As a personal trainer or fitness professional, adding the Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) skillset to your professional toolbox can be one of the best decisions you make. Not only can it serve as a differentiator from your competitors, but it can allow you to help your clients in ways you did not think were possible, both as a result of the MAT™ process as well as because of the information the MAT™ process provides you.
When I first started personal training, I was completely unsure how to assess my clients. Coming from a sports performance background, assessments had always involved some kind of one-rep-max bench press and squat. But what kind of information would that really provide me about my clients?
Sure, I could use some version of that to get a feel for their baseline levels of strength, but how would that help me make decisions on where to go with them from there? How would knowing that a client can squat half of their body weight (but a history of achy knees) guide me in deciding which exercises were appropriate for them? And what about when clients would come in feeling like rock stars one day and then like they got hit by a bus another day? How would I know what changes to make with their exercise to ensure that it would be appropriate?
All of these were questions that I would have on a regular basis, until I found MAT™.
With the MAT™ educational program, I learned how to assess my clients on Day 1 and how to use the information I gathered from the assessment to make appropriate exercise decisions. I also learned how to assess them every day after that to ensure that the exercises we were doing together continued to be appropriate for them. Finally, I learned how assess my clients during and after their sessions to make sure all of their muscles stayed working well while we were together.
What did this mean for my clients? From the get go they were exercising in a manner that was appropriate for their body. Overall, this led to less achiness and soreness and greater adherence to the exercise process. As I continued on through the MAT™ educational program, I started implementing the different activation techniques I was taught. Then, not only were my clients being effectively assessed, their issues were also being appropriately addressed within our session together. This lead to greater strength with all of the exercises we would do.
The other cool thing is sometimes this would lead to more joint mobility, as well. So, not only were my clients becoming stronger, they also had better motion when they would exercise. Finally, the increased strength allowed them to better protect and support their joints, decreasing their risk of injury and soreness.
At the end of the day, my clients were really interested in their results, the likes of which increased exponentially after adding in the MAT™ skillset. They had improved strength and joint motion, they had a lower risk for injury, they were able to recover better from their workouts, and I had information to help tailor the exercises they did to exactly what their body was needing.
Without a doubt, the MAT™ skillset became a significant differentiator for my business and for me, and it can do the same for you, as well. If you are interested in seeing what classes are coming to your area, check out this page.
And if you are interested in starting the full Specialist Program, there are three locations that will be beginning in April. Check out the upcoming events page to find out which location may work best for you, and use the code “MAS” when you register to receive reduced pricing on the tuition and/or deposit for any of the MAT™ courses.