COURSE OVERVIEW

This 1-day course is an introduction to Aaron Mattes’ modality of Active Isolated Stretching. It is a great program for trainers who have an interest in corrective exercise and improving human movement. The goal of this course is to introduce students to the benefits of a neuromuscular approach to stretching and give them a series of exercises and drills used by top athletic coaches.

Participants will start by learning some simple assessment techniques to evaluate dysfunction in the hips and shoulders before moving on to building practical protocols to improve joint range of motion and function. From an anatomical perspective, this course will look at the most common causes of pain and movement dysfunction, why they happen and how to correct them. From a practical perspective – which muscles to stretch, which to foam roll, which typically need activation and which to strengthen.

By the end of the day, participants will be able to recognize and reverse the two most common faulty or compensatory movement patterns that lead to pain and injuries. We will also look at the benefits of stretching versus massaging or foam rolling and why some muscles respond better to isolated activation techniques rather than compound strength exercises.

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

• Introduction to the course, lecturer, AIS and Aaron Mattes
• Why Active – Why Isolated – Why Stretch?
• Principles of biomechanics: Sherrington’s law, Newton’s 3 laws, SAID principle
• Introduction to Janda Syndromes
• Postural evaluation techniques
• Anatomy of the chest & shoulders relative to kyphosis
• Upper body stretching techniques for the chest & shoulders
• Upper body strength and activation exercises for the chest & shoulders
• Anatomy of the hips and pelvis relative to lordosis
• Lower body stretching techniques for the legs & hips
• Lower body strength and activation exercises for the legs & hips
• Review and questions

WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER THIS COURSE?

• You want to learn how to help your clients who experience physical pain by understanding the potential causes and ways to alleviate it
• You want to learn how to assess muscle imbalances that could possibly lead to physical pain or discomfort
• You want to learn effective stretches and isolated activation exercises that work