What is MAT® ?

 

Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) was developed by Greg Roskopf, who is also a consultant for various professional sports teams including the Denver Broncos, Utah Jazz, and Denver Nuggets.  MAT® is a biomechanically based systematic process to check the current state of your neuromuscular system. It is a non-invasive technique that is designed to balance the muscular system in people of all ages.  While many approaches focus on reducing tension in the muscular system, "releasing" tissue is not the way the body works.  Tension is what helps fight gravity, not looseness. MAT® looks for parts of the body that may have an inefficiency to contract.  It takes a deeper look to identify the underlying causes of excessive tension, and restores tension in the body where it needs to be by improving muscle contractile capabilities. MAT® does not force changes on the body, but instead works with the body by restoring internal stability in the body via improved muscle contractile efficiency (in other words, get the muscles contracting better will allow you to truly strengthen them and you will function at higher levels). 

 

Muscles are what move the bones and hold our joints in proper alignment.  Muscles get signals to contract and generate tension from the nervous system.  Due to overuse, stress, and trauma, the resulting inflammation will alter this communication between the muscle and the brain. It is like having a loose battery cable in your car, as the muscles will then lose their ability to contract efficiently.  The quality of your movement is dictated by all muscles working optimally and on demand, as function is beyond our conscious control. When muscles lose their ability to communicate with the brain, the body will have less to work with and will start to compensate by using surrounding tissues.  Thus, the body being an integrated system requires that every muscle needs to be doing its job or bad alignment will occur.  Inhibition and compensation are similar to cancer in the body, as it will only spread if not addressed.  With muscle inhibition, the body will sense instability and opposing muscles will tighten up to protect from moving into those unstable ranges of motion.  When. muscles aren't working well in one area, you will put stress on passive tissues (ligaments, cartilage, fascia, etc) or muscles in other areas of the body.

​

​

​​Muscular inhibitions are a significant cause of decreased performance, limited ranges of motion, strength, and more.  You don't want to workout on a body that is not functioning optimally.  It is like driving a car with a flat tire.  By activating inhibited muscles, the body can be in a better environment to heal and tolerate more stress. Once stability in the body is restored, mobility will also be restored. MAT® gives us the ability to test the contractile abilities of almost every muscle in the body.  This is an invaluable tool like nothing else that can give us information to determine if someone's body is ready to begin an exercise program, and if they are, how to appropriately proceed and progress. It can also let us know if someone's program or training is exceeding their current tolerance levels. MAT® is an adjunct to everything out there, and can fill a missing gap between the medical and exercise fields. It can be used on almost anyone from elite athletes to someone rehabilitating from an injury and anyone in between. MAT® can help make you more "bulletproof" to handle the stresses from exercise and life.  

Heather is the first to offer Muscle Activation Techniques in the state of Tennessee, and has been certified MAT Specialist since 2002. She is full body RX certified ( the highest level MAT certification). For more information on MAT®, you can go to www.muscleactivationtn.com