Table of Contents
Foreword Klaus Eder 6
Foreword to the revised 2018 edition Robert Schleip 10
Introduction: Why you need to exercise your fascia 15
A journey into the undiscovered world of fascia 20
Chapter 1 Fascia And Connective tissue - what are they? 23
Fresh fascia 24
The basic building block with many functions 25
The components of fascia 26
Types and functions of connective tissue 30
A new way of looking at the body 32
The four basic functions of fascia 33
Severing ties with invasive surgery 35
High performance: fascia and the musculoskeletal system 36
Information centres: fascia as a sensory organ 39
An unusual case: Ion Waterman the man who couldn't feel his body 42
The science of fascia 43
Fascial pioneers: Alfred Pischinger and his system of basic regulation 44
Fascial pioneers: Elisabeth Dicke and connective tissue massage 46
Fascial pioneers: Ida Rolf, founder of Rolfing therapy and structural integration 49
Fascial pioneers: Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathy 51
New perspectives on back pain - the suffering we share 53
Chapter 2 The Principles Of fascia training 57
Healthy movement in everyday life 58
What you need to know before you train 60
How the muscles and fascia work together 61
Fascial lines and the tension network 67
How does connective tissue respond to training? 78
Everything you need to know about fascia training 85
Not an automatic process: muscle and fascia training 87
Stretching and training: what fascia needs 88
The four dimensions of fascia training 102
Before we begin: which tissue type are you? 113
Tests to determine types of connective tissue 120
Chapter 3 The exercises 131
What do you need? 133
Clothing and shoes 136
Things to consider before you begin 136
Your guide: the four dimensions of fascia training 138
Mindful breathing to support your training 140
The basic program 142
Exercises for problem areas: back, neck, arms, hips and feet 156
A short program for back problems 157
Office pains: problems in the neck, arms and shoulders 168
The hip area 176
For the feet and gait 183
For Vikings, contortionists and crossover types 191
Vikings with firm connective tissue 192
Contortionists with soft connective tissue 195
Crossover types 197
Different exercises for men and women 199
Exercises and tips for women 200
Exercises and tips for men 204
Exercises for athletes 210
Sport-specific fascial care 211
Self-help for muscle soreness 212
Balancing exercises for runners 217
Tips for cyclists 220
Everyday life as an exercise: making your move merits more creative 221
Guidelines for the elderly 225
Chapter 4 Fascia, physiotherapy and gentle methods of recovery 229
Yoga then and now 231
Classic massage and manual therapy 236
Acupuncture 237
Rolfing therapy 238
Osteopathy 239
Pilates 241
In check: new fascial trends 242
Chapter 5 Fascsal fitness: healthy eating and lifestyle 253
Maintaining a healthy weight 254
No smoking! 254
Staying hydrated 255
Getting enough protein 256
Vitamin C for collagen 257
Zinc, copper, magnesium and potassium for fitness 257
Getting enough sleep 259
From silica to gelatine - what supplements should we betaking? 259
The great sugar debate 262
Inflammation and fascia 263
Tips from me to you 265
Chapter 6 Periodised fascia training for speed, power and injury resilience Bill Parisi Johnathon Allen 267
Fascia training 101 270
Vector variability 272
Odd position strength 274
Power and speed 275
Speed, agility and quickness 277
Rest and recovery 278
References 280
The Future is fascial 283
Appendix About the authors 286
Further reading, additional links and recommended suppliers 288
Photo credits 289
Overview of exercises 290
Index 292
