Muscle Activation Techniques

What makes a Muscle Activation Techniques™ practitioner unique?

When people think of muscles, they usually don’t immediately think of a Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) practitioner, but they should.  Similar to how somebody might think of a dentist after hearing “teeth”, or a chiropractor after hearing “back” or “spine”, Muscle Activation Techniques™ may one day have that same relationship when somebody hears “muscle”.  For the time being, though, that typically isn’t the case, and here’s why — many people aren’t sure of 1) what MAT™ is, and 2) what makes MAT™ unique.  In that case, let’s discuss both of these. 

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Considering Adding MAT™ To Your Professional Toolbox? Read This.

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?

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By Charlie Cates, ago

How To Integrate MAT™ Into Personal Training

As personal trainers in Schaumburg, we strive to provide our clients with the most up to date exercise approaches to health, strength, and mobility.  This, undoubtedly, involves an integration of Muscle Activation Techniques™ with more traditional exercise.  We are often asked how we are able to blend the two–MAT™ and regular exercise–within a single personal training session and what information we are able to gather from the MAT™ assessment to help us make exercise decisions.  Well, MAT™ Headquarters just released a post giving a nice overview of how the two can blend.  And if you watch the associated videos below, you may or may not recognize the face on screen 😉

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By Team MAS, ago

Doing The “Right Things” When You Exercise

“I don’t know how my body got like this.  My entire life I’ve done the right things.  I have eaten a healthy diet. I have exercised regularly.  I have been doing the right things for as long as I can remember.”

As a personal trainer and MAT™ specialist in Schaumburg, this kind of statement is one that I hear every now and then.  People are in disbelief that, despite their best efforts, their bodies are not feeling and functioning as they would expect.  Their joints are achy, their muscles are stiff, and their once-youthful energy seems to be just a memory.  And the most frustrating part for them is that they have always tried to do what others told them would be good for them.  They always tried to do the right things for their body.

However, the unfortunate truth is that the information they were given and the activities they were doing have likely contributed significantly to what they are now experiencing.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Client Testimonial – Liz Goodchild

Check out this awesome testimonial from Julie and Charlie’s client, Liz!  Liz describes her experience doing personal training with Julie and Muscle Activation Techniques™ with Charlie.  She talks about how what she has learned with Julie and Charlie has far outweighed everything she learned the previous 20 years of exercising regularly, as well as her body’s transformation over the past three months.

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By Team MAS, ago

MAT™ Jumpstart Courses – Schaumburg, IL

The Greg Roskopf’s Muscle Activation Techniques™ Jumpstart Program is coming to Muscle Activation Schaumburg!  The Chicago area’s first series of MAT™ Jumpstart courses in 2017 will be hosted at Schaumburg, IL’s premier destination for Muscle Activation Techniques™ and personal training. Enter the code MAS before checking out to receive 5% off the cost of the course! Read more…

By Team MAS, ago

Supercharge Your Stretching With This One Simple Change

I used to stretch all the time growing up.  I would stretch before I worked out.  I would stretch after I worked out.  I would stretch in the mornings.  I would stretch in the evenings.  I would stretch all the time because I wanted to improve my joint mobility and make sure that my body was prepared for my workouts.  For over a decade, stretching was a staple in my workout routine.

Despite all of that stretching, I never got to the point where I felt really flexible.  I would always feel stiff and achy.  My muscles felt chronically tight.  This persisted until I made one change to how I was doing my “stretching”. (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

Can’t feel the exercises you are doing? Read this.

Check out a snippet from Charlie’s most recent article on FitnessProfessionalOnline.com, titled “Why Your Clients May Not Be Able To Feel The Exercises You Are Doing With Them“!

“Have you ever had a client that just couldn’t feel the exercise where you wanted them to?  Every time you would do a chest press, all they could feel were their deltoids.  Or if you did deadlifts, they only felt their hamstrings, never their glutes.  You tried cueing them differently or changing how they would do the exercise, but still, they just couldn’t feel the muscles you were trying to work.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Client Testimonial – Dave Wilson

Check out this wonderful testimonial from Julie’s personal training and Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) client, Dave, about his experience working with Julie at Muscle Activation Schaumburg!  Dave describes the changes he has noticed over the past few months of regularly exercising with Julie, as well as his progression with strengthening the muscles of his legs and feet using MAT™.  He talks about how regular daily activities became easier as his body started functioning better with MAT™ and personal training, as well as the many benefits he experienced by making sure the exercises he was doing were appropriate for his body. (more…)

By Julie Cates, ago