Academy of Applied Personal Training Education

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

Don’t Confuse General Physical Activity With Specific Exercise

As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I am often asking my clients what they did for exercise or physical activity since I last saw them.

“I played a round of golf over the weekend.”

“I went for a 45-minute walk yesterday.”

“I chased my grandkid all over the house.”

These activities can certainly be challenging, but what is the one thing they all lack?  Specificity.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Squatting For Bigger Arms? Think Again.

“Why are we squatting?  I want bigger arms.”

“Well, if you do heavy lifts for your legs, you will produce a greater base of anabolic hormones to work off of later and that will allow you to build bigger arms.”

As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I swear I have had this conversation with almost all of my male clients at some point in time.  Unfortunately, the advice I gave is dead wrong.  Check out why in my review of literature for this study!

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Fitness – We Have Been Taught To Focus On The Wrong Thing

As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I am seeing that the fitness field today is all about what’s HOT, NEW, and TRENDY.  This stuff is attractive and appealing to the masses.  The good news is it is getting people into exercise.  However, did you know that there are actually scientific principles behind exercise that almost no developer behind HOT, NEW, and TRENDY fitness paths seem to consider?

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By Julie Cates, ago

Building Muscle: Four Exercise Necessities

As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I see a number of papers, books, and articles written on building muscle.  In fact, this is probably one of the most frequently discussed subjects within mainstream fitness.

However, a lot of these publications and discussions miss the boat on what actually needs to happen from an exercise-conditions standpoint.  And honestly, it is really not as complicated as some sources make it out to be.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Five Principles to Help You Exercise For Life

One thing I am seeing in the exercise industry is a lack of specificity. In particular, specificity when it comes to exercise design and prescription for an individual. This bleeds over into many areas – the type of exercise, the dosage of the exercise, the speed/tempo at which the exercise is performed, the tools used to perform the exercise. In fact, almost everything in the exercise industry is the complete opposite of specific. One size fits most programs; group fitness classes; semi-private training; exercise DVDs, books, and online programs; and exercise tips given to the masses are all examples of this.

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By Charlie Cates, ago