You may have heard of Muscle Activation Techniques®, also known as MAT®, but how do you know if it is right for you?
If you have tried other forms of body work such as massage, chiropractic, stretching, and even physical therapy, you may be thinking, “Do I need to just try those again? How is MAT® going to be any different?”
At Muscle Activation Schaumburg, we get these types of questions all the time. Fortunately, they have come up so often that we have been able to boil it all down into very simple terms.
First, if you have tried other forms of body work like the ones mentioned above and you have not seen the results you were hoping for, that may actually be a good sign that MAT® is for you. Reason being, the MAT® process addresses something that no other form of body work does, and that is muscle inhibition.
Muscle inhibition is when you have muscles that are metaphorically asleep on the job. Previous injuries, chronic compensations, using your body too much, and even using your body too little can all disrupt how well your muscles work, leading to them being inhibited or under active.
When this happens, other muscles have to compensate more, your body starts to tighten up, and various aches and pains in your joints, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and discs can develop.
Fortunately, this muscle inhibition is exactly what MAT® assesses for and directly helps you overcome, allowing your tight muscles to relax and oftentimes helping different aches and pains subside.
So, how do you know if MAT® is right for you?
There are many ways, but for the sake of this post, here are three things to consider:
1. You Have Tight Muscles That Can Only Relax For Short Periods Of Time
Maybe after you stretch, massage, or foam roll, you are able to get some of the tightness to go away for a little bit. However, within a day or two the tightness is back, and sometimes it is worse than before.
This is a sign that what your body is needing is not more stretching, massage, etc. but rather more stability.
When your body senses it is unstable, it tightens up. You have experienced this before if you have ever walked on a wet floor or on a patch of ice. As soon as you realize you might slip and fall, you tighten up to protect yourself while on the unstable surface.
Here’s the thing–when you have inhibited muscles, your body perceives that inhibition as instability because the things that are supposed to stabilize your joints (i.e. your muscles) aren’t working the way they should. In response, your body tightens up to protect you from moving your joints too far and hurting yourself.
The MAT® process identifies where in your body you have this muscle inhibition and then addresses it directly, allowing your body to realize that it is safe and stable and reduce the tightness you are experiencing.
2. You Feel Uncoordinated / You Aren’t Able To Control Your Body How You Want
Maybe you feel like you are not able to sequence your golf swing properly. Or maybe walking up or down stairs feels like a dangerous balance task. Or perhaps you try to squeeze your glutes when you squat but it all just feels dead back there.
Not feeling like you are able to control your body and not being able to sense your muscles squeezing and contracting are signs that there is likely muscle inhibition going on.
While the muscle inhibition may not be severe enough to be causing pain symptoms, it is still widespread to the point of making daily tasks feel difficult. It is almost as if your body forgot how to do activities that it could once do effortlessly.
And at some level, that is what is likely going on.
When you have inhibited muscles, your body immediately starts to compensate around them. Then, when you go to try to use those muscles, they can feel disconnected from your body or difficult to access.
With MAT®, those inhibited muscles get turned back on and your brain starts to relearn how to use them again. That way, the next time you go to swing a golf club or do squats, you are able to move smoothly and feel those muscles contracting in the ways you want.
3. You Are Losing Strength Faster Than You’d Expect
Sure, you may have taken some time off from working out, but you wouldn’t expect your strength to decrease as much as it has so quickly.
If this sounds like you, that may be an indication that you have inhibited muscles.
Yes, taking time off from strength training will lead to a loss of strength, but one thing that will speed up that process is muscle inhibition.
It is like having loose battery cables on your car. You may have a giant engine, but if the battery cables are loose, you won’t be able to start it.
However, once you tighten the battery cables, you can immediately access all the horsepower and torque that is within the engine.
Your muscles are the same way. When they become inhibited, they can still look big and strong, but they won’t function as if they are big and strong.
However, once that muscle inhibition gets addressed with Muscle Activation Techniques®, all of the strength and power you have already built will become immediately accessible for you to use in your workouts, games, and everyday life.
If any of these three points are hitting home for you and you’d like to see what kind of difference MAT® can make, you can schedule your initial MAT® consultation and assessment with us at Muscle Activation Schaumburg by clicking here.
You will learn where in your body you likely have inhibited muscles that are directly influencing how tight your body feels, how strong you are, and how well you are able to perform, as well as receive a plan of action for getting those addressed.
You can get started today by clicking here and scheduling your assessment.
At Muscle Activation Schaumburg, we have been trained in the highest levels of MAT®–including MATRx, MATRx Stim, and MAT® Athlete–and are the most highly-trained practitioners in the Chicagoland area.
To try out Muscle Activation Techniques® for yourself, click here to schedule your initial consultation and assessment.
We can’t wait to see you on our MAT® table soon!
In strength and health,
Charlie
Charlie Cates is the leading consultant to high-level professional, college, and high school basketball players in the Chicagoland area for injury prevention, recovery, and muscle performance.
As one of Chicago’s most sought-after Muscle Activation Techniques® practitioners, he is certified in the highest levels of MAT®, including MATRx, MATRx Stim, and MAT® Athlete.
A former college basketball player, he uses his personal experience and understanding of the game and player demands to create customized exercise options for his clients to recover faster and perform their best.
He sees clients in-studio at Muscle Activation Schaumburg as well as in-home.
You can schedule your MAT® assessment with him by clicking here, and be sure to follow him on Instagram at @CharlieCates!