Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT®) is a revolutionary tool that improves the integrity of the neuromuscular system. In other words, it helps to ensure that your muscles are working optimally which in turn will help with strength in workouts and in everyday activities. The goal of MAT is to maintain lifelong muscle and joint health. Chemical, physical and emotional stresses all take a toll on the muscular system. Muscles get their signals to contract from the nervous system, and when stress tolerances have been exceeded, it shows up as a muscle weakness.  When this happens, the body will utilize whatever it has available by compensating with surrounding muscles that in turn quickly become overworked and eventually suffer the same fate. You will then have fewer muscles to manage the joints, which will also often result in discomfort and tightness due to the increased stress placed on them. Muscle weakness/inhibition is the result of the inability for muscles to effectively tolerate the forces that have been placed on them. These weaknesses are what make us more prone to injury. MAT® attempts to overcome inhibitions (the communication problem) by identifying and activating the inhibited muscles and improving their ability to contract on demand, and thus making them viable options for your body to utilize. When muscles contract better, the body will have more stability, mobility, and control at the joints. Mobility without stability opens the body up to vulnerabilities.

 

Inhibitions and compensations are similar to cancer in the body, as they will only spread if not properly addressed. People get weaker as they age. Force tolerance levels continue to decline. You cannot just train the muscles harder in the hopes that it will fix the issue, as you don't want to put stress on a body that is not functioning optimally.  It is like driving a car with a flat tire. Driving the car faster will not fix the tire; it will only cause the car to get out of alignment and eventually break down.

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The ability to test and assess our work, and not chase symptoms, is what set MAT® apart from everything else that is being offered out there.  It can be an extremely valuable tool for a wide range of people: regular exercisers, competitive athletes, post-rehab, or someone just wanting to stay active and pain-free throughout life. If you don't know what the current status of your neuromuscular system is, then you don't know what kind of adaptations you are getting from your workouts and training programs.  MAT allows you to increase tolerance levels to stress and increase thresholds of the body to perform at higher levels without breaking it down.  

MAT was developed by Greg Roskopf, who has worked as a consultant for the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, and Utah Jazz.  Heather Garrigus, owner of Body Architecture Fitness, trained directly under Greg Roskopf and became at Muscle Activation Specialist in 2002. She is also Mastery MAT Certified for Lower Body and Trunk/Spine, and always seeking to expand her skillset. After relocating to Tennessee, she opened a studio in Downtown Franklin that offers Muscle Activation Techniques, Personal Training, Pilates, and Isophit. You can find the website for Body Architecture Fitness studio at: www.atr-fit.com