of bands got their start there. We had bands like No Age, Health, Glass Candy, Black Dice, Lightning Bolt, Mika Miko, just to name a few. Immediately after that I attended an organic plant-based culinary school and institute for holistic health in New York City in 2003. After that, I studied herbs at organic farms and labs, studied homeopathy with licensed homeopaths, and trained in natural skincare consultation. During this time, I was a private plant-based chef specializing in a number of unique diets and additionally focused on a holistic approach to fat loss, gut health, and skincare for my clients as well. As part of holistic health and wellness, I went on to study massage and fitness training in San Francisco and then Los Angeles.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With all of my projects, I pretty much do everything myself. It’s only recently that I have been fortunate enough to have an intern assist me with my classes. I’ve always done almost everything myself, because I have so many facets to everything I do, and I have always strived to make everything accessible to more people which means limited budgets due to low (if any) profits.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a DJ, a sex/dating/sexual health podcast host (Public Cervix Announcement), a nutrition coach, a fitness trainer, and founder of ASS CAMP. I produce and promote my own events, and strive to make everything I do (parties, classes, podcasts) easily accessible. I am passionate and excited about everything I do and focus on all the details to ensure the best experience for everyone. Where else are you going to find a $15 fitness class that also includes organic vegan pre-workout, bottled water, AND an assortment of plant-based protein smoothies for after class? My goal is to eventually have my own studio that offers classes seven days a week, with a full natural smoothie and tonic bar with all of my recipes for everyday nutrition, as well as sports recovery.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Growing ASS CAMP as a Pop-Up in other cities has been really exciting. I’ve done Pop-Ups in San Francisco and New York and I am currently working on Vancouver, Miami, Chicago, Portland, and Austin. I also hope to offer ASS CAMP at outdoor music/lifestyle festivals. It seems more exciting than yoga, right?

Pricing:

• ASS CAMP general admission $15 (includes tonics and smoothies)
• ASS CAMP pop-up general admission $20 (includes tonics and smoothies)
• Patreon subscription which gets you early access to my Public Cervix Announcement podcast as well as bonus audio content starts at $5
• Patreon subscription which gets you early access to my Public Cervix Announcement podcast as well as bonus audio content AND exclusive podcast video content starts at $10

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.patreon.com/pickpocketparty
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/pickpocketparty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katmatutina
• Twitter: twitter.com/pickpocketparty

Image Credit:
Pantless photo by Justin Miller, Denim jacket & black dress photos by Jordan Burgundy

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