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…)

8 Things You Should Know About Muscle Activation Techniques™

As personal trainers and Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) specialists in Schaumburg, IL, we are constantly trying to spread the good word about what MAT™ can do for others.  If you have not heard of MAT™ before, or if you are interested in finding out more information about it, check out this post below from MAT™ Headquarters regarding eight things you NEED to know about MAT™.

“8 Things You Should Know About Muscle Activation Techniques™”

By Muscle Activation Techniques™ Headquarters

Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) is a revolutionary approach that assesses and corrects a client’s muscular system. It is as simple as that to explain yet it is an amazingly effective and nuanced tool. You may often see and hear about MAT™ in the news because of high profile athletes crediting some degree of their performance or recovery to MAT™, but MAT™ is not limited to professional athletes; Muscle Activation Techniques™ can help everyone!

MAT™ is now a global education company that teaches professionals in the health and wellness industry an enhanced process that can help their clients who have limitations in their muscular system that show up as reductions in range of motion and ease of movement.

IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski and Greg Roskopf working on knee internal rotation

Here are eight things that you should know about MAT™: (more…)

The Struggle Of Exercise

The benefits of exercise are waiting and are too great to be ignored, but the struggle to actually do exercise is REAL.

I am a personal trainer in Schaumburg.  Being a personal trainer does not mean that I love to workout.  Being a personal trainer means that I love learning about the opportunities that exercise can provide when applied appropriately to the body.  I love learning and exploring this opportunity of exercise so much that I made it a profession.

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What does muscle have to do with it?

As a Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) specialist and personal trainer in Schaumburg, I know that many people seek out MAT™ because it makes A LOT of people feel better!  This is one reason why I absolutely LOVE MAT™ and why I love being an MAT™ Specialist.

There is one problem with this, though.  MAT™ does not treat pain.  It never has and never will.  In this blog post, I want to discuss what you can expect from an MAT™ session and how you can know you are making progress, even when pain symptoms are not changing.  

Let’s start with the obvious, again.  MAT™ does not treat pain.

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‘Tis The (Flip-Flops) Season

Whether you consider Memorial Day to mark the start of summer or you hold off until it officially turns in late June, almost one thing is for certain:  flip-flops season is now in full swing. While this lightweight form of footwear can have you feeling footloose and fancy-free, there are potential repercussions on the horizon by sporting the open-backed staple of summer.

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Is Compensation Actually Bad?

When you hear the word compensation, what do you usually think of?  Is it a word to describe something positive or negative?  Something normal or abnormal?  Something done out of abundance or inadequacy?  As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, this is often a topic of discussion.

A quick Google search brings up two prominent definitions for compensation:

  1. The money provided to an employee for their work, or to a party due to loss, injury or suffering.
  2. Something that counterbalances or makes up for an undesirable or unwelcome state of affairs.

As it relates to exercise and movement, the second definition above is typically how compensation is used.  Compensation usually labels a movement that is done in a manner outside of the parameters that we find to be “normal,” “correct,” or “appropriate.”  Essentially, we use this to describe a movement that is not “perfect.”

I want to challenge you to start thinking about compensation as a description of all movement.

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Do You Have “Golfer’s Foot”?

Over the past month, I have been taking golf lessons every couple weeks.  One thing I quickly learned was how much movement has to occur through the feet in order to efficiently perform a golf swing.  As a personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, I often consult with golfers who are having knee, hip, and back issues.  Rarely, however, do I consult with golfers who are complaining of foot issues.  This leads me to believe that (a) their feet are actually fine and their issues are elsewhere, or (b) they have a significant case of “golfer’s foot” and their discomforts are being caused by foot issues.

**“Golfer’s foot” is not a real diagnosis by medical standards.  In fact, it is a term that I just made up.  Since I am in no way licensed to make medical diagnoses, I am simply using this made up term to highlight a point.**

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