Fascial Fitness, Second Edition Practical Exercises to Stay Flexible, Active and Pain Free in Just 20 Minutes a Week

A bestseller (over 80,000 copies sold) in a second, updated edition. Learn fascial exercises to improve mobility and flexibility, avoid and treat pain, and improve sports performance.

In this second edition of his best-selling guide to fascial fitness, fascia researcher and Rolfing therapist Dr. Robert Schleip shows you a series of practical exercises that you can easily build into your day-to-day routine. He introduces the most recent scientific findings from the world of fascial research, and explains which methods and equipment are most effective for fascial health (as well as which ones do more harm than good!). These new findings are already changing the shape of physiotherapy and the methods of treatment and recovery we use today, and will continue to do so in the future.

Physiotherapists, sports scientists, and doctors agree that if we want to stay flexible, energetic and pain-free in our day-to-day lives and sporting pursuits, we need to look after our connective tissue - our 'fascia'. There has been a great deal of research into this over the last few years, all of which shows that the fascia around our muscles plays a huge role in keeping us fit, healthy, flexible, and feeling good. This versatile tissue transfers energy to the muscles, communicates with the nervous system, acts as a sensory organ, helps to protect and regenerate our internal organs, and provides the foundations for a healthy physique. We used to think it was our muscles doing all the work, but now we know the connective tissue plays a big part, too. It responds to stress and other stimuli, and when it gets matted or sticks together, it can cause pain and mobility problems. That's why it's so important to train our fascia - and just 10 minutes, twice a week is all it takes!

ROBERT SCHLEIP is one of the leading fascia researchers worldwide. He holds a doctorate in human biology and is a certified Rolfing practitioner and psychologist. As a scientist at the University of Ulm, he leads the fascia research group, and also works as a manual Rolfing therapist at his own private practice. In a teaching capacity, he gives lectures on physiotherapy, osteopathy and exercise science. He collaborates with scientists and therapists in a global network of research concerning connective tissue. JOHANNA BAYER is a science journalist and writer for television broadcasting at major German television channels ARD, WDR and Arte, and also for consumer magazines. She regularly writes about medical topics, including muscles and mobility, neuroscience and anthropology, as well as nutrition, which is the subject of her multi-award-winning blog "Quark und so". Since 2009, she has been involved in researching fascia and its implications for training, everyday life and the treatment of pain, and has reported on these issues in television programmes and news articles. BILL PARISI is the founder and CEO of the Parisi Speed School franchise and author of Fascia Training: A Whole-System Approach. With an international team of coaches and facilities in more than 100 locations worldwide, the Parisi Speed School has trained more than 650,000 athletes between the ages of 7 and 18 and produced first-round draft picks in every professional sport--including more than 145 NFL draft picks--and a host of Olympic medalists and champion UFC fighters. JOHNATHON ALLEN is a writer/photographer and co-author of Fascia Training: A Whole-System Approach. His work has appeared in Bicycling, Outside, Adventure Journal, Decline, and other publications. He is also author of the nonfiction books Ray's and Doppelganger Effect.