pain

Client Testimonial – Laurie Dring

Check out this awesome testimonial from Charlie and Julie’s client, Laurie!  Laurie has been coming to Muscle Activation Schaumburg since the beginning of 2017 and has been participating in both Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) and customized personal training sessions.  While her initial concern was improving the function and strength of her shoulder, she has now progressed to maintaining her strength and mobility through infrequent but consistent muscle tune ups.  Laurie is now a consistent exerciser on her own and continues to utilize Muscle Activation Techniques™ to make sure her body is firing on all cylinders.  This ensures that she is able to get the most out of her workouts and progressively improve her health and physical function.

(more…)

By Team MAS, ago

5 Non-Medical Tips to Help Improve Plantar Fasciitis

I remember when I started taping and wrapping my feet.  I would wrap the tape so tightly that I either had to sit or, if I stood, I had to deal with the fact that my toes would be blue. This all started before the age of ten.  I remember my feet hurting so badly that I told my mother that I was scared that the bottom arch of my foot was going to literally rip and snap.   

I remember my mother putting each of my feet into hard plastic boots before tucking me into my youthful, flower-power pink sheets at night.  I remember having to wear the ugliest and clunkiest “pronator” shoes in 3rd grade when all my friends wore pink light-up shoes.  I remember hating the 1-mile run day at school because it meant that I wouldn’t be able to participate in dance class later that night. (more…)

By Julie Cates, ago

Healthy Feet (Part Three): Why your feet MUST be stable.

In Part One of the Healthy Feet series, I wrote about why your feet must absolutely be able to move.  Your feet are made up of 28 bones and over 50 joints, and each one of these need to be able to move in order for the joints to remain healthy.  In Part Two, I wrote about why your muscles need to be strong in order to support the bones and joints of your feet.  I also recommended three different exercises that you can do to help improve the strength of your feet.  Now, we need to talk about why your feet must be stable in order for them to be healthy.

What??  Feet need to be both mobile AND stable?? (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

Healthy Feet (Part One): Why Your Feet NEED To Move

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…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

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…)

By Team MAS, ago

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.

13319774_1681094512151728_2459699130491922504_n

(more…)

By Julie Cates, ago

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.

12249733_1618498481744665_1712851665890143172_n-2

(more…)

By Julie Cates, ago

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.**

13330952_1684012131859966_4898535576081431932_n

(more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

Your Check Engine Light

As a personal trainer and MAT™ Specialist in Schaumburg, I am often telling people that they need to get their body tuned up with Muscle Activation Techniques™.  Why?  Because much like our cars need to get tuned up so they keep running well, our bodies need the same attention.  And just like our car’s check engine light that will illuminate when something is off, our body has a check engine light as well – pain, fatigue, exhaustion, achy muscles, sore joints, etc.

13319774_1681094512151728_2459699130491922504_n (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago