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

Image courtesy of community.sparknotes.com

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™.


First, Muscle Activation Techniques™ is not designed to relieve pain.  It is designed to provide the opportunity for muscles to contract more efficiently.  If somebody is avoiding beginning the MAT™ process because they think it is only for times when they are experiencing discomfort, they already have a skewed conception about the goal of MAT™.

Second, if somebody initially began the Muscle Activation Techniques™ process because they were experiencing discomfort, relief from discomfort is not an indication that it is time to stop the process.  There may still be many tissue adaptations that need to occur in order to restore the tissue to how it was before or to get their system working as optimally as possible.

Image courtesy of bloomshealth.com.au

Third--and this is probably the most compelling reason, in my opinion--a reasonable goal may be to not ever have your body break down, not wear on it until it breaks down and then try to have things brought back to how they were.  It's why you change your oil in your car and get it tuned up every now and then.*  It's why you eat healthy and get sleep.  You don't wait until your car is broken down to have it looked at.*  And you don't wait until you are sick or develop diabetes to start taking care of yourself.

Yes, you may not be in discomfort right now.  So let's do our best to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Do you want to feel as well as you can for as long as you can?

Interested in finding out more about MAT™?  Check out the Muscle Activation Techniques™ page!

Interested in setting up an assessment or discussing this subject further?  Leave a comment below or e-mail Charlie at charlie@selfmadefitness.com!

Your body.  Your training.

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*Analogies courtesy of Matthew Bernier