Fascial Fitness

- training the fascia for maximum

bounce and minimum injury
with Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains
in partnership with Dr Robert Schleip, Ph. D.
and courtesy of Ben Benjamin

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 But is this the fascial
system? The fibrous
body?
No - this is the muscular
system.
This is only one of the
many elements of Spatial
Medicine.

Fascial system Neuro-muscular

Patterns

Symptoms
Skeletal system
Movement strategy

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 What is fascia?

When a doctor says ‘fascia’, what she means is:

Certain layers and sheets of biological fabric
(Like the thoracolumbar fascia or plantar fascia)

When we say ‘fascia’ what we mean is:

The entire ExtraCellular Matrix (ECM)
(plus the cells that create and maintain it)
i.e. everything in your body that isn’t a cell
= the environment your cells live in

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 New terminology:
Fascia = all collagenous soft connective tissues

Epimysium &
aponeuroses

Superficial & deep fascia

Perimysium & septi

Endomysium

Connective tissue / Fascia All connective

has four components: tissues - from
blood to bone -
• Cells (fibroblasts, mast cells) combine these
four elements in
• Water (bound and unbound) different
• Fibers (collagen, elastin, reticulin) proportions.
• Ground substance (GAGs and mucopolysaccharides like
heparin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, fibronectin)

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Sponge-like property of fascia

• The majority of the

volume of fascial tissues
consists of water.

• Most of that water is not

‚free water‘, but ‚bound
water‘ in which the water
molecules are oriented
like a ‚liquid crystal‘ in an
orderly fashion along the
surface of sugar-protein
fibrils within the ground
substance.

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Viscoelastic properties
Elastic springs coupled with viscous dampers.

Not only arranged in parallel (as shown here)

but also in series.

For elastic properties: amount of strain most important

For viscous properties: velocity of load application most important

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 Healthy fascia: unrestricted sliding mobility between two lowest membraneous
layers of superficial fascia. High density of proprioceptive receptors in this sliding
zone.

Fascial adhesions
propagated by immobility, inflammation or microinjuries due to overloading

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 ‘Locked long’
- eccentrically loaded

Lattice arrangement: a sign of healthy fascia. Allows for maximum elongation

without tissue rupture. Loss of that high elastic resilience occurs due to
mechanical tearing, to inflammation, or due to non-usage.

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Fascia = the extracellular matrix

(ECM) plus the cells that create it

Myofascia = muscle and fascia

biomechanically linked together =
endomysium, perimysium, and epimysium

Anatomy Trains = Common force

transmission pathways through the
myofascia

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Sense of „youthfulness“
linked with elastic recoil
properties

They are commonly associated

in internal as well as in external
perception

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How to build a fascial body

• Stretch loading, with multiple vectorial variations

Preference for loading around end range of available motion (stretch)
with differently moderated force amplitudes & directions

Out: Repetition of exactly same vectorial loading directions

In: Multiple variations of loading vectors.
Stretch loading with active as well as relaxed muscle participation.

Scott Sonnon www.rmaxinternational.com www.waterrower.de

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 The hallmark of top athletes

They utilize active pre-stretch

of longer myofascial slings

Modified by S.Gracovetsky

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How to build a fascial body

• Strong emphasis on proprioception.

Cultivation of body awareness, refinement, mindfulness

Out: ‘No pain no gain’ attitude.

In: Cultivation of sensuous body perception with high level of

kinesthetic acuity (as in Pilates, Iyengar Yoga, etc.)

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The new Fascial Fitness DVD -
one of many tools for
Text
bodyworkers and movement
teachers at:
www.AnatomyTrains.com

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 Thanks for tuning in!
Books:
• Anatomy Trains
• Fascial Release for Structural Balance
• Structural Integration

DVD’s:
• Soft-Tissue Technique
• BodyReading
• Fascial dissection video atlas
• Primal Pictures 3D Anatomy DVD-ROM
• NEW! Fascial Fitness DVD

‘Afascianados’, please join us on:

www.AnatomyTrains.com
or our Anatomy Trains Facebook page.

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