EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THE MUSCLE IS WRONG!!

It took a while for technology to catch up with fascia theory, but by 2007, researchers were able to thread ultrasound sensors into living humans to watch what happens in real time when, for instance, a weightlifter explodes upward from a squat. "In the classical model, you'd expect the muscle fibers to shorten, the calf muscles to pull on the Achilles tendons, and the fascia to remain passive," Myers explains. "But the fascia actually recoils, allowing you to use far more of the force you generate than would be otherwise possible." That's why when you rifle a fastball, the size of your muscles is rarely the most important factor. You want to lengthen your range of rubbery, fascia motion to develop better recoil. For example, take Tim Lincecum, the 5'11", 170-pound all-star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. It's likely his ability to maximize fascial recoil that allows him to hurl a baseball at has traveled to the U.K. to present his latest findings. Recently, Schleip made a startling discovery: Fascia isn't just a bunch of rubbery cables, but actually sensory organs packed upwards of 100 mph, despite his relatively slight build.


"For many people, fitness is still all about lifting weights to build bulk," Myers says. "But what does that make you fit for? I'd argue that this . . ." -- he taps a key on his laptop and brings up a slide -- "is a much more physically fit human than a bodybuilder is." On the screen is a photo of a baby boy rolling on his back, blissfully drinking a bottle that he holds with his feet. Cute, sure; but more important, the little nipper is limber, balanced, and able to match impulse with action. "You are fit if you can adapt to the demands of your environment with ease and imagination," Myers says.



That kind of thinking recently led the Arizona Diamondbacks to revamp their strength and conditioning program, says James Ready, the trainer in the Diamondbacks system who has already begun employing Myers's fascia approach. "These days, our big emphasis with weights is about posture, not big plates," Ready says. He has also reassessed the way he diagnoses injuries. "I've had to step back and take a deeper look at everything I learned in school. We were taught to find the point of pain and treat it. But take hamstring injuries; the hamstring is usually just the smoke. You have to look elsewhere for the fire."

BY DR. MYERS MD (SURGEON)