Analyzing your fascia

There are several ways we can approach analyzing fascia. We came up with the 5 P’s. The Pinch, Poke, Posture, Perception and Position. All of these are detailed in my book The Cellulite Myth, but the one I want to focus on for this blog and “The Gorgeous Legs Challenge” is the pinch test. When our Fascia is healthy, you can pull the skin up easily, like pulling up the skin on a Shar Pei. So pinch some various places on the legs, and try the top of the thigh, back, sides, inner thigh, etc. Don't mistake picking up globs of fat for healthy fascia; the skin and fascia need to pull up easily from the fat. Ashley Explains in this oldie-but-goodie video.

What Tools do I need for the Gorgeous
Legs Challenge and Why?

The type of tool that you’re using is important because fascia is in layers, like a cake.

We always encourage our users to go little by little, layer by layer, because if you “dig in” deep to start, you might be going into several layers of dysfunction, which can be extreme. Or you might only have one tool that might not be appropriate for the layer you need. So when it comes to legs, I’m going to give you your 4 “must haves” and then your 3 “nice to haves” if you have special conditions or just want to ensure you have everything.

Ashley Explains the Layers of Fascia and
What Tools You Need

Your must-haves:

You may already have these tools, or you may need to grab some today. We also have a starter kit special for newbies, but if you already have a tool or tools, just make sure you have a small claw, big claw, and nugget tips so you can do the Gorgeous Legs Challenge.

What type of cellulite do I have?

Quick tips to help you along the way

Check out the pics and descriptions below of what we at Ashley Black call the 4 Types of Cellulite. You may have all 4 types on one leg. Generally people have 1-2 types, but our fascia can be totally different on different parts of our body. You may have Hail Damage only on the tops of the legs and Car Wreck on the back. You may have Beyond Bound around the knees and Gummy everywhere else. So, these pics are just a guide to get you started understanding how to approach the process and some ways to personalize the process.

Type 1: Hail Damage

Hail damage is basically micro fascia adhesions in the very surface layers of fascia.

Type 2: Gummy Bear

Gummy bear is characterized by the untoned muscle (which feels like fat), fat, and fascia all feeling “gummy.” When you grab your legs, they may feel like Jello or cottage cheese.

Type 3: Car Wreck

Car wreck is characterized by deep dents that are fascial dysfunction or adhesions through several layers. Typically, car wreck people have muscle tone but pretty severe fascia issues. This is different than fascia being stuck equally to fat, an untoned muscle like in gummy.

The good news: You can target the deep dents directly with nugget tips. Deep dents will bruise most of the time. You will need all the tools and must do the exercises faithfully to build muscle where the fascia has disrupted the muscle firing.

The bad news: Deep dents take time. Deep dents can be uncomfortable to break up. And you never know what you’re going to find once you break up deep dents.

Tips: Spend several weeks working with the small claw and big claw before digging in with the nugget. It’s tempting when we have deep dents to go ham, but really focusing on the layers is your best bet with Car Wreck; save the deepest stuff for a month or two from now.

Type 4: Beyond Bound

Beyond bound is the “dreaded’ condition where the skin is “glued down” to the fascia and the muscles. It’s a 360-degree choking of the legs. While beyond bound may look relatively smooth, it’s difficult to see the definition. This type of fascial state can often happen when we exercise through misalignments or pound the fascia by running, jumping, or doing open chain exercise. We can also have beyond-bound “parts” from scar tissue or other injuries or misalignments.

Fascia Blasting Only Reveals What Is There

Digging for Buried Treasure

FasciaBlasting is an amazing way to see the condition of legs at a much deeper level. In fact, if you’ve never seen the ultrasounds from our scientific study, check out one of the study participants below. Take note that the “white stuff” is fascia. And you can see from the first 30 days that her fascia was reorganizing, rehydrating, and returning to a native state as things smoothed at the surface.

There were 33 women in the study, and their fascia results were consistent, so we feel very confident that fascia regeneration is not a “fluke,” and that this is a tangible result everyone can have if they follow the protocols in the challenge.

With that said, let’s talk about what FasciaBlasting can reveal. We have seen a lot after having the FasciaBlaster in public for over a decade. One thing we’ve seen quite a bit is “Beef Jerky Syndrome,” LOL.

So, all this to say, when we start to restore our tissue, it can be a messy process, but it is so worth it.

How to create definition, rehydrate the
muscles, and fill out the skin

All training is not the same

Before I even get started, I know I’m going to have my “I do Pilates” “I do yoga,” “I do cross fit” people, and I also know I’m going to have the “I don’t want to bulk up people’. So, let’s just scientifically break down why we need to train for hypertrophy if we want GORGEOUS LEGS. So, if you’re in love with your exercise routine, don’t stop it; just add the hypertrophy training in Part 2 of the blog so that you can build muscle quickly. Also, do not worry about bulking up; that is actually quite difficult for women to do, especially without steroids or a major lifting regime. My hope is that by the end of the 30-day challenge, you can feel and SEE the difference in your muscles.

Just as a note, this is not how I would train for my sport, surfing or VO2 Max, or stability - this program is primarily for the look and the shaping of your legs.

So, what is hypertrophy training, and why is it part of this challenge? Hypertrophy training stimulates muscle growth through increased protein synthesis and cellular expansion. This regimen involves training muscles until they “burn.”  In response to stress, the body initiates the repair processes, leading to muscle hypertrophy—the enlargement of individual muscle cells. Over time, consistent hypertrophy training leads to greater muscle mass, strength, and endurance. Additionally, hypertrophy training promotes metabolic adaptations, enhancing fat metabolism and improving overall body composition.

So, in order to “fill the skin,” we need muscle growth. While the exact amount of muscle mass lost during menopause varies among individuals, research suggests that women may lose approximately 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade after the age of 30, so we need to grow muscle just to fight the decline.

This is a very simple process. You simply perform the exercises in the challenge until you feel fully fatigued. This means that you will have your own personal amount of reps. You can increase muscle mass faster by adding sets, "weights,” or more resistance when combined with FasciaBlasting, which will help with “pump” and “firing,” aka blood flow and biomechanics. You will be able to hydrate the muscles and plump them up in smooth and healthy fascia. All of the hypertrophy exercises are explained in detail in The Gorgeous Legs Challenge Part 2.

Quick Notes on the Benefits of the EXTRAS

Muscle Plasticity, Saunas, and Flushing

Muscle plasticity refers to the ability of skeletal muscle to adapt structurally and functionally in response to various stimuli.

This phenomenon encompasses changes in muscle size, fiber type composition, strength, and endurance. Muscle plasticity is crucial for maintaining optimal performance and function in response to physiological and environmental changes. This is why we add FasciaYoga to the challenge. Stretches that create plasticity help the results of exercise and FasciaBlasting “stick.” Lengthened muscles and fascia also look pretty and not bulky. So try adding a little Fascia Yoga into this challenge for an elevated and long-term result.

Conclusions

In summary, our Gorgeous Legs Challenge highlights the promising synergy among FasciaBlasting, hypertrophy training, sauna therapy, and plasticity stretching in enhancing musculoskeletal health and physical performance along with intentions of beautiful sculpted legs. These modalities offer a comprehensive approach to address fascial restrictions, promote muscle growth, optimize smoothness, hydrate the skin, and improve flexibility. By integrating these techniques, one can unlock new avenues for achieving gorgeous and functional legs, no matter what the starting point.

This is your call from the universe! These combined techniques will be very powerful and give you results beyond your expectations. Thank you for reading the “why” of the challenge in Part 1, and make sure to check out the “how” in Part 2.