Muscle Activation Technique

What is MAT?

In the words of founder Greg Roskopf, the Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) is “a biomechanically based process designed to evaluate and correct muscle imbalances that contribute to chronic pain and injury.” Roskopf developed MAT to help athletes and individuals improve muscle motion and performance, and to promote healing for injuries. The technique activates muscles that are not properly communicating with the individual’s nervous system. When the brain is not connecting properly with a muscle, then the muscle becomes weaker; it doesn’t fire properly when an individual is trying to perform a motion; and, consequently, other muscles try to compensate for the weaker muscle, which can lead to overwork, improper form, and injury.

Proper muscle function is essential for the wellbeing of not only athletes, but all people. MAT helps people regain function to help relieve chronic pain and heal properly from injuries. In a Men’s Fitness article, they say that MAT training provides increased strength, improved coordination, better flexibility, lower risk of injury, and less pain. Muscle dysfunction that continues for long periods of time can lead to chronic pain. With MAT, certified trainers can realign and activate muscles to alleviate and eliminate the source of pain.

How does it work?

MAT’s primary function and purpose is to get muscles to contract and release properly, which requires a proper line of communication between the central nervous system and the muscular-skeletal system. Using MAT, certified trainers will first perform an evaluation of the individual using several resistance and other motion-based tests. During the evaluation, the trainer will identify areas of improper motion and improper muscle function. Then, he or she will implement various techniques to stimulate muscle contraction and motion, which enables the individual to strengthen not only that muscle, but also all the other surrounding muscles as proper function is reinstated.

As MAT helps weak muscles strengthen, the overall body’s motion and function improves. For athletes, this is essential for performance. Range of motion, strength, and power are dependent on muscle function. And, when muscles are not functioning properly, an athlete will hit a max level of strength that is below their true potential.

With the help of certified MAT trainers, athletes can achieve greater strength and performance as the technique reopens the communication between the central nervous system and muscles. Realigning this communication channel can also help athletes with recurring injuries. Oftentimes, a recurring injury results from certain muscles not pulling their weight causing undue strain on other muscles. So, getting those weaker muscles to contract properly can relieve stress and enable greater muscle growth for the weaker muscle, which enables all the muscles to function at a greater capacity.

Why do we use it at FYX?

Stress, trauma, and overuse are extremely common problems that athletes, especially high-performance athletes, experience. These issues alter the communication between the athlete’s central nervous system and muscles, which leads to a lower level of muscle growth, a greater potential for injury, and, ultimately, decreased sports performance. With MAT, athletes can realign neural communication, correct imbalances, and reach maximum performance.

With this in mind, one of the FYX Sports Training founders, Jasen Dill, studied the technique and became a certified MAT expert in YEAR. “MAT can completely transform an athlete’s performance and their overall sports experience as muscle dysfunction is corrected and injuries heal faster,” Dill says. It can help athletes stay healthy and injury free, and it provides a significant impact from the first session.

Plus, several top athletes, Olympians and other world champions, use MAT to keep their body functioning at peak performance and to help keep them injury free. Peyton Manning actually attributes his successful recoveries and ongoing performance to MAT in a Sports Illustrated article. According to the article, Manning would “pay every week to fly in Greg Roskopf, a Denver-based specialist in cutting-edge Muscle Activation Techniques—finding muscles that have been traumatized or strained and strengthening other muscles to compensate—who had become popular with veterans such as former Broncos safety John Lynch, a friend of Manning’s.”

With a two-time, Super Bowl winner and several other athletes trusting MAT for their performance, this technique has a strong track record of success, which is why we at FYX Sports Training decided to incorporate it into our program. Come to FYX and experience the performance benefits of this renowned technique.


1808 Woodmoor Dr
Monument, CO 80132