Charlie Cates

Muscle Activation Techniques® is one of the most powerful things you can do to boost your athletic performance. But what is it about this process that makes Muscle Activation Techniques® so effective? It all boils down to one thing: Improving how well your brain and muscles communicate with each other. Read more

You go to the gym and hit the weights. You put miles in on the road. You do the classes. You stay consistent. And while you are making progress, the gains are much slower than you would expect. To top it all off, you feel your body’s ability to push Read more

Stretching is often heralded as a fix-all for many aches and pains. Hamstrings tight? Stretch. Low back achy? Stretch. Neck hurt when you move it? Stretch. Shoulder pain when you lift your arm? Stretch. Here’s the problem though… While stretching may make your body more mobile, it won’t make your Read more

Have you ever had a day where it feels like you are wading through sludge the entire day? Your brain is processing slowly. Your body is moving slowly. Everything feels heavier. Your limbs feel like they are filled with cement. You want nothing more than to sit on the couch Read more

Stretching after workouts is one of the most common things people do to try to help their body recover faster. Whether they are doing it because they believe it makes them less sore or simply because it is something they have always done, stretching out for five to ten minutes Read more

If you exercise, you need Muscle Activation Techniques®, also known as MAT. MAT is not some woo-woo practice that only changes how you feel temporarily. It fundamentally rewires how your brain and muscles work together, increasing your strength, improving your mobility, and reducing your risk for injury. If you exercise–whether Read more

Activation exercises are extremely popular among fitness fanatics, sports performance specialists, and rehab professionals alike. Whether it is banded walks, glute bridges, bird dogs, clams, or some other oddly-named movement, many professionals stake the claim that these types of exercises are both useful and necessary to get your muscles firing. Read more

Tight muscles are really annoying. Between limiting how well your body moves and feeling just plain uncomfortable, tight muscles rarely have anybody feeling happy. But, did you know that almost every way of dealing with tight muscles doesn’t actually address the real reason for the tightness? It’s true. Most ways Read more

Whenever we start with a new client for Muscle Activation Techniques® (MAT), we always spend time upfront going over their expectations and what they want to accomplish with their sessions. Sometimes a client’s goals have to do with resolving a specific pain or symptom, such as tightness in the low Read more