Fascia training is a new trend in the fitness world, focusing on the connective tissues around your muscles rather than the muscles themselves. Before diving into fascia exercises, let’s first understand what fascia is.
Fascia is a type of connective tissue that runs throughout your body, surrounding your muscles, organs, and bones. It’s actually the largest sensory organ in your body, even more extensive than your skin, and it serves four primary functions. When your fascia is healthy, it’s flexible and resistant to injuries. However, if it’s blocked or tight, it can cause pain, restricted movement, and other issues that affect your daily life and exercise routines.
A well-rounded fascia exercise program can boost both your strength and flexibility while reducing injuries, pain, or discomfort from tight fascia. You’ve probably seen people at the gym using foam rollers or rubber balls to work on their fascia. While these methods can help, there’s more to fascia exercise than that.
There are four main ways to exercise your fascia, and a good program will incorporate each of these methods while also considering other factors.
One very popular way to stretch your fascia is through yoga. Most yoga poses involve full-body movements, even if they focus on a specific area. If you’re new to this, try some simple yoga poses at home to start stretching your muscles and fascia.
If yoga isn’t your thing, you might want to try Pilates. Like yoga, Pilates is a full-body workout that emphasizes strength and flexibility but with a stronger focus on your core. It’s also a great option if you’re looking for a more challenging exercise.
For a gentler approach, you can try Tai Chi. It’s a slower, more controlled method of fascia stretching that can be perfect if you’re looking for something less intense.
One of the main purposes of fascia is to stretch and then spring back, like a slinky. To strengthen this ability, incorporate dynamic exercises into your routine. Plyometric exercises, skips, hops, and even just dancing around can train your fascia’s elastic storage capacity and help prevent conditions like plantar fasciitis.
Before your workout, or on a dedicated fascia exercise day, try doing a dynamic warm-up with high knees, butt kicks, speed skaters, and plyometric pushups. This will prepare your fascia for more intense activity.
Proprioception, or being aware of your body’s position in space, is another important aspect of fascia exercise. Strengthening this awareness helps your fascia provide better support and improves your coordination, making everyday movements and workouts smoother. Proprioception exercises should be done slowly and with control, and they should challenge your balance and stability.
The last major component of fascia exercise is fascial release, often known as foam rolling or myofascial release. This involves using pressure to stimulate the lymph and fluids in your fascia, helping with fluid exchange and the removal of metabolic waste. Foam rolling should be done slowly and steadily. For areas you can’t reach or if you prefer professional help, consider getting a myofascial massage from a therapist.
It’s important to remember that everyone is different, and this affects how we move. Focus on how exercises feel for you, rather than comparing yourself to others. Hydration, rest, and recovery are essential for fascia health, as well as good nutrition. Eating a diet low in inflammatory foods like red meat, sugar, and refined carbs can help your fascia stay healthy, and make sure you’re getting enough vitamin C and collagen.
There are many benefits to fascia exercise both in and out of the gym. Once you start moving better and feeling less pain, you’ll likely be motivated to keep it up.
