The reason why you can’t sprint faster and keep getting injured ? Myofascial stretch

Many cyclists struggle to be fast and explosive enough on their sprints to perform at their true peak. Many lifters struggle to lift their weights explosively hindering their ability to drive to their PBs.

I get the craziest looks from clients who ask me why they cannot sprint as fast as they’d like on the bike or running or why they keep getting injured and I suggest that they need to add myofascial stretching into their routine. Whaaa??

This is because athletic performance and indeed injury can be directly related to the integrity of fascia in the body or more technically speaking the myofascial structures of our body. MYO- meaning muscle and FASCIA meaning the connective tissue that surrounds every single muscle fibre in your body. Literally connecting, communicating movement and energy from your fingers all the way to your toes.

Just like when you have a messy house. You can see it being untidy but until you actually get around to tidying it up it’s going to remain messy no matter how much you want it to be tidy. This is about taking action and getting it done.

Same way, many of us feel restricted in when we train or move within our basic movement patterns. Consequently we often label ourselves as ‘not fast’ or ‘not strong enough to lift that weight’ but actually many times this really is our mind checking out on us and it’s quite simply, not true at all. We know we feel restricted and yes we know we need to stretch and that our level of flexibility is really not there, but we keep neglecting that essential part of our routine. I can tell you honestly that more we neglect stretching properly the more it will catch up with us later down the line. This is all about taking action ASAP

How do I know? Because I’ve been there, done that AND got the tshirt. 😩😉

The element I see many clients omit is any decent stretching in their routine. I will make this clear one more time. You might forget to do your stretching- your body however, will definitely not forget that you omitted it. It will put it on back pay and add interest to that account. I suggest this because I’ve seen many clients over my time that have been injured or are hindered in their performance simply due to the fact that they continue to neglect stretching heir body properly despite knowing that it’s super important.

So what’s the best way for someone that sucks at stretching or really doesn’t like doing it? The most efficient way to stretch on this regard is to learn how to self myofascial stretch. Although flexibility improvements do take time, Undoubtedly this is the quickest way to maximise the benefits of the stretch without having to commit to a million yoga classes per week. The poses are typically held for between 30-60s but they are intense enough for you to feel benefit from them almost immediately.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can bring self myofascial stretch into your routine ask me about my 1-2-1 stretch sessions or come and check my stretch class out every Friday at 11am, Balgowlah Fitness First.