Fascia: what is it, how do you train it, and why bother?

If you’ve dealt with stiffness and pain in the recent past, you may have come across fascia training — an approach that many in the fitness are encouraging people to do. That means working to improve the health of your fascia, a web of connective tissue that holds the body’s organs, muscles, bones and tissues in place…

Stretching from head to toe, the fascial network also gives the body its shape, much like a sheet of plastic wrap or those fine, white fibers that bind and mold the inside of an orange.
Fascia can shorten, stiffen and develop adhesions from repetitive movements like running or swinging a racquet.
Fascia can also become tight and painful from inactivity, such as sitting at a desk all day or spending hours scrolling through your smartphone.

Training your fascial tissue

Working to loosen tight, knotty fascia is the basis for fascia training, and it can help most people. Perhaps the best-known method of fascia training is fascial release, in which pressure is placed on the restricted tissue via a massage, foam roller or ball.
Slow, dynamic stretching — in which you’re moving rather than holding a position — is also a good way to improve fascial health.

Incorporating just a few minutes of bouncing, foam rolling and stretching into your exercise regimen is definitely valuable.

Another option to help keep your body loose and pain-free is to visit a physiotherapist. A physiotherapist can assess your movement patterns to see if you have any limitations, then prescribe exercises and possibly perform manual treatments.

Don’t forget to listen to your body, too. Your body is intuitive. So, move in a way that feels good. That sounds very boring, and it’s not a great soundbite, but it’s the truth.

Here some release exercises, for your back, neck, legs and shoulders.
If you do the stretching and you feel pain, stop immediately if you experience pain.