Justin Ehrhardt, head trainer at CrossFit Rise in Schaumburg, describes his experience with Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) and MATRx™ with Charlie Cates at Muscle Activation Schaumburg. Justin gives details about the PR’s he has hit since beginning his MATRx™ sessions, and the suprising increases in strength, performance, and mobility that he has noticed. (more…)
In last week’s post, I discussed why your feet need to move. To recap, your feet are made up of many bones and joints. In order for each of the joints to stay healthy, they have to be able to move. Performing exercises for the muscles of your feet can help with this.
One of the most effective ways of ensuring that your joints are able to move is to make sure your muscles are working well. Why? Because the number one purpose of muscles is to help position and control joints. In other words, muscles help your joints move, so making sure your muscles are working well will help to make sure your joints are moving well. As a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, this is a conversation I often have with my clients. (more…)
As a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, I understand the importance of having healthy feet. In fact, making sure my clients have healthy feet is of great importance to me because of how often we use our feet. Nearly every physical activity is heavily dependent on your feet being healthy, stable, and functioning well. Furthermore, issues that begin in the feet can quickly impact the health and function of the rest of the body. (more…)
Leo Perez, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and competitor for Alliance Jiu-Jitsu and Evolution MMA in Schaumburg, IL, talks about his experience with Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) and the changes he has noticed after a few months of sessions. Leo discusses some of the differences in his performance, recovery, and training that Read more…
You likely understand that in order for your body to work as well as it can, you should not be eating a diet based around cookies and cupcakes. However, when it comes to exercising, you may be stuck on a metaphorical dessert-heavy diet. As a Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist and certified personal trainer in Schaumburg, I often have to discuss with my clients the difference between exercising for health and exercising for entertainment.
While what you are currently doing for exercise may seem more fun and entertaining than it’s healthy “organic” counterpart, understand that if you only eat the foods that are highly processed, eventually you are not going to feel well. Likewise, while the high-intensity, made-for-tv-esque exercises may be appropriate for your body from time to time, if that is your only form of exercise, eventually your body is going to be needing something “healthier”. (more…)
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.
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…)
Since about 2011, I have had foot and lower leg issues when I would go for a run. Everything would feel fine when I would start, but within ten minutes I would feel my calves tighten up. This tightness would travel up to my knees and then eventually into my back and shoulders, ultimately preventing me from running much farther than a mile or two. (more…)
This past week, I worked with a client who described her hamstrings as “being on fire”. She is young, fit, and healthy, and had not reported any kind of injury or trauma. Her only complaint was that during her workout the previous day, she felt her hamstrings, and only her hamstrings, with every exercise that she did. (more…)
Have you ever heard of the saying “just live a little”? Usually, it goes a little something like this: “‘Just live a little’ and have one drink with us” …. When you are trying to not have alcohol. “‘Just live a little’ and take off work to go on vacation” Read more…
Kurt Wuckert, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete and coach at Alliance Jiu-Jitsu and Evolution MMA in Schaumburg, IL, talks about his experience with Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) and the changes he has noticed after just a few sessions. Kurt discusses some of the differences in his performance, recovery, and training that Read more…