Born in 1949, Roger grew up in a generation where outdoor activity was the norm. Fitness was a way of life in small town Minnesota and Roger was always active. Coming from a family of medical professionals, his parents were a Doctor and a Nurse, his younger Brother is now a Nurse and his wife teaches the vision impaired and now his Daughter is a Family Therapist, so health was an early interest. Roger began working with his father at the age of 10 while his father was a County Coroner and Roger started to learn anatomy in the morgue, as he assisted his Dad.

Roger developed a love for endurance sports in the early 1970's when he began distance bicycle riding which soon morphed into skiing marathon distances, first at the Bierkebiener in northern Wisconsin and then all over the midwest. This led to an enjoyment of more of the endurance sports andtraining in the forms of bicycling and running soon followed. In the mid 1970's Roger began teaching fitness and wellness as a group fitness instructor for his local school district. As more and more people inquired into Personal Training services with him, he got a nationally recognized certification through the American Council on Exercise as a Personal Trainer, a certification as a Senior Fitness Specialist from the National Institute of Health Sciences followed. Roger is also a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Soon Roger was taking classes from Aaron Mattes in Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening (A.I.S). Who soon became not only Roger’s friend but his mentor as well. Recognizing the amazing restorative and healing benefits of AIS, led Roger to pursue his studies with Aaron, the developer of the Mattes Method of AIS, and Roger soon became a proficient practitioner. Aaron teaches Active Isolated Stretching as a means to heal, and to train persons of all abilities, where it will improve flexibility and aid recovery, allowing you to train and hence compete, if that is your desire, at a higher level, as well as a means of injury prevention. It wasn’t long before Aaron gave Roger his “blessing” and started Roger teaching seminars and workshops in AIS, Roger has taught along with and Aaron, as his assistant, and by himself across North America and into Canada.

AIS can be found to be beneficial to athletes of all persuasions, not only the professional athlete, but the weekend warrior and anyone whether they regularly visit a gym or not.

The restorative benefits gained by the stretching and strengthening protocols which renew range of motion, restore fascial wellness, promote full ventilation and circulation in the muscular and nervous systems, have been shown clinically to rehabilitate and prevent numerous injuries caused by daily life as well as those on the athletic field or court or dance floor. The benefits of regular use of AIS techniques help restore balance in the deepest levels of the fascia and muscular tissues and have shown to benefit persons suffering from such maladies and injuries as those coming from: Scoliosis, Patella femoral Joint Syndrome, hip imbalances, leg length imbalance, fallen arches, plantarfasciitis, fibromyalgia, parkinsons disease and even ALS. Many medical Doctors, Chiropractors, and Physical Therapists, as well as others in the various fields of therapeutic restoration, have recognized the benefits of AIS.

Roger is proud to carry on the healing works of Aaron Mattes to the best of his abilities.

The Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) method of muscle lengthening and fascial release is a type of Athletic Stretching that provides effective, dynamic, facilitated stretching of major muscle groups, but more importantly, AIS provides functional and physiological restoration of superficial and deep fascial planes.

Over the past few decades many experts have advocated that stretching should last up to 60 seconds. For years, this prolonged static stretching technique was the gold standard. However, prolonged static stretching actually decreases the blood flow within the tissue creating localized ischemia and lactic acid buildup. This can potentially cause irritation or injury of local muscular,tendinous, lymphatic, as well as neural tissues, similar to the effects and consequences of traumaand overuse syndromes.

The Mattes AIS Technique is an effective treatment for deep and superficial fascial release, restoring proper fascial planes for optimal physiologic function. Performing an Active Isolated Stretch of no longer than 2.0 seconds allows the target muscle to optimally lengthen without triggering the protective stretch reflex and subsequent reciprocal antagonistic muscle contraction as the isolated muscle achieves a state of relaxation. These stretches provide maximum benefitand can be accomplished without opposing tension or resulting trauma.

The Mattes Method of A.I.S. is a myofascial release technique, which incorporates AIS, uses active movement and reciprocal inhibition toachieve optimal flexibility. Using a 2.0 second stretch has proven to be the key in avoiding reflexive contraction of the antagonistic muscle. Without activating muscle group contraction, restoration of full range of motion and flexibility can be successfully achieved.