ART®I’m sure many of you have you have heard of, or know somebody who has received Active Release Techniques ®, but aren’t quite sure what all the fuss is about. Active Release Techniques ®, or ART® is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.
I have the pleasure of treating weekend warriors, as well as office warriors, but my much of my practise has involved treating high level athletes, who rely on ART® to keep them not only pain free, but performing at their best. Many athletes would come in hours before they hit the court or the field, utilizing ART® (as well as chiropractic and acupuncture) as part of their pre-game ritual.
One of the bad things about soft-tissue treatment is that all the various techniques are lumped together. "Oh, that's like massage or that's like trigger point" and really what we do is completely different. What we've done is figured out ways to manually find where soft tissue has changed and then use motion and manual tension to fix it.
Dr. Michael Levy, ART® Developer
My focus, in this post, due to popular demand, is to talk about how ART ® can help bodybuilders and figure competitors.
Training and Recovery
Let’s start with the obvious. The removal of scar tissue will increase the range of motion of muscles, as well as improve proprioception and activation of the injured muscle. Proprioception is your ability to sense its position and its body parts in relation to one another. This is important in order to prevent injury.
Activation is crucial in order to get the right muscle working at the right time. For example, how many times do feel your biceps when performing a lat pulldown? Some bicep activation is normal, but excessive recruitment of the biceps can occur if the lat don’t fire properly.
Pre-Contest
The next, and not so obvious benefit that bodybuilders and figure competitors can get from ART® is improved separation and definition. No, this is not some magical method in which ART® increases your metabolism. Rather, ART® is effective at separating muscles by improving the integrity of the fascia.
Fascia is a component of connective tissue that surrounds the entire body. It can be thought of as sleeve-like substance that permeates the space between muscles. By removing adhesions in the fascia, the muscles stand out from one another, increasing the perception of definition.
Furthermore, since fascia forms a sleeve around the muscle, it can restrict the growth of a muscle if its too tight.
Final Thoughts
If you’re serious about training and performing (and looking) your best, I recommend that you consult with an ART® provider in your area.
For more information on how ART ® can help, follow the link below:
http://www.activerelease.com/
Until then, stay healthy and train hard!
