Charlie Cates

5 Exercise Tips If Your Back Tightens Up In The Car

One of the top physical complaints I hear from prospective clients is that their back tightens up when they drive for longer periods of time.  They often have to change from favoring one hip to another as they shift their body weight back and forth during their trips.  And when they finally arrive at their destination, there can be some difficulty getting out of the car right away because their back and hips feel tight.

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More times than not it has been recommended to them that they need to spend more time stretching their low back and hips so they don’t tighten up so easily.  While there may be some merit to this kind of suggestion, I offer up a different solution that they don’t often hear – they need to find the muscles that are too loose and tighten them up. (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

5 Ways To Change Up Your Workout So You Don’t Get Bored

Bored with exercise?  Finding that your current workout plan is a drag?  Interested in learning new ways to change up what you are doing?  Looking for some tips to amplify your results at the gym?

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Join us on Monday, November 7 for our final Exercise For Life Talk of the year!  At Muscle Activation Schaumburg, certified personal trainers, Julie Errington and Charlie Cates, will be discussing five simple ways to completely transform your current exercise routine.  In this live workshop, Julie and Charlie will be teaching you some of their biggest secrets that they use with their clients to provide a world class exercise experience and make exercising feel like it has never felt before. (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

The MAS Story

Today marks our two-year anniversary in Remington Office Court! Julie and I wanted to take this opportunity to share the story of how Muscle Activation Schaumburg has evolved over our first years.

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Prior to opening our very first office on Martingale Rd., Julie was an employee at Lifetime Fitness and I was seeing clients in the city as well as at the fitness center of our Schaumburg apartment building.  After a few short months, I was told I was no longer allowed to see clients at our apartment.  That Christmas, I contacted every place in Schaumburg looking for a location to see my clients.  Nobody was interested in the idea. (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

Why Do You Exercise?

Why do you exercise?

For health reasons?  For enjoyment?  For stress release?  For YOU time?  For camaraderie/social reasons?  For a mental and physical challenge?  For aesthetic reasons?  For self-confidence?  Because you were told you should?

13528939_1692467311014448_2652992712559966189_nAs a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, IL, this is a question I ponder from time to time.  For myself, I exercise largely for the short-term and long-term health benefits.  This was not always the case, though.  When I was younger, I exercised almost exclusively to improve my athletic performance.  Then, I exercised to increase my strength and build my physique.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Are you investing intelligently into your exercise account?

A lot of times when we go to the gym we are focused on what we are going to do right then.  “What exercises am I going to do?  How many sets and reps?  What weight will I be using?”  All of these are valid questions to consider.  However, as a personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, IL, I often have to talk with my clients about the value of investing intelligently into their exercise account, which means exercising for tomorrow and not just for today.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

“Should I use more weight?”

“Should I use more weight?”

“That would depend on your goal…”

As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I realize that a lot of times we get caught up on the idea of more is better.  If we can use more weight, we should.  If we can perform more reps, we should.  If we can eek out a couple more sets, we should.  But here’s the issue:  the value in exercise is not actually found in the doing of the exercise, but rather in your body’s response to doing the exercise.

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By Charlie Cates, ago