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South Africa, March 2017 - just a few days until the start of the Cape Epic. Instead of spending hours in the saddle doing intervals, Olympic champion Jenny Rissveds prefers to put her feet up. Not quite, because in the evenings the 22-year-old Swede grabs a fascia roller and reels off her standard programme. "Training with the roller is important for me. The sides of my thighs in particular pinch, but my calves weren't painful right from the start," says Rissveds, who always takes her roller with her when travelling. But it's not just professional athletes who use the hard foam tools for self-massage; the topic has long since reached the masses. Daniel Hofbauer, a trainer at the Fürstenfeldbruck Sports School, is also an advocate of fascia training. He has been encouraging patients and athletes for years to use hard foam rollers and balls to massage the muscle sheaths smoothly. Other reasons why there are more and more "Blackroll disciples": The rollers are inexpensive, you can teach yourself how to use them and you can do the training anywhere and at any time. The effect: if you keep at it and roll regularly, you become more flexible, can prevent pain, speed up regeneration and thus increase your performance.
Training aids for mountain bikers:
Exercises with fascia rollers and balls are part of everyday training for MTB pros like Jenny Rissveds. We show you the six best for mountain bikers.
What you should know about fascia and training options:
Fasciae
The connective tissue structures run through the entire body. They envelop muscles and hold them together. You can think of fasciae like the white skin of oranges. The training aims to mechanically work on and loosen adhered or hardened areas of the superficial fascia.
Hardness
Instead of expensive rigid foam rollers, you could just as easily use a rolling pin or a PVC pipe from the DIY store. The rollers are available in different hardnesses. Beginners should start with "soft" ones. After a few sessions, they will no longer provide the desired stimulation and you will need a hard roller.
Moulds
The hard foam tools are available in various shapes and sizes. The large castors have the widest range of applications. The mini rollers are suitable for travelling. Grooved shapes or nubs support the massage effect.
Caution
Basically, anyone in good health can get started with fascia training. There's not much you can do wrong. However, people with muscle or tendon injuries, pregnant women and people with venous disorders should consult their doctor or physio beforehand.
Rollers & balls
The brand name Blackroll is often used as a synonym for the fascia roll. The Swiss have a huge range of products as well as an informative website with exercises and background knowledge. There are also many other suppliers such as Triggerpoint or Sport Thieme. Price: 10-30 euros >> available here.
With vibration
Rollers with a vibrating core are not a marketing tool, they make sense - but they are expensive. The vibrations penetrate deeper into the muscles and rolling is often less painful. Products include the Inoroll fascia (180 euros) or the Blackroll Booster (220 euros).
Flossing tapes
Flossing is a relatively new form of fascia training. It is also suitable for self-therapy. It involves applying compression bandages with elastic bands for a maximum of two minutes to mechanically stimulate the tissue. It is often a perfect complement to roller training as it increases blood circulation and stimulates the lymphatic system.
Interview with Daniel Hofbauer, A-Trainer DOSB:
"Keep at it! After 12-15 sessions, the pain level becomes bearable."
Is fascia training only for professionals?
Absolutely not. We have been using roller training and flossing (compression using wide elastic bands) at the sports school for years. This helps prevent imbalances and makes you more flexible - the perfect complement to traditional strength training. You can also achieve good results after accidents or operations.
How can cyclists in particular benefit from this?
The stooped posture on the bike and the pronounced leg muscles can cause imbalances. Self-therapy can be used to effectively and quickly release adhesions. Roller training can also be used after hard training sessions or long tours. It then helps to boost regeneration.
What advice do you have for beginners?
The pain is often a deterrent at first, but this subsides after 12-15 sessions - so keep at it! There's not much you can do wrong.
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