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Joint Injuries and Your Internal Suspension System

Joint injuries and injuries to passive tissues such as ligaments and discs are ever-present in our society today.  Whether it is rupturing a meniscus or an ACL or herniating a disc, it seems as if both competitive athletes and weekend warriors alike are commonly plagued by injuries to the passive tissues of their body.  With these types of injuries only becoming more commonplace from high school athletes to middle-aged rec-leaguers, the question of, “What can be done to help prevent these types of injuries?” naturally comes up.  Fortunately, there is something that can be done, and the answer lies in the active tissues of the body – the skeletal muscles.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Shoveling snow? Make sure to stay safe with these exercise tips!

Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice.  Now this week, we are putting out some content for those of you who have been assigned the chore of shoveling snow.  Winter is on its way.  You may have already had a blizzard or two.  But, if not, we have got to get you ready so you can shovel the snow with zero injury and maximum efficiency.

 

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By Team MAS, ago

Mom, Retired IFBB Bikini Pro, Personal Trainer – Nicole Moneer – MAT® Testimonial

Check out this awesome MATRx® testimonial from retired IFBB Bikini Pro, NASM certified personal trainer, author, and mom Nicole Moneer!  Nicole describes her experience at Muscle Activation Schaumburg while going through the MATRx® process with Charlie.  She talks about the changes she has noticed in her hips and knees as well as how her body feels while she is working out.  Read about everything Nicole has to say about Muscle Activation Techniques® below!

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Thanksgiving and Exercise – What you need to know

Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice.  Now this week, we are talking to those of you who may be eating a lot of food in the coming days.  We are talking to our American friends who have Thanksgiving coming up.  What considerations with your exercise do you need to take if you are going to be eating a lot over the coming days?

 

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By Team MAS, ago

Sleeping poorly? Take these tips into consideration with your workouts.

Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice.  Now this week, we’re talking to those of you who may be struggling with your sleep.  You don’t sleep particularly well.  You wake up and don’t feel super rested.  How can you still exercise and what considerations should you be taking with your exercise if you are not sleeping well.

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By Team MAS, ago

Pro Basketball Player – Quinton Chievous – MAT® Testimonial

Check out this awesome testimonial from pro basketball player Quinton Chievous!  Quinton did Muscle Activation Techniques® with Charlie in preparation for his second professional season.  After playing in the NBA’s development league with Memphis last year, Quinton is taking his talents overseas to play basketball professionally in Europe.  Quinton was a standout basketball player at Nile’s Notre Dame College Prep before heading to the University of Tennessee.  After graduating early from Tennessee, Quinton finished his collegiate basketball career while also earning his masters degree at Hamptom University.  Check out his testimonial below on his experience at Muscle Activation Schaumburg!

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By Charlie Cates, ago

New to exercise? Keep these tips in mind.

Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice.  Now this week, we are talking to those of you who are new to exercise.  You are brand new.  You have never worked out before.  What things do you need to keep in mind to make sure you have a safe, effective, and fun exercise experience?

 

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By Team MAS, ago

Compensation – How Your Feet Can Be Creating Back Issues

Compensation often gets a bad rap.  It is portrayed in a negative light as the demise of your orthopedic health and something that needs to be eviscerated by any means necessary.  However, compensation is actually a brilliant way for your body to remain highly functioning from one moment to the next.  Without compensation, we would likely have far more physical issues throughout our entire body.  The caveat, though, is that we may not want to compensate in the same manner for an extended period of time.  Not only can this put excess stress on certain muscles, it can also stress your joints.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Getting Your Muscles Back To Par

When I was first introduced to Muscle Activation Techniques® in 2010, I had never seen it before or heard of it before.  But, the goal of MAT® fit perfectly with an idea I had developed about 18 months earlier.  See, throughout high school and college, I was really big into sports performance.  Initially, my interest stemmed from wanting to improve my own performance, but it soon grew into wanting to help others improve their performance, as well.

By my senior year of college, I was working with a number of sports teams and individual athletes on campus.  I was also constantly running experiments on myself, the most notable of which was testing the hypothesis that if I could just get my body working the way it was designed to work, then I would be able to perform at a much higher level than I ever was before.

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By Charlie Cates, ago