Chicago

The Gold Standard Of Exercise

When my personal training clients start working with me on exercise related tasks, they quickly realize that I am always preaching about moving slowly, moving with control, using as much support as possible, and lifting with significant weight. There almost always becomes a time when a client will ask, “Will we always train like this?”.  This is such a legitimate question for two main reasons.  1) I don’t know of any other fitness professionals (except my colleagues from my path of study) or gyms that endorse this, and 2) people always want to know that they are doing the best thing for their body to help with their goals.

Here is my answer: We will always have a significant portion of your training be like this (slow, controlled, lots of support, and significant weight).  Why?  This is the Gold Standard of exercise, in my opinion.  Let me tell you why. (more…)

By Julie Cates, ago

Doing The “Right Things” When You Exercise

“I don’t know how my body got like this.  My entire life I’ve done the right things.  I have eaten a healthy diet. I have exercised regularly.  I have been doing the right things for as long as I can remember.”

As a personal trainer and MAT™ specialist in Schaumburg, this kind of statement is one that I hear every now and then.  People are in disbelief that, despite their best efforts, their bodies are not feeling and functioning as they would expect.  Their joints are achy, their muscles are stiff, and their once-youthful energy seems to be just a memory.  And the most frustrating part for them is that they have always tried to do what others told them would be good for them.  They always tried to do the right things for their body.

However, the unfortunate truth is that the information they were given and the activities they were doing have likely contributed significantly to what they are now experiencing.

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By Charlie Cates, ago

Client Testimonial – Cindy Chabowski

Check out this fantastic testimonial from Cindy, one of Julie’s rock star personal training clients!  Cindy has been working with Julie for the past three months and has noticed some drastic changes in her body.  She describes the challenges she faced while trying to exercise once she turned 50 and how Julie has helped her with those.  She speaks to the importance of lifting weights in a mindful manner and not just doing cardio to support her health.  She also talks about how the strength training she has done with Julie has helped her joints feel better and has improved her self-confidence.

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By Julie Cates, ago

The Physiological and Mechanical Tradeoff

Check out this snippet from Charlie’s most recent post on FitnessProfessionalOnline.com, titled “The Physiological and Mechanical Tradeoff“!

“As a personal trainer, one of the difficulties I often run into is trying to balance what a client can do with what they want to do.  Often times these situations will look like this:

Client: “I want to build my glutes.”

Me: “Okay, let’s add in some lunges today.”

Client: (During the first set) “Ouch, this is bothering my knee.”

I call this dilemma the physiological/mechanical tradeoff.  It’s a tradeoff because, as personal trainers, we know how we want to challenge our clients’ physiology, but we need to be able to do so within the mechanical parameters that are presented. (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

Client Testimonial – Liz Goodchild

Check out this awesome testimonial from Julie and Charlie’s client, Liz!  Liz describes her experience doing personal training with Julie and Muscle Activation Techniques™ with Charlie.  She talks about how what she has learned with Julie and Charlie has far outweighed everything she learned the previous 20 years of exercising regularly, as well as her body’s transformation over the past three months.

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By Team MAS, ago

3 Must-Do’s To Exercise For Quality

Exercising for quality is difficult.  As a personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ practitioner in Schaumburg, this is an issue I run into on a daily basis.  Exercising for quantity, on the other hand, is much easier.  This tends to be the default most people fall back on when they start exercising.  It is completely understandable because, as mentioned, it is far easier to exercise for quantity than it is to exercise for quality.  But there is a way to change that, and it is simpler than you may think.

First, though, what is exercising for quality versus exercising for quantity? (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago

MAT™ Jumpstart Courses – Schaumburg, IL

The Greg Roskopf’s Muscle Activation Techniques™ Jumpstart Program is coming to Muscle Activation Schaumburg!  The Chicago area’s first series of MAT™ Jumpstart courses in 2017 will be hosted at Schaumburg, IL’s premier destination for Muscle Activation Techniques™ and personal training. Enter the code MAS before checking out to receive 5% off the cost of the course! Read more

By Team MAS, ago

Supercharge Your Stretching With This One Simple Change

I used to stretch all the time growing up.  I would stretch before I worked out.  I would stretch after I worked out.  I would stretch in the mornings.  I would stretch in the evenings.  I would stretch all the time because I wanted to improve my joint mobility and make sure that my body was prepared for my workouts.  For over a decade, stretching was a staple in my workout routine.

Despite all of that stretching, I never got to the point where I felt really flexible.  I would always feel stiff and achy.  My muscles felt chronically tight.  This persisted until I made one change to how I was doing my “stretching”. (more…)

By Charlie Cates, ago