Do you know this feeling: your muscles are stiff again, your neck is tense and your mobility isn't looking so good? This could be due to stuck fascia.
To explain: Fascia tissue is a tissue that contains collagen and surrounds the muscles, among other things. If you don't move enough, overexert yourself, or train one-sidedly or incorrectly, this tissue suffers. This can be the cause of tension, sore muscles, back, neck and joint pain, and even unsightly dimples and cellulite.
In this blog post you will learn how to use the fascia roller for the greatest possible effect and what it can do.
Simply roll away tension, muscle pain & weak connective tissue
An effective solution to make your tissue supple again and to loosen stuck fascia is to train with a fascia roller. The rolling movement distributes fluid into fascia layers that are too dry, which stimulates the metabolism in the connective tissue.
With the correct use of the fascia roller, you can also simply roll away tension in the neck and back area. You can imagine training with the versatile roller as a kind of self-massage. The rolling movement, as the name suggests, rolls out the fascia, and the muscles and fascia are massaged and activated. This makes them elastic and supple again.
Many women and men also suffer from weak connective tissue. When we do fitness training, we train our abdominal and arm muscles, our legs and our back; however, our connective tissue is often neglected. The result: unsightly dents on the thighs and bottom. The fascia roller is also used here. Myofascial adhesions and tension are dissolved by the movement on the roller and our connective tissue is thus stimulated.
Five reasons why you should integrate fascia training into your workout
The fascia roller brings deep relaxation to your muscles and massages your connective tissue. This ensures a firmer appearance and increases your body's performance. In addition, it offers a number of other advantages.
1. Release tension
Researchers have discovered that stuck fascia is often the cause of tension in the shoulders, neck and back. You can relieve this tension by massaging yourself with the fascia roller.
Quick tip for relieving neck tension: If you suffer from neck tension, training with the fascia roller is just right for you. Stand against a wall with your roller, legs hip-width apart. Place the roller between your neck and the wall. Now slowly turn your head from right to left about eight to 12 times.
2. Train and stimulate connective tissue
If you suffer from unsightly dimples on your bottom and thighs, the fascia roller will become your best friend, because stronger connective tissue means less cellulite. In a firmer and more elastic structure of trained connective tissue, water retention and fat deposits are less visible.
Quick tip for training connective tissue: To treat unsightly dents on the back of your leg, place the fascia roller under your thigh, with the other leg bent on the floor. Place your hands behind your back. Now slowly slide your thigh over the roller.
3. More mobility
Through targeted exercises with the fascia roller you can also train your mobility, because your fascia is responsible for, among other things, supple muscles and lymph flow. And supple muscles mean better mobility.
Quick tip for mobilizing the hip joint: Those who sit a lot in everyday life, which most of us probably do, should do targeted exercises to mobilize certain parts of the body. This exercise mobilizes your hip joint. To do this, lie on your stomach with your groin on the fascia roll and lift one leg slightly. The tips of the other foot lightly touch the floor. This tilts the pelvis and makes very small and light movements over the hip joint. Change legs occasionally. Support yourself on the floor with your forearms during the exercise.
4. Strong back
Back pain is often the result of stuck and hardened fascia. This can then also trigger other problems, such as tension headaches. By training with the fascia roller, you strengthen your back, making it less susceptible to tension.
Quick tip for strengthening your back: First sit on your fascia roll and support yourself with both hands behind you. Then slowly roll over the roll while lying on your back. Start at your tailbone and then slowly roll up to your shoulder blades. Make sure that your stomach is tense and firm. If you feel like your neck can't hold your head, support it with both hands. You can also fold your arms over your chest.
5. Relaxed muscles
You can do fascia training before your workout to stretch and loosen up, or after a sweaty workout to regenerate your muscles. Targeted exercises with the roller are like a relaxing massage for your muscles, allowing them to loosen up and release tension.
Quick tip to relax the side leg muscles: Assume a side plank position and support yourself with your forearm on the floor. The elbow should be positioned exactly under the shoulder joint. Now place your fascia roller under your side thigh. Bring the upper leg bent over the leg that is laid down in front of you on the mat. Now roll the side thigh up and down almost to the knee about eight to 12 times.
