Muscle Activation Techniques

A couple of weekends ago, I had the opportunity to attend a weekend-long seminar dedicated to the Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) Jumpstart Program. MAT is a systematic approach for evaluating and correcting muscular imbalances that contribute to injury, impeded recovery, and compromised performance. MAT looks at muscle tightness being secondary to muscle weakness. It is a system of checks and balances that proves whether exercise is enhancing efficient motion or re-enforcing compensation.

As a class, we partnered up and performed a Range of Motion (ROM) evaluation in order to find potential muscle weakness. Next we performed a joint positional test to confirm that weakness. Thirdly, to address that weakness, we performed low-intensity isometrics to induce a response. We then retested the joint position and reevaluated the ROM. It’s a fantastic tool with a proven methodology unlike many assessments out there.

As a fitness professional, it is my job to provide my clients with an unparalleled exercise experience. If I am not able to help them, I feel as though I am doing them a disservice. I love learning and will continue to learn without feeling ashamed to ask questions or consult someone who may have more expertise. Fitness is a never-ending journey. We can at least take that journey comfortably.

The Role of Precision

While training clients, what are we supposed to be looking for? Do we simply show our client an exercise and have them mimic us? Do we tell them to do fifteen repetitions, make them start with point A and end with point B, and ignore everything that takes place in between?

If clients depend on us as exercise professionals to ensure they’re getting the most out of each and every workout, I say our duty lies in enforcing control and precision. Just because the end ranges of motion are critical doesn’t mean that everything else is less important. And that doesn’t mean a client’s structure, her neuromuscular influences, her accustomed level of activity, her body awareness, and her ability to adapt shouldn’t be factored in. From my Resistance Training Specialist notebook: “The outcome of an exercise will only be as good as the precision with which the motion is performed.… It all boils down to the quality of each individual rep; it doesn’t matter how many you do if they all suck!” When we prioritize control, we can tally actual progress and work toward increasing the challenge. Without control or precision, we compromise the standard, rendering measurements of progress useless/unreliable, while undermining the efficiency and quality of a workout. It’s only after the client demonstrates automaticity, or autopilot, that we should add another level of difficulty.

On the other hand, we don’t want to be completely obsessive with instruction. We need to allow the client time to acquire sensory input, adapt and respond to the task at hand, and orchestrate a solution to that specific challenge. If we obsessively correct, we may see diminishing returns in the outcome. Allowing the client time to learn, tracking micro-progress, and gradually building their skill with precision is key to long term progress.

Strategic Variety Beats Choreography

Instead of picking out a canned, pre-planned exercise routine and spending a session watching, counting, and maintaining conversation, a trainer should be trying to visualize what is occurring inside of the body of their client. All people have structural differences (i.e. bones, joints, contractile/non-contractile tissue) that need to be taken into account when designing an exercise regimen; cookie cutter exercises published in magazines or websites serve to perpetuate inaccurate beliefs about our bodies and the personal training industry.

As trainers, we need to re-evaluate our methods and our understanding of the human body. Exercise is invasive to the body. It’s not about what’s occurring superficially; it’s about the forces applied within, like resistance and torque. Keeping in mind the goal of a specific exercise, we must constantly ensure proper joint forces, position, and motion (if any). Things continuously change during the progression of an entire repetition; clients deserve our undivided attention to monitor and, if need be, correct their exercise. We are responsible for minimizing mechanical wear (contact surfaces of joints) by strategically varying activities. This is an awesome role to play—we have the power and knowledge to actually change and alter joint forces!

If you can give clients a one-of-a-kind positive experience with long-lasting benefits, that’s pretty amazing. Chances are they wouldn’t find that just anywhere; if a trainer lacks a certain degree of knowledge, experience, or commitment, they’re coming up short.