By: Kika Mela MATCS, BPS Medical Team
5-12-15
GREG ROSKOPF’S
MUSCLE ACTIVATION TECHNIQUES ™
If you aien’t playin, they aien’t payin
For most of the professional athletes that train here at Bommarito Performance Systems (BPS), their financial and professional success depends upon what they can do physically.
Are they fast enough? Strong enough? Are they injury prone? Will they rehab in time to play?
At any level, the best player will be sitting at home if he can’t perform on the field. For the pros, the ability to play the sport that they love and their financial future depends on the health of their body. Playing at a high level and hopefully pain free drives many players to seek alternative ways to keep their body right. One of the options we offer our athletes is Greg Roskopf’s Muscle Activation Techniques™.
You are only as strong as your weakest link
Injury, poor muscle firing, scar tissue, overuse, disuse, improper mechanics, and poor nutrition are only a few things that can negatively affect your performance.
What happens when you have a weak link?
- Slower recovery time
- Decreased performance
- Muscular Compensations
- Potential Injury
Or:
- A QB that can’t open up his hips and has to alter his throwing mechanics to accommodate
- A soccer player a with tight ankle who can’t cut off of his outside edge and misses an opportunity
- A pitcher with limited hip rotation which can affect his development of power and effects his shoulder
- A runner who pulls his hamstring because his trunk muscles are not assisting as well as they should
- A player who never fully recovers from a Turf Toe injury
Traditional methods to improve performance or rehabilitate from an injury include:
- Physical Therapy/Training Room
- Strength and Conditioning
- Chiropractic
- Acupuncture
- Massage
These traditional treatments are very effective in rehabilitation and BPS is one of the few facilities which offer them all onsite. In partnership with Mela Therapeutics, Inc., BPS also offers an innovative approach to address the weak links: Greg Roskopf’s Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT).
What is MAT?
MAT is a systematic approach using ROM and muscle testing to identify inefficient muscular contractions. It looks at what you can’t do and asks if your muscles are firing properly. If you can’t go there, you may be weak there. This is a different view point to thinking about flexibility in terms of a muscle weakness instead of muscle tightness. The job of an MAT Specialist is to hunt down the weak link of poor muscle contraction, improve it, and therefore allow the muscle to contract further, improve motion, and increase stability. Adding MAT to traditional methods has shown us to complement and possibly enhance the outcomes of treatments and speed recovery. Most of our professional athletes utilize MAT to help them get the edge they need to stay on top of their game.
Adding MAT to a Strength and Conditioning plan or to a Rehabilitation process can potentially:
- Reduce pain and dysfunction
- Increase ROM
- Increase performance
- Reduce recovery time
- Improve the body’s tolerance to stress
MAT is NOT like Massage or ART (Active Release Techniques):
Massage uses various massage strokes and techniques to releases tight tissues and reduce spasms or fluid while ART uses manual therapy with motion around a joint to reduce adhesions and fibrosis. MAT enhances the ability of the muscle to contract via low grade isometrics or stimulation of the musculotendinous junction. MAT also uses a thorough ROM exam and muscle testing to identify where the weak links are. This allows the tight tissues to relax reflexively, improves ROM, and can add stability to the joint.
How long does it last?
An effective MAT session can last days, weeks, or months. However, just like one workout doesn’t mean that you are forever fit, one MAT session does not mean that all your muscles are forever firing properly. It is a process and is most effective when used regularly. It also lasts longer when used in conjunction with:
- Intelligent Strength Training
- Some Soft Tissue Modalities
- Good Nutrition
- Proper Recovery
How often should you get treated?
Physical, emotional, or chemical stress can reduce muscular function and create weak links in the body. It is important to frequently re-check the system for breakdowns in order to catch an imbalance before it manifests into a bigger problem. Getting tackled by a 300lb lineman or throwing dozens of pitches can create a tremendous amount of stress on the body. For high level athletes, 1-2 times per week during season and heavy off-season workouts are ideal but for others the ideal frequency can be anywhere from weekly to monthly depending on their body.
What to do on your own:
Your MAT Specialist should provide you with guidelines regarding activities that will help or hinder your progress. Also, your Specialist might provide at home MAT-based exercises to complement your MAT sessions. At BPS, we incorporate your recommended MAT exercises into your daily training program to get the most out of your workouts!
MAT has become an integral part of many player’s path to a healthy career. Several professional teams have also started to offer it due to the high demand of the players. To learn more about MAT as a treatment option, make an appointment, or to learn how to apply it to your own athletes, contact our Master Level MAT Specialist Kika Mela at [email protected] or call her direct line at 954.295.8302. You can also visit the MAT website www.muscleactivation.com to learn more or find a Specialist in your area.