There is much todo about the role or the Fascia - the sheath that surrounds our muscles and tendons in the body. Internal Strength training methods are proposed to develop the fascia into something that is far more functional than previously thought. Here are some thoughts by Aran and some links to articles. See also Heal thy self and release tension which has links to foam rolling , a process that can help identify and then smooth the fascia as well as tension in the underlying structure.
As the author is something of a legend in my field I feel compelled to defend his credentials, even though I agree that this essay is essentially theory based on what is developing into a fairly rigorous body of work. Robert Schleip has basically pioneered research into fascia and is widely seen as the leading researcher in the area. Of importance was his discovery of smooth muscle like tissue that exists within fascia and over several minutes can change the tone of fascial tissue. This body of research really only began about the end of last century and the journal it is published in only started in 1996, by memory. However the models of force conduction through fascia has lead to a rethinking of the kinetic power generation of the body. The combination of contractile with compressive with elastic goes some way to describing the incredible power exhibited by internal strength masters, especially considering the often lack of muscle tissue these guys have. There have been many functions of the human body that have been described and demonstrated by martial artists and manual therapists that have been at best poorly explained by current scientific models. The proposed model by Schleip, IMO, goes some way to describing the mechanical properties behind internal strength training. In short I recommend keeping an eye on this author's research as he is looking into an area that very few people have previously bothered to look.
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