Superficial Backline explained

Superficial Backline – ‘Sounds like the newest gadget in my brand-new BMW’ is probably something that you might think right now. Or maybe it sounds like a super-nerdy term that was invented in Star Trek. But it isn’t.

Tutorial Thursday #36 will tell you what the Superficial Backline is all about.

The world of the fascia is currently being discovered. What many physiotherapists, osteopaths, and sport therapists already know for quite some time now is slowly but steadily becoming common knowledge thanks to thorough research and mass media coverage: our connective tissue forms a very large net that covers and goes through our whole body. It covers every muscle fiber and fills gaps. We are learning more and more about their function and mechanism. There are also already studies that show the influence of these structures on athletic performance. As we speak there are studies going on that try to figure out their influence on movement and pain.

Give something back!

Our muscles and our connective tissue can store kinetic energy like a rubber band and release it instantly. The effectiveness of this is significantly influenced by the quality of the aforementioned structures. See also Tutorial Thursday #14 for more on this topic.

But back to topic: ‘The Superficial Backline’!

The Superficial Backline is basically that fascia formation that constitutes the biggest part of our rearward movement chain. This net of connective tissue reaches from the soles to the neck. It starts at the plantar fascia, runs along the achilles tendon, the calf muscles, the rear thigh muscles, the sacral band, thoracolumbar fascia and the pelvis, spine, and back musculature. Its task is to straighten up the body. Problems in the Superficial Backline can manifest in different ways practically everywhere in the legs, the buttocks, the lower and the upper back.

A very impressive video shows you how big this fascia formation really is:

How do I train the Superficial Backline?

In general, you should regularly do fascia hygiene. I know that sounds funny, but it’s pretty important. What it means is regular massages (even self-massage with a Blackroll), a healthy, protein-rich diet, and occasional contrast baths. Contrary to common belief regular movement is fascia training as well. It will keep the fascia smooth and help them and the muscle fibers to glide against each other. Exercises for the Superficial Backline, that will be helpful for your rearward movement chain, would be deadlifts, good mornings, all types of squats, rowing, and many other exercises. If you’re interested you can check out our Fit For FIBO training program in which we include squats, deadlifts, and rowing pretty regularly into our workouts.

So give something back! Your fascia do that every day…

Remember,
get functional!
Your Fabien