Why You Need to Exercise Your Fascia

By Robert Schleip

I am fascinated by fascia. Fascia is more commonly known as the soft tissue component of the connective tissues that run through the entire body as a covering and connecting network. It gives form and structure to our bodies. This material and its characteristics are so interesting that I changed my field of business from a therapist to a scientist. I wanted to understand the role that fascia plays in moving our body and its real impact on our body and psyche. Meanwhile, it became obvious to me that the importance of the fascia cannot be overstated and that we would all benefit from becoming more conscious of the influence that the fascia has on everyday life and sport especially.

The full meaning and complexity of this are what I would like to explain in this book. Even though the fascia has been on the sidelines for such a long time, the medical profession, coaches, and physiotherapists probably knew about its existence and function.

Historically, chronic back pain has been treated with common medications and operations. When sportspeople stagnated after long training, physiotherapists tried to alleviate pain and tension by focusing on muscles, nerves, bones, coordination, and strength; the fascia was not seen as an independent contributor. Research has significantly changed this way of thinking during the last few years: fascia has now been acknowledged and understood to be an important factor in musculoskeletal dynamics, rather than being an inert packing organ as previously thought.

Much of the existing knowledge about fascia had to be reviewed, and this even created a paradigm shift. For example, the delayed onset muscle soreness observed after heavy exercise originates less from the muscle tissue itself but comes mainly from the fascial envelope which surrounds the muscle; back pain often does not result from vertebral or intervertebral disc degeneration but from the fascia. Sports injuries are not necessarily muscle injuries but are more likely to be injuries of the fascial components. Nowadays, the fascia is considered to be one of our most important sensory organs. The connective tissue even sends signals to the brain—the heart of our consciousness. Sensors codetermine all body movements in the fascia; if these fail, the human body loses its ability to control its movements. The list of these new realizations is enormous and is updated almost daily with information from all around the world.

New information emerges from medical or biological research, physiotherapists, and other practitioners. I worked as a body and movement therapist before I entered this field of science, so it is essential for me to connect theory and practice.

In 2009, the Fascial Fitness Association had already begun to adapt the many discoveries relating to the fascia into a training program to purposefully strengthen, stimulate, and maintaining the fascia. Today the network of fascia researchers, sports scientists, and movement therapists, who use and develop this specific fascia training, stretches around the entire globe.

There are already hundreds of books and training programs available, all making more or less the same promises: increased energy, improved body strength, greater endurance, a more beautiful body, and better mobility, health, and well-being. If someone says: “We already do everything possible,” I would understand that very well; and if someone says: “Why should I change my method of training? I am happy with the way I exercise,” I would understand that too, as the key thing that athletes above all know are that what counts ultimately is to exercise in the most effective way.

In the case of fascia, a component unknown until now comes into play.

Purposeful fascia training can optimize the potential of training achievements and promote an increase in newly gained efficiency. It also encourages pain-free everyday life, provides relief from stiffness, and most of all, is easy to incorporate into a training program. This means that fascia training does not have to replace your current training programs but should supplement them. Moreover, it enriches them with a certain element that has been missing up until now. For many decades the emphasis in sport science and training teachings has been on strength, endurance, and coordination: the focus has been mainly on muscles, cardiovascular function, and neuronal control, with very little consideration of the fascia.

Many training programs stress that they do train fascia, but this is only partly true—frequently, the programs are not efficient, as fascia needs its own impulses and specific movements. In common, fixed, and stereotypical programs, these particular impulses are usually absent or arise only coincidentally and without coordinated dosage. In comparison, athletes who train for a marathon, of course, also train the muscles; however, their capacity for weight lifting will not be improved as much as in specialized muscle training. Thus specific training is the key to achieving total optimization. Nowadays, we know about the enormous importance of the fascia for the functioning of our muscles and their optimal coordination—but also that the fascia needs a special kind of stimulation. This knowledge affects the training concepts that have undergone several modifications over the years.

After having previously trained individual muscles, we are apparently now paying more attention to muscle groups and functional movements—and today, something new is emerging: training should cover the entire fascial network and its long chains in the body. The condition of the fascia influences healing of injuries as well as recovery after training and competition. It also determines much more—and this is what you will discover in this book.

The addition of fascia training can put a finishing touch to your personal exercise program, which means that you do not need to do additional exercise programs or change your training program at all. The proposed exercises can be easily integrated and will seamlessly provide care and maintenance of the fascia network in your body.

The exercises should stimulate the connective tissue, regenerate it, and keep it vitalized and supple; thus you can train your muscles even more effectively, your movements will be more fluid and elegant, and your stamina will also increase. As fascia training increases the capacity of tendons and ligaments, it: (a) avoids painful friction in hip joints and spinal discs; (b) protects the muscles from injury; and (c) keeps the body in shape because it produces a more youthful and taut stature. These aspects are particularly important in everyday life, and also with increasing age. In addition, fascia training is surprisingly uncomplicated: 10 minutes twice a week is sufficient, special clothing or equipment is not required. The entire program is simple and suitable for daily use and all ages and levels of training.

The advantages of fascia training for sport and in everyday life are quite simply:

• Your muscles work more efficiently.
• It shortens the recovery time after heavy exercise, and so you will be ready for the next exercise much faster.
• Your athletic performance increases.
• Your movement and coordination improves.
• Your movements appear more elegant and less stiff.
• Your posture and body shape are resilient and more youthful.

The exercises I have designed for fascia training are adjustable for various connective tissue types and as we age, which is common to us all, regular fascia training should be an important part of our daily routine. Fit fascia keeps you in shape, and with the right training you can stay youthful and taut for a lifetime. So, to keep fit and feel in good shape, you should exercise your fascia regularly. In everyday life there are also other effects that concern the fascia. Many people are familiar with common ailments such as back pain, shoulder and elbow problems, neck tension, headaches and foot problems. The medical profession is increasingly recognizing that the condition of connective tissue plays an important role in all these syndromes and that disturbances in the connective tissue can even be the cause. Problems such as shoulder stiffness (frozen shoulder), and lower back pain can often be reduced or completely eliminated with fascia-related treatments and training programs.

A Journey to the Unknown World of Fascia

With my experience as a body therapist, researcher, human biologist and teacher, I see the fascia and its significance in many different perspectives. I use it in my scientific work in the training and further education of physicians, physiotherapists, surgeons and osteopaths. I also understand what fit fascia means to me and my body personally. When I get up in the morning, or when I‘m relaxed or stretching. Sometimes, after a strenuous day, I walk around the corner to the climbing frame in the park and stretch my joints to the maximum – to the delight of the children and neighbors – who see a 60-year-old man working out on a playground. In the morning, I‘ll walk barefoot to feel my body and adjust my senses for the day, and while working, when I have to sit for long periods, I will interrupt the rigid posture with small exercises. In my busy life as researcher, teacher, and author, it would be impossible for me to maintain an efficient lifestyle without caring for my body and using fascia training.

I hope you – through this book – will experience and feel the same benefits in your body that I do. So I invite you to accompany me on a journey to the hidden structures that we can all benefit from.

Some initial chapters explain the fundamentals together with anatomical and physiological details. However, these are simply to help with understanding the principles of fascia training that go beyond normal muscle and strength development and have a lot to do with the properties of the tissue.

I am convinced that the function of the fascia is not only of interest to athletes, trainers and instructors, but also for readers who simply want to achieve a satisfying, fit feeling in the body and movements. This program and knowledge is especially relevant to people with pain or older people who are looking for a meaningful, easy training regime and information to guide them. Practical tips are available in the section on diet and healthy lifestyle.

On our journey into the new world of the fascia, you will learn a lot of which you are at present unfamiliar. So first, I’ll help you get an overview of the properties and functions of the fascia before starting the exercises. You will benefit so much from the training and gain some new knowledge for your everyday life.

Above all, fascia training should be fun, as sensory pleasure is for many reasons, essential in our exercises. It is now time to launch our expedition with the prospect of harmony in our own body and movement.

This article is an excerpt from Fascial Fitness (Second Edition) by Robert Schleip. (c) Lotus Publishing, used with permission.

Fascial Finess available at https://terrarosa.com.au/product/on-sale/fascial-fitness-second-edition/