Nathaniel ThiseMATRx · Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist, Muscle Activation of Arizona
A Scottsdale, Arizona Muscle Activation Techniques specialist and the founder of Muscle Activation of Arizona.
The conversation
19 minutes with host Joe Brown. Start anywhere: chapters on the right.
- 0:00Your body isn't a rusty antique car
- 0:14What this episode covers
- 0:34Welcome & meet Nate Thise, Muscle Activation Techniques specialist
- 1:12What to look for when choosing someone
- 2:05Muscle Activation Techniques in plain English
- 2:40The real question: why is it so tight?
- 5:17Why tight muscles can be protective
- 7:12Nate's own story
- 7:36From aircraft to muscles
- 9:12What sitting all day does to your muscles
- 11:10Getting back to the gym in your 40s, 50s or 60s
- 13:02Symmetry is the key
- 13:36How to tell if your sessions are working
- 15:31What to understand before your first visit
- 18:08Where to find Muscle Activation of Arizona
General information only, not medical advice. Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) is not a licensed medical service.
How he thinks
about care
- Credential
- MATRx, Muscle Activation Techniques (listed in the official MAT specialist directory)
- Background
- Worked on aircraft before moving into muscle work
- Practice
- Founder, Muscle Activation of Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ
Background from maofaz.com.
Nathaniel "Nate" Thise is a Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) specialist with the MATRx credential and the founder of Muscle Activation of Arizona in Scottsdale.
Before MAT he worked on aircraft. His view is that a muscle that feels tight is often protecting something that isn't doing its job, so the question he asks is why it's tight.
He starts from one question: "The real relevant question is why is it so tight."
He sees tightness as a possible protective response: "As the body starts to guard against these unstable ranges of motion, it will tighten up in a protective response."
Summary written by Top Providers from his podcast interview and his practice website.
In his words
Verbatim from his podcast interview.
The real relevant question is why is it so tight.Nathaniel Thise, Top Providers Podcast
As the body starts to guard against these unstable ranges of motion, it will tighten up in a protective response.Nathaniel Thise, Top Providers Podcast
Maybe put some air in the tires, check the fluids, make sure the thing can actually run, the alignment's not totally shot before we start stressing it.Nathaniel Thise, Top Providers Podcast
Clips
Under a minute each, cut straight from the interview.
Shorts0:42Tight muscle? Ask why it's tight
When a neck feels tight and won't turn as far one way, the question for Nate Thise, Muscle Activation Techniques specialist at Muscle Activation of Arizona in Scottsdale, AZ, isn't just "what's tight?" but "why is it so tight?" He looks at limited motion as a sign that the muscles meant to do that job may not be firing. General information, not medical advice.
Shorts0:41Sitting all day: what it does to your muscles
Nate Thise, Muscle Activation Techniques specialist at Muscle Activation of Arizona in Scottsdale, AZ, says long stretches of sitting can leave the muscles on the front of the spine, like the abs, obliques and hip flexors, less active. His tip for desk workers: try not to get too unbalanced. Squatting is one way to shorten those front muscles and let the ones in the back open up. General information, not medical advice.
Shorts0:37Back to the gym after 40? Start here
Getting back into the gym or onto the golf course in your 40s, 50s or 60s? Nate Thise, Muscle Activation Techniques specialist at Muscle Activation of Arizona in Scottsdale, AZ, says many people take the rusty antique car out of the shed and put it straight on the racetrack. His first step: put air in the tires, check the fluids and the alignment before you start stressing it. General information, not medical advice.
Shorts0:26Symmetry is the key when you work out
Nate Thise, Muscle Activation Techniques specialist at Muscle Activation of Arizona in Scottsdale, AZ, says whatever is working on one side of your body when you exercise should feel the same on the other side. If it doesn't, something may be compensating, and that's worth paying attention to before you push harder. General information, not medical advice.
Shorts0:40From aircraft to muscles
Working with muscles wasn't in the original plans for Nate Thise, Muscle Activation Techniques specialist at Muscle Activation of Arizona in Scottsdale, AZ. In his late teens and early 20s he could feel muscles "turning off" in his own body, like his left hip during squats. That's what pulled him into Muscle Activation Techniques. General information, not medical advice.
The practice
Details checked against maofaz.com, Nov 4, 2026.
Muscle Activation of Arizona
- Address
- 14362 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
- Phone
- (480) 479-7333
