"Neuroligically Hardwired" Movements

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Last week I engaged in an awesome discussion on Twitter regarding my post "Lunges vs. Leg Press". It was essentially three solid days of tweets being sent back and forth between my account and another account discussing our particular view points. Near the end of the discussion, the owner of the other account brought up the idea that movements such as lunges and squats are (paraphrasing) movements that are hardwired into our brain and nervous system.

I have heard this argument before, that these two movements, in addition to others, are being considered "basic human movements". My understanding of statements like these is that squats, lunges, hip hinges, and the like are movements that all humans know how to perform and therefore should take precedence in training and exercise programs. I happen to fundamentally disagree with these thoughts.

"But I Don't Have Any Pain..."

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During the Muscle Activation Techniques™ internship this past weekend a really great question was brought up regarding how to handle situations where somebody doesn't think they need MAT™ because they are not currently in pain.  As we discussed, these types of interactions highlight common misconceptions about MAT™.

Calories vs Hormones

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Is there more to the weight loss story than calories in/calories out?  Check out Tony Cates' latest post as he dives into the discussion of long-term weight loss.

The Other Half of the Rep

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A challenge I've been presenting some of my clients with recently is for them to make the movement they are doing as challenging for themselves as they lower the weight as it is for them when they raise it.

MAT™ and the Detox Experiment

My girlfriend, Julie, and I have been on a detox protocol through her work (Life Time Fitness Schaumburg) since August 10.  No coffee.  No black tea.  No eggs.  No butter, cheese, or any other dairy.  No peanuts or peanut butter.  No soy.  And some other rules that include no sugar.

Building For Tomorrow

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You are tomorrow what you build today and have built every day prior.

What Are Superfoods?

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Is the term "Superfood" limiting enough?  Does it really describe anything?  What exactly does it mean?

Articulating The Goal

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Building off of last week's post--"What's The Goal?"--I think the importance of being able to articulate that goal to your client (if you are a personal trainer) needs to be discussed.

Patience With The Process

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I have been incredibly fortunate to have had some clients over the last few months who have completely bought into the MAT™ process.  They didn't come in looking for quick relief from their symptoms or for things to be "fixed".  They took MAT™ for what it was and didn't expect it to do more than what I was telling them it was designed to do--make muscles contract more efficiently.  Their mindset has been superb throughout and the way in which their body has responded has been really cool to see.

Why I Love Mornings

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"Decision is the ultimate power.  That's how you take the invisible and make it visible; how you take what you dream about and make it happen." -- Anthony Robbins

Yes, I love mornings.  Yes, I can be that annoying morning person who is up and feeling great before 4:00 AM.

The Triad of Self Made Nutrition

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If you haven't checked it out already, the Self Made Nutrition blog is up and running!

What's The Goal?

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What is the goal of the exercise you are doing?

PIC or DFAMAT?

I remember when Jacques Henri Taylor presented in my internship in July 2011 he brought up the idea that there are very specific reasons why you might choose to utilize a PIC instead of a DFAMAT when addressing a position of inefficient contractile ability.  He cautioned us not to disown the PIC because we had been exposed to the DFAMAT, but rather to explore why we might employ one over the other.

The Decision and The Expectation

These two TGIM's really spoke to me.  What do you want to accomplish?  Make the decision to commit fully to it.  Have the sense of urgency to act now.  Relentlessly follow up to see it through to completion.  Most of all, expect it to happen such that there is no other option.

Decide to be great and expect greatness.

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The Next Step

A few years back I realized that there was more to the story than my scope of practice; that if I wanted to help people become healthier there was more that could be taken into consideration than just exercise and force application.  As I have mentioned before, force application is my tool of choice when it comes to helping others, but there have always been other aspects of my clients' lives to collect data on--what are you eating? how are you sleeping? how stressed have you been? etc.



The problem was not only did I not want to dedicate the time to really understanding the ins and outs of these areas like I did with force, but these areas did not grab a hold of my passion like force application did.  I understood they were important and needed to be taken into consideration.  I even understood that without getting those areas somewhat in check, my force application aspect may be completely futile in creating any type of positive change, or worse, it may be detrimental.  But I didn't know what to do about it.

Then came my brother, Tony.  And while he enjoyed the force application side of things, he came to the realization that it was not what ignited his passion.  BUT, the nutrition and wellness piece did.

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the next step in this journey of Self Made®:  Self Made Nutrition.

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Self Made Nutrition is headed by Tony Cates and provides the ability to test clients for hormone imbalances and possible digestive organ issues, assess clients' metabolic type, and creates a platform by which to distribute and discuss nutrition and lifestyle information.  True to Self Made® form, the advice and recommendations given are based off of your individual body at that moment in time.  What is your specific digestive issue?  How are your individual hormone levels?  What are your exact food sensitivities and intolerances?  How can each of these be addressed based on your current lifestyle?

As vital as these services are to ensuring that my services could be applied as appropriately as possible, I was previously unable to provide them.  But now, via the services offered through Self Made Nutrition, these services can be made available under the Self Made® name.

Be one of the first 10 people to sign up for your initial free consultation and purchase any service at 50% off!  Click HERE for details!

Like this post?  Drop a comment below and “Like” Self Made® on Facebook!

Want to use this article in your blog, newsletter, or other platform?  You may, but be sure to include all of the biographical info found in the yellow box below!