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.

(more…)

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…)

7 Exercise Tips If Your Body Has Been Getting Achier For No Apparent Reason

Many prospective clients tell me that their body seems to be getting achier for no apparent reason.  They weren’t in any accident.  They don’t have any surgeries to speak of.  In fact, they have been relatively healthy their entire lives and cannot pinpoint a single injury or trauma.  Yet, it seems that their bodies continue to get achier with each passing year.  Activities they once loved to do now take a toll on them.  Playing with grandkids, chores around the house, and exercising as they once did leave them feeling beat up.  And the number one scapegoat seems to be the aging process.

As a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, I run across these scenarios a lot with prospective clients.  After they have been cleared by their medical professional for regular exercise, there are seven tips I suggest they incorporate into their exercise plans. (more…)

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…)

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…)

5 Ways To Change Up Your Workout So You Don’t Get Bored

Bored with exercise?  Finding that your current workout plan is a drag?  Interested in learning new ways to change up what you are doing?  Looking for some tips to amplify your results at the gym?

5-tip-2

Join us on Monday, November 7 for our final Exercise For Life Talk of the year!  At Muscle Activation Schaumburg, certified personal trainers, Julie Errington and Charlie Cates, will be discussing five simple ways to completely transform your current exercise routine.  In this live workshop, Julie and Charlie will be teaching you some of their biggest secrets that they use with their clients to provide a world class exercise experience and make exercising feel like it has never felt before. (more…)

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…)