Fascial Fitness

Fascial Fitness

Fascial Training How to train your connective tissue Elastic and healthy fascia is important for the well-being and a welltrained body! Sports scientists, physicians, coaches and athletes have just discovered this new field. Muscles and fascia are always one unit and according to many fascia researchers, the role of the connective tissue in training has been neglected for too long. Fascia also plays an important role in pain generation, a notion that is previously overlooked. In this little exercise program, you will find some information about some known problem areas in the body, their corresponding fascia and a guide to simple exercises. The "Fascial Fitness" training program is developed by Dr. Robert Schleip and Divo Müller, and we are grateful for their technical advice.

1

Fascial Fitness

Find your critical points!

Many people now and then have pain on certain parts of their body. What kind of fascia is involved, and what can you do? Take part in this exercise program to train your fascia! For elastic and healthy fascia, you should perform these exercises once or twice a week. Importantly: Do this from the feet to the waist, please refer to our notes on the correct order of exercise. And have fun!

Consider the sequence Our training program consists of seven exercises. The starting point is to warm up and activate the fascia in the foot, followed by the back, shoulder and neck exercises. Please do these exercises in this particular order, so that your body warms up. This protects against strains and injuries.

2

Fascial Fitness

Less is more in fascial training!

Do not ask about your fascia. Unlike the muscle training, it's no use to go to the limit of endurance. Perform the fascial program rather regularly - fascia changes slowly, but sustainably: Once or twice a week should be enough. For more information and exercises see the videos at: http://tinyurl.com/aycgxjh

The correct exercise order: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Feet: "Bigfoot" Calves, Feet, the Achilles: "Elastic Jumps" Hip and back of thighs: "Cat Body" Waist, hips and thighs: "Side Power Stretch " Shoulder and shoulder girdle: "Power Shoulders" Back: "Flying Sword" Neck and back: "Cobra Spine"

And now have fun!

3

Fascial Fitness

The Feet and the Plantar Fasciae In the foot, the plantar fascia stretches from the heel to the toe pads. It is one of the thickest fasciae in human. The vault-like architecture of the foot is mainly due to the stress of this fascia. But the plantar fascia must be flexible - if not, typical problems can occur such as inflammation or the so-called heel spur, which is very painful. Ideally, the heel pad should have minimal movement forward so that the force of Achilles tendon can be transmitted to the plantar fascia, and vice versa. The exercise with the tennis ball will initially stimulate the plantar fascia, and ensure that the heel pad can move better.

4

Fascial Fitness

"Bigfoot" Activate the plantar fascia

Stand with bare feet in slight step position

On the front of the foot put a tennis ball, just behind the toes.

Now move gradually, transferring the weight of your rear foot to the front and so on the ball, do it slowly as much weight on the front foot, as it feels good.

Then move your foot further forward, so that the ball of the toes toward the heel rolls - roll slowly and exert steady pressure.

Do the exercise progressively. First with one, then the other foot, three minutes.

Activate the plantar fascia and thus ensure a good lymph exchange and stimulates the metabolism.

5

Fascial Fitness

The Calves and Achilles Tendons The Achilles tendon is the most important tendon for walking and running. It stretches from the heel up to the calf, is both tear-resistant and elastic, can store power and release it again. Problems arise when sport activity makes the untrained tendon overused. An important role is also played by the so-called calf aponeurosis: This is an extension of the Achilles tendon at the top to almost below the knee. Shortening of tendon and aponeurosis are often the reason, if you are a western adult, cannot squat on the floor like a child. Hopping, jumping, barefoot running or jogging in the so-called barefoot shoes can keep the fascia in the feet and calves elastic and also trains the Achilles tendon. The change you can feel in the fascia is not in a day, but a period of several months.

6

Fascial Fitness

"Elastic Jumps" For feet, calves and Achilles tendon

With bare feet to jump up slightly.

Jump as silently as possible. Avoid that the foot is flopping flat on the ground or the heel that make a loud noise. The less you hear from your feet, the better the exercise!

You can also vary, jump from side to side, or twist motion.

You will feel that you are confident and controlled in time to catch your weight with toes and forefoot. The trained Achilles and all fascia in the lower leg and feet, the plantar fascia (see Exercise "Bigfoot").

Do not overdo the exercise is - when you get out of breath, you break.

7

Fascial Fitness

Hip and Back of thighs This area is notorious for shortened fascia. There is a simple test: Do not lean forward while standing. Can you now place your palms on the floor without bending your knees? If not, usually the back of the thigh is shortened. Because from the thigh to the sacrum, the connective tissue forms a network, the impact of this shortening is also on the back. This can contribute to back pain, as well as hip joint stiffness. The exercise that you can do to stretch the connective tissue in the posterior thigh and hip area.

8

Fascial Fitness

"Cat Body Stretches" Hip and Thigh

Take a stool or a chair and set it to a wall.

Stand back a few feet and put both hands on the seat. Stand with feet about hip-width apart, arms stretched. The hips over the heels

Bend your knees slowly forward, while pressing the tailbone back and up, like a cat stretches and stretches like the rear end up.

Now let the right buttock rise. Her right knee stretches and the weight is shifted to the left foot. Spread it your right hand and extend your fingers up and forward.

They should also feel an intense stretching sensation in your right.

Relax and repeat the exercise on the left side.

9

Fascial Fitness

Waist, Hips and Thighs Waist and thighs are problem areas, especially in women, since it is here that lumps and dimples frequently developed. Muscle workout is not much of use here, because the problem lies in the lack of elastic resilience of the superficial fascia that runs along the outer thigh to below the knee. In a corresponding genetic predisposition form in this layer visible fat deposits and water retention: the dreaded cellulite. A regular fascial training can result in the tightening of the entire contour of the waist and thighs and decrease in dimples. This is achieved by an increase in elastic stress in the surrounding fascia.

10

Fascial Fitness

"Side Power Stretch" For hips, waist and thighs

Place a stool or a chair against the wall. Hand holds on the edge of the chair sure both legs are stretched.

Bring the whole body in the longest possible extension. Then you start to pull the upper, free arm forward and stretch a bit.

Make sure that your body does not sag toward the ground, correct your posture.

If you have two minutes stretched the arm and therefore the upper side of the body, lift the top leg. Make slight movements so small, upward, forward and backward. Look for smooth motion, so you do not get out of balance.

Set up slowly, then repeat the exercise with the other side.

11

Fascial Fitness

Shoulder and Shoulder Girdle Here, many people have problems - and here lies a very solid, thick fascia, which are connected to the pectoral muscle. It is a system that links the arms to the pelvis. Unilateral pressures - especially office work - often results in pain in the fascial components of the so-called rotator cuff in the shoulder joint. A moving and well-trained shoulder can prevent such complaints. We will show you a simple exercise for the shoulder girdle. Other useful exercises that include back and neck are the Flying Sword, and Cobra Spine. You can find the instructions in the ‘back and neck’ section.

12

Fascial Fitness

"Power Shoulders" For the shoulder girdle

Stand up straight in front of a wall - with one half to one meters apart, depending on how tall you are.

Fall forward against the wall and push the body with both hands .

Repeat six or seven times, then you start to vary - put your hands once diagonally to the left, sometimes inclined to the right.

Overall, at least 30 times push-up from the wall. This exercise also the way the trunk and abdomen.

13

Fascial Fitness

Back and the Lumbar Fascia The thoracolumbar fascia is like a solid sheet above the pelvis below the long erector spinae muscles. It is the largest fascia in the human body and is a centre in the middle of the entire fascial body network. In healthy people, they play an essential support function when one bends forward. Just recently, scientists have shown that injuries, wounds and inflammation in the lumbar fascia may contribute to the non-specific chronic back pain. Then this fascia tends to stick to other layers impaired muscular coordination is the result. So it's good to train and retain an elastic lumbar fascia. Combine with existing back pain exercises, it can help in the metabolism of the fascia, stimulate and heal itself.

14

Fascial Fitness

"Flying Sword" For the back

Take a small water bottle filled or a small 1.5 - pound dumbbell in both hands.

Lift over the head.

Start with slow snake movements in the upper body -so you create the momentum that you need the same.

This snake movement is to be drawn through the abdomen and chest, the thoracic spine to move.

After five or six of these oscillatory motions drop the upper body with swing forward and down - the upper body goes down, with the arms of the bottle to go through the legs pass to the back and then back up over the head.

Swing six to seven times from top to bottom and back again. Then swing even on the sides, left and right, up. Overall, at least 20 times

15

Fascial Fitness

Neck Neck pain is common, also often lead to headaches. No wonder - the neck fascia stretches back over the head up to the eyebrows. Here the fascia of the neck, unlike the shoulders, is very soft. That's what makes the great mobility of the neck and head. In the neck fascia, it is important to maintain their mobility, and to anchor at the same time. In all the exercises around the neck, you should be very gently and slowly.

16

Fascial Fitness

"Cobra Spine" For neck and back

Stand with your knees slightly bent, back, legs about twice hip-width apart. They rely on the hands on the knees, with his thumb out.

Start slowly with snakelike movements - only a forward and backward movement between the shoulder blades and the breastbone. Here, the lumbar remains still, stretched the tailbone long.

Then go to lateral oscillations, send them in larger lateral movements between the arms back and forth, and finally in eight loops and circular movements.

Experiment with different directions, sizes and undulations, making the whole exercise about five minutes.

Finally, the movements can be smaller and finer and sit up slowly.

17

Fascial Fitness

Translated from: Quarks & Co, Faszien-Training, 29.01.2013 http://www.wdr.de/tv/quarks/sendungsbeitraege/2013/0129/flash/flashpopup.jsp

Editor: Claudia Heiss Author: Johanna Bayer Expert advice: Dr. Robert Schleip & Divo Müller

18