The Fascia-Fitness Connection

In the fall of 2024, self-confessed gym “meathead” Danny King was prepping for two demanding physical competitions at once: a 30-plus-mile trail run and a hybrid fitness event. But a few weeks into training, his fitness began moving in the wrong direction.

“I was overloading volume and breaking every principle,” confesses King, a master trainer and Life Time’s director of performance and recovery. “I was exhausted. I was in pain.”

Worried that he might have to drop out of one or both events, King made a last-ditch effort to stay on course. He doubled down on recovery, dialing in his sleep and nutrition.

And he made the game-changing decision to focus on his fascia — the flexible connective tissue that surrounds and interweaves the muscles, bones, joints, and organs.

As one of the creators of Life Time’s Dynamic Stretch program, King knows that fascial densification, a condition in which the body’s connective tissues become thick and sticky, can restrict mobility, impede range of motion, and cause excess soreness and pain. Over time, densification can lead to movement aberrations, nerve entrapment, circulatory restriction, and autonomic dysfunction.

Keeping fascial tissues well lubricated, on the other hand, is powerfully beneficial. Flexible fascia supports the smooth, synergistic operation of the body’s seemingly disparate parts.

And so, several times a week, King did some foam rolling — one of the most accessible and best-known treatments for supporting fascia. He positioned himself atop a dense foam cylinder and rolled his sore muscles across it.

A few sessions in, the tight tissues loosened and the pain subsided. “I went from being miserable to feeling pretty good,” King says.

Before long, he was up on his feet again, and, in November, he finished his competitions — within a few weeks of each other — and was proud of both efforts.

Paying attention to his fascia spelled the difference between sitting on the sidelines and doing what he loved most: training, competing, and staying active.

“I tell my clients all the time about the importance of fascia in health and performance,” he says. “It was humbling to have forgotten about it myself!”

In the last dozen years, fascia has become a fitness buzzword. Articles, books, and workouts have mushroomed, with advice on lubricating, loosening, or stretching this mysterious tissue. Academic interest has surged too.

That’s a big change for a humble anatomical tissue that, until recently, much of the medical community dismissed as packing material.

“Anatomists for hundreds of years have been kind of just cutting away fascia when dissecting models, believing that it’s worthless tissue,” says Ryan Harvey, DC, DACNB, a chiropractor and functional neurologist who specializes in myofascial therapy. “In fact, it’s a body-wide tensional support system.”

Researchers are discovering that this ubiquitous tissue plays a key role in more than just your fitness activities. It’s involved in nearly everything you do: moving your body, fighting disease, and sensing (and making sense of) the world around you. Keeping your fascia healthy doesn’t just elevate your gym game, as it did for King. It elevates your life.

Fascia’s Many Functions

As fascia research has accelerated in recent years, intriguing revelations about its role have come to light.

According to a 2024 review published in Frontiers in Neurology, fascia may be “the moderating interface between many tissue types in the musculoskeletal, endocrine, and autonomic nervous systems.” It is estimated to host more than 250 million nerve endings — 25 percent more than in skin, in fact, and 1,000 percent more than the collective innervation of muscle.

“Fascia could be the richest sensory organ in the body,” Harvey says.

As such, the study authors report, “fascial integrity is paramount to movement; bodily sense; hormonal, autonomic, and neurovascular regulation; and purposeful interaction with our environment.”

Fascia regulates posture, strength generation, proprioception, exteroception, and interoception, as well as lymphatic efficacy, thermoregulation, inflammatory and immune responses, wound healing, and hormonal production and secretion. It plays a role in controlling blood pressure and increasing blood flow to the heart and central nervous system during times of stress.

According to the study, fascia also contributes to the release and function of neurotransmitters. Namely, it is involved in the transmission of serotonin, which affects mood, sleep, appetite, digestion, and immune function; dopamine, which helps regulate muscular movement as well as motivation; gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which supports relaxation and sleep; and acetylcholine, which plays a role in movement and memory.

The researchers examined the role that fascia plays in disease develop­ment: “Given its ubiquity, fascia may serve as a ‘watchman,’ receiving and processing information on whole-body health.”

Notably, the study reports, “fascia is constantly evolving.”

Why then, if it plays such a critical role in so many systems, was fascia overlooked for so long?

One reason may be that, unlike the heart or liver, fascia lacks discrete boundaries, a primary function, and a consistent form. A recent scientific report suggests that while researchers have yet to agree on a comprehensive definition of fascia, they do agree on its location. “Fascia covers every structure of the body, creating a structural continuity that gives form and function to every tissue and organ.”

That runs counter to the conventional anatomical understanding that views the body in separate parts. Indeed, many gym-goers look at fascia in relation to a specific area or limb.

Take, for instance, plantar fasciitis. An injury to the thick, fascial tissue that runs from our heels to our toes, PF is often treated by hyperfocusing on the feet or lower legs. But fascia is a multilayered system that is best understood — and treated — holistically. Pain in the feet can stem from stress further up the kinetic chain, such as in the knees, hips, or spine.

Fascia surrounds, supports, and protects every nerve, muscle, blood vessel, and organ in the body. It simultaneously depends on and affects the rest of the body’s systems. And it’s never too late to start taking better care of it.

Movement Facilitator

According to Thomas Myers, a bodyworker, biomechanist, and fascial expert who created the online learning platform Anatomy Trains, “understanding fascia is essential to the dance between stability and movement — crucial in high performance, central in recovery from injury and disability, and ever-present in our daily life from our embryological beginnings to the last breath we take.”

Fascial tissue is present inside and outside of every muscle, it links disparate muscles into groups, and it ultimately connects muscles across the body. Fascia is so critical to movement that researchers largely agree on a simple yet powerful idea: Anatomically and functionally, the division between muscles and fascia is an artificial one.

Muscles and fascia are interwoven, forming bungee-cord-like “chains” throughout the body, Harvey explains. These chains intersect and overlay one another, from your head to your toes. One runs from your scalp down your back and legs to the soles of your feet. Another crosses the front of your torso, connecting each shoulder to the opposite hip.

Researchers and trainers categorize and label these chains in subtly different ways — you might hear them referred to as myofascial chains, trains, lines, slings, or subsystems.

But more important than naming conventions is function. These chains stabilize, support, and amplify organic, whole-body movement. “Fascia helps equally distribute force throughout the body as you move,” says Harvey.

This is one reason why springy, reciprocal movements like walking, running, lunging, and throwing feel so natural and athletic: The fascial system is literally built for them.

Movement, in turn, exposes fascia to hyaluronic acid, a gooey, superhydrating polymer that facilitates a smooth, comfortable gliding action in and around your joints, muscles, and connective tissues.

The result, according to Harvey, is a “virtuous cycle” in which movement stimulates healthy fascia and fascia facilitates healthy movement.

Sensory Superconductor

Fascia is a supporter and amplifier of movement, but it also plays an important role in full-body sensation.

“The sensory side of fascia is really, really misunderstood,” says Harvey. Not only is fascia highly innervated, but it also houses muscle spindles — specialized receptors that detect changes in the length of muscles and impart crucial, moment-to-moment information to your brain about your body’s position in space.

Given this proliferation of sensory receptors, he explains, “muscular pain may not really be muscular pain. The sensation is probably coming from your fascia.”

This abundance of sensory receptors throughout fascia gives the tissue an outsize role in proprioception — your sense of where you are in space — a little-appreciated aspect of both day-to-day functioning and fitness.

Refined proprioception is what allows you to catch a Frisbee without falling, type an email without looking at your keyboard, and climb stairs without staring at your feet. People with limited or impaired proprioception have trouble manipulating everyday objects and are often at increased risk of tripping or falling.

If you improve the health of your fascia, Harvey continues, you can increase the clarity and accuracy of the sensory information flowing through your nervous system. This is why he believes treatment of the fascia should be foundational to treatment of neurological conditions: It’s the communications system through which your body talks to your brain.

“Fascia can be a neurological lever,” he says. “It’s a portal through which we can change your brain activity by improving your bodily awareness.”

Immunity Booster

Fascia’s part in your day-to-day health may be its least understood role at present. What we do know is that it provides a framework for the lymphatic system and supports the immune system.

“The lymphatic system is the garbage disposal system of the body,” explains Daniel Fenster, DC, clinic director of Complete Wellness in New York City and author of Free Your Fascia.

The lymphatic system is embedded within the fascia. It consists of a network of nodes and ducts that circulate protein-rich lymphatic fluid throughout your body.

Crucial to the effectiveness of this life-supporting system are specialized pro-resolving mediators, which fight inflammation and repair damaged tissue. Acting like a miniature clean­ing crew, lymphatic fluid collects viruses, bacteria, and other harmful substances from your body tissues, neutralizes them, and shuttles their remnants to your circulatory system for removal.

Unlike the circulatory system, however, which is powered by the rhythmic contractions of your heart, the lymphatic system has no centralized pump. It relies instead on day-to-day movement — regular, vigorous squeezing and stretching of your fascia and interwoven muscles — to circulate lymphatic fluid and rid the system of invasive bodies. The more you move, the deeper and more thorough the cleaning. This is a literal reason why movement is medicine.

A study published in 2018 offered remarkable evidence for this mechanism in mice who were injected with breast-cancer cells; researchers found that a rudimentary stretching routine seemed to slow cancer growth. Such a program may not be as effective in humans, but it does point to a strong link between immunity and fascia-stimulating movement.

One way or another, says Fenster, “When the lymph system is well-hydrated and slides easily upon itself, then lymphatic drainage functions well and gets rid of infiltrators.”

Fascia in Action

If our fascia is an overlooked regulator of so many foundational aspects of wellness, how do we take better care of it? What can we do to improve its pliability and resilience so that it can fill its many functions effectively?

At first glance, the answer appears to be simple: “Take a look at the list of activities that are said to improve fascial health,” King says. “Hydration, stretching, stress reduction, deep breathing. It sounds a lot like regular training.”

Still, he adds, the new science of fascia can help us home in on exactly the types of movement and self-care we should do regularly. What follows are six considerations to make your routine more fascia friendly.

1) KEEP MOVING.

You’ve heard that sitting is hard on the body. Too much of it may increase your risk of developing chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Sitting can also affect your fascia. When you’re seated for long periods, the tissues at the front of your hips, where the muscles are shortened, tighten excessively, while those in your midback, where the muscles are extended, thicken and lose elasticity.

Research suggests that, over a period of several minutes to several days, fascia doesn’t just stiffen passively but shortens and contracts actively, like muscle tissue moving in slow motion. Over time, it can feel as if you’re wearing a skintight suit with kinks in your hips, shoulders, ankles, and spine — the very places you want your body to move freely. Sit for a few hours on occasion and it’s no big deal; a few stretches can unkink you in a couple of minutes. Stay seated for hours a day for weeks on end, and your fascia becomes tougher to stretch out.

So don’t get stuck in a sitting position — or any position — for too long. If you work a desk job, move around: Use a standing desk or walking pad, toggle between a standing desk and a sitting desk, or take breaks to stand and move for a couple of minutes every hour.

2. MIX IT UP.

Repeating the same movement over and over — even a beneficial one — can have many of the same effects as staying sedentary. “With repeated asymmetrical movement, you often see tightness from one shoulder to the opposite hip,” says Harvey.

Think of pickleball, tennis, and boxing: These activities force the torso to rotate primarily in one direction and much less in the other.

Even repetitive movements that are generally symmetrical — say, strength training — can cause the fascia to thicken and shorten in ways that can limit movement. Pushups, for example, can lead to stiffness of the fascia across the upper chest. So, if you do a lot of pushing movements, add some pulling to the mix. If you run, also swim. Yoga, tai chi, and primal workouts can encourage you to rotate, twist, and bend to the side. Variety irons out imbalances.

3) GO GLOBAL.

Single-joint isolation exercises — think dumbbell curls and lateral raises — build muscle and strength. But they don’t take full advantage of the power and efficiency of your myofascial system. Make your gym workouts more fascia focused by adding an upper-body component to a lower-body move (a reach to a lunge, or a press to a squat) or a rotation to an upper-body move (turning your upper body while performing standing curls or presses).

4) BOUNCE.

You’ve likely been warned not to bounce when you stretch. When you’re doing your deepest lunge in a yoga class, this is good advice: At their most extreme lengths, muscles and connective tissue are vulnerable.

But moving in and out of a gentle stretch — a technique known as dynamic stretching, which includes arm circles, forward kicks, and straight-leg walks, for example — could be one of the best things you can do for your fascia, says King. Up-and-down movements like jumping jacks, pogo hops, jumping rope, plyometrics, and bouncing on a mini trampoline have a similar effect: You’ll warm and hydrate all the nooks and crannies along your fascial lines.

5) WORK YOUR TISSUE.

We’ve long known that massage feels good. But what exactly it does to our tissues is an open question. One possibility is that compressing a muscle encourages the adhesions in your fascia to relax, explains Harvey.

It’s also a simple way to circulate some key fluids, like hyaluronic acid and lymph, he adds. When you press on a muscle, you force fluid out of the tissue, much like squeezing a sponge. As the muscle resumes its normal shape, fresh fluids rush in, hyd­rating and loosening the tissues.

In addition to massage, consider trying other bodywork techniques, like Rolfing; healing modal­ities, like cupping and acupuncture; and self-myofascial release, using foam rollers, massage guns, or even a tennis ball.

6) GET CREATIVE.

Spend at least a few minutes of every workout doing something “unregulated,” advises King. So much of our workout time is spent “in the box” — perfect alignment,  90-degree angles, an activated core, and squeezed glutes — that we may forget our bodies can make an almost infinite number of shapes, with endless variations of speed and force. These may be light and slow while performing tai chi, strong and grinding during a max-effort deadlift, or powerful and explosive when jumping onto a box.

“Maybe the best thing you can do for your fascia is dance,” King suggests. Move improvisationally, in many directions, at different speeds and levels of effort. Even when you’re a complete amateur, dancing encourages you to do what feels good — which is, quite often, exactly what your fascia needs.

This originally appeared as “The Fascia Fitness Connection” in the November/December 2025 issue of Experience Life. Illustration: Alex Williamson.