NIFS Healthy Living Blog

In an athlete’s world, every fraction of a second and inch of athletic performance are significant for them to play at their best on and off the field. However, being an athlete means consistently searching for innovative ways to elevate your game. This is where fascia training enters the conversation as one of the many ways of improving one’s athletic performance. Fascia training is an emerging topic that holds the promise of unlocking your untapped potential and improving your performance.

In this blog, you willet an introduction to the world of fascia, understand its role within your body, and see how and why fascia training can be what you need to enhance your athletic performance.

What Is Fascia?

Fascia is a connective tissue network that wraps around muscles, bones, and organs, providing structural support, and facilitating movement and proprioception (awareness of the position or movement of a specific part of your body within space). This intricate web of tissue plays a pivotal role in transmitting force and energy throughout the body. For athletes, optimal fascial health can lead to improved agility, explosiveness, and overall performance.

How Are Fascia and Athletic Performance Connected?

Fascia, having elastic properties, stores and releases elastic energy within the body during any movement. Within athletes, well-conditioned fascia can contribute to enhancing power output and efficiency like a coiled spring that can unleash explosive bursts of stored energy, enabling it to reach greater heights. This can make an athlete extremely efficient and powerful in their respective disciplines.

What Are Some Benefits of Fascia Training?

• Improved Elasticity: Fascia training includes techniques that target myofascial release and dynamic stretching, resulting in fascia elasticity maintenance. This specific elasticity translates into more efficient movements, reduced risk of injury, and improved range of motion.
• Enhanced Proprioception: Because proprioception is one of the properties of fascia, a well-conditioned fascial system will result in enhancements in proprioception. This improvement in proprioception will translate well into better balance, coordination, and agility. For example, gymnasts must have well-conditioned fascial systems for improved proprioception because they’re efficiently twisting, flipping, and turning in all directions during competition.
• Injury Prevention: Engaging in fascia-focused exercises can help prevent injuries by maintaining the suppleness and resilience of the fascial network. In turn, this supports joint health and reduces the likelihood of strains and sprains.

How Can I Incorporate Fascia Training into My Daily Routine?

• Dynamic Stretching: Incorporate dynamic stretching such as (but not limited to) high kicks, leg swings, walking lunges, and trunk twists. You will be stimulating the fascial system and promoting its elasticity.
• Myofascial Release: By utilizing foam rollers, massage balls, or any tool to apply pressure to specific areas, you’re releasing tension and improving your blood flow within the fascial network, thus resulting in the system working more efficiently.
• Plyometric Training: Plyometrics typically involves explosive movements that stress and “train” the fascial system within the athlete’s respective discipline(s). Exercises include box jumps, lateral bounds, high skips, and more, all of which have the goal of activating and improving the responsiveness of the fascial system.

Conclusion

Fascia training presents a groundbreaking avenue for athletes to tap into their full potential. By understanding the role of fascia in the body and implementing targeted training techniques, athletes can enhance their performance, reduce the risk of injuries, and elevate their overall athletic prowess. As the science behind fascia continues to evolve, athletes have an exciting opportunity to incorporate this innovative approach into their training arsenal, taking their achievements to new heights on the field, court, track, or wherever their specific discipline/passion lies.

This blog was written by Deveon Martin, NIFS Health Fitness Specialist. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

If you’ve been into fitness for a while, you likely know how important it is to fuel and replenish your body before and after exercise with the proper nutrition. However, you might be uncertain and confused about why, when, and what to eat and drink to optimize your workouts.

Before Exercise

Why: When digested, carbohydrates are turned to glucose, the body’s main energy source. Consuming a moderate-to-high amount of carbohydrates depending on the type, duration, and intensity of exercise will help you maintain consistent energy levels throughout. Additionally, adding a moderate amount of protein to your pre-workout meal or snack can “prime” your muscles and may help prevent muscle breakdown during exercise.

When: Within 1–3 hours of exercise (typically)

What: Moderate to high carbohydrate, moderate protein, fluids

Examples: Apple or toast (carb) with peanut butter (protein), Greek yogurt (protein) with berries and/or granola (carb), string cheese (protein) and crackers (carb), etc.

What NOT: Avoid fatty/greasy/fried, spicy, and fibrous foods because they may cause stomach upset during exercise.

After Exercise

Why: After exercise, you must replenish the carbohydrates used for energy and consume plenty of protein to aid in muscle repair. The more energy you use during exercise, the more carbohydrates you will want to replace. Similarly, the harder you work your muscles, the greater strain you put on them, the more protein you will want to consume to aid in recovery.

When: Within 1 hour of exercise (typically).

What: Moderate carbohydrate, moderate to high protein, fluids

Examples: toast (carb) with tuna, chicken salad, or eggs (protein); Greek yogurt or chocolate milk (protein) with fruit (carb), turkey lunch meat (protein) with veggies and dip (carb), protein shake/bar

All in all, the timing and amount of food required to properly fuel and replenish your body before and after exercise is highly dependent on the individual, the type of exercise being performed, and the individual’s goals. Speak with a registered dietitian to better understand your individualized nutrition needs.

This blog was written by Lindsey Recker, MS, Registered Dietitian. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.