Fascia doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Fortunately, that’s been changing lately. Once snubbed as just “packing material”, fascia and the role it plays in fitness and sports is becoming a hot topic. Professionals in the fitness arena now know that connective tissue is a crucial component of the body’s structural and functional systems. Let’s take a closer look at the fascinating world of fascia and how it affects exercise performance and functionality.
What is Fascia?
At a basic level, fascia is connective tissue, made up of collagen and elastin, two proteins that help support skin and joint health. Because it’s dynamic, fascia can adapt to the stress you place on it. When you damage your fascia, fibroblasts (cells that synthesize new collagen) jump into action to help repair the injured tissue.
Would you believe that you have fascia in every muscle, bone, nerve, artery, vein, and organ in your body? Because fascia is contiguous, it helps one set of tissues communicate with another, for example, it helps your muscles and arteries hook up.
Here are other roles this multi-dimensional, complex tissue plays:
- Force transmission: Fascia helps you move more efficiently by distributing forces and allowing for easier energy transfer.
- Proprioception: Fascia has lots of sensory nerves that give feedback, so you know your body position.
- Fluid dynamics: Fascia affects how fluids move through your body and impacts nutrient delivery.
- Structural support: Fascia provides a framework that helps maintain your body’s shape and posture.
Fascia and Movement
As athletes and serious exercisers, we focus most on the role fascia plays in movement and this role is multi-faceted and complex.
Fascia is a storage depot for elastic energy. When you move dynamically, such as jumping into the air, your fascia releases stored energy, like what happens to a spring when you release pressure on it. This also comes into play with other movements, such as walking. With each step you take, your fascia releases stored energy, so you move more efficiently. Even when you make small movements, your fascia stores and unloads energy.
Because fascia distributes forces more evenly across the framework of your body, it evens out the stress on your body so you’re at lower risk of injury. Plus, the way fascia distributes across muscles and joints helps coordinate your movements. That, too, lowers your risk of falls and injuries.
Fascia Training: A New Frontier in Performance Enhancement
So now that you know the profound role fascia plays in stability and movement, you can more easily see why fascia training is so important. It’s also the secret weapon of elite athletes, fitness gurus, and wellness enthusiasts. Training your fascia can improve the quality of your movements, protect against injury, and improve your performance in sports, aerobics, and weight training. So, how can you improve the quality of your fascia?
Multi-Directional Loading
Are most of the exercises you do linear ones? Moving in a single plane is fine, but doing so isn’t challenging to your fascia. To improve how your fascia performs, you need movements that take place in different planes and directions. Options include spiraling movements, diagonal reaches, and twisting lunges. These types of multi-directional movements also improve coordination, balance, and agility. So, think 360 degrees and include more multi-directional movements in your fitness routine.
Elastic Recoil Training
You can also enhance your fascia with quick, springy movements that are part of elastic recoil training. You might not realize it, but you’re training your fascia when you do plyometric exercises, like jump squats, box jumps, and when you skip rope. Each time your feet leave the ground, your fascia releases stored elastic energy and, once you land, restores it again. By including these exercises in your routine, you optimize your body’s suspension system and make your movements more efficient. Another payoff comes in the form of better posture, because of elastic recoil training. Don’t be surprised if you also have more “bounce” to your step!
Proprioceptive Refinement
Proprioceptive refinement is about making your internal positioning system more efficient. By refining your body’s positioning system, you enhance the communication that takes place between your fascia and nervous system. To do this, add controlled, slow movements to your routine, like yoga or tai chi. Think of a yogi holding a challenging pose. By doing these movements, you boost body awareness too. An ultra-simple approach is to do micro-movements throughout the day that force you to hold a position. An example is standing on one foot while you brush your teeth. Simple but effective.
Move More!
Another way to support your fascia is to sit less and move more. Remember, this is a dynamic system that responds best to movement. If you sit too long, your fascia will become stiff and tight. Tightness when you sit too long is even more of a problem if you’ve injured your fascia in the past and scar tissue built up. So, take movement breaks throughout the day or stand up and do gentle stretches to keep your fascia supple.
Renewal Techniques
Fascia needs good hydration and moisture to function its best. Makes sense, right? If you’re dehydrated your fascia will be stiffer and your movements will be less fluid So, stay hydrated. But you also need that fluid to move and distribute across your fascial network. The way to improve fluid movement through your fascial system is with massage and foam rolling. These practices not only ease muscle tension, but they loosen up your fascia and help distribute fluids to this complex structure. And don’t forget about stretching. Stretching, foam rolling, and massage all help ease fascial restrictions and keep your fascia hydrated and flexible.
Conclusion
Your fascia is more than just a passive wrapper over key tissues in your body – it has a higher purpose. Fascia is a sensitive and dynamic tissue that can change how we move, perform, and even affect our health. By nurturing our fascial health, we can unlock new levels of physical capability and well-being. So, why not focus on maximizing the potential of your fascia when you train?
References:
- Bordoni, Bruno, Navid Mahabadi, and Matthew Varacallo. “Anatomy, Fascia.” Nih.gov. StatPearls Publishing, July 17, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493232/.
- McCall, Pete. “ACE – CertifiedTM: September 2018 – Making the Connection: The Latest Research on Fascia.” Acefitness.org, September 2018. https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/certified/september-2018/7069/making-the-connection-the-latest-research-on-fascia/.
- “Fascia: anatomy, structure and function. | Kenhub.” 30 Oct. 2023, https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/fascia.
- “10 Ways to Treat Your Fascia: Lose Pain and Cellulite.” 10 Jan. 2020, https://www.healthline.com/health/fascia.
- Martin, Deveon. “Activating Your Greatest Potential: Fascia Training for Athletes.” Nifs.org, 2023. https://www.nifs.org/blog/activating-your-greatest-potential-fascia-training-for-athletes.
- Schleip R, Müller DG. Training principles for fascial connective tissues: scientific foundation and suggested practical applications. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2013 Jan;17(1):103-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2012.06.007. Epub 2012 Jul 21. PMID: 23294691.
- Bordoni B, Mahabadi N, Varacallo M. Anatomy, Fascia. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023
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