“Should I use more weight?”
“That would depend on your goal…”
As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I realize that a lot of times we get caught up on the idea of more is better. If we can use more weight, we should. If we can perform more reps, we should. If we can eek out a couple more sets, we should. But here’s the issue: the value in exercise is not actually found in the doing of the exercise, but rather in your body’s response to doing the exercise.
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.
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:
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.
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.**
A few weeks back, a warning popped up on my car’s dashboard. Snow tires on. Do not exceed 65 mph. Seeing this, I slowed down and the warning went away. Every time my speed would get up too high, the warning would come back on.
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.
When I was 14 I rolled both of my ankles within a couple weeks of eachother. “You must have weak ankles,” is what my coach told me. The solution? Bilateral ankle braces.
“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!
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.
As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, if there was one exercise tip I would want everybody to know, it is this: when you are performing an exercise, focus on squeezing the muscles that you are trying to challenge instead of focusing on something outside of your body such as moving the weight.
