The basics

Trying to obtain a god-like physique can be taxing. Not only on your social life, your bank account and your selfcontrol when presented with really tasty things, but on your body itself.

Rest days are key for recovery, even though sometimes there’s nothing more you’d like to do than belt out a quick 1km on the rowing machine.

There are several ways you can engage your body and improve performance during rest; trigger point mobility is just one of them.

The compression technique is designed to release dysfunctional tight bands of muscle tissue (myofascial trigger points) by using a series of specialised tools. You’ll likely already be familiar with a foam roller. Nationwide fitness club Habit uses trigger point to break down muscle tension while improving mobility.

Giving it a bash

Physiotherapist Jackson Harnett was the instructor for this lesson. He entered the room with a crate of different shaped sticks, balls, foam rollers and an object that resembled two cricket balls in a sock.

Before commencing, he asked if the class had any injuries or particular niggles they’d like to work on. There were requests for the chest and the back.

Currently in the middle of marathon training, I requested something to release tight leg muscles and combat dreaded shin splints.

Jackson explained that we were looking for the sensation of ‘‘pleasant pain’’ and not to work the muscles too hard — something that can result in bruising.

We began in a lying side-plank position slowly working the foam roller from just below the hip down the start of the knee.

The point of this position was to work the IT band that runs along the outside of the thigh — a common tight spot for runners. Variations were introduced to cover both sides of the muscle before we repeated the same with the hamstrings and the calves. The intensity was entirely in the hands of the user. More pressure could be applied with extra body weight and more focus could be put on particular knots if needed.

Using the ball — somewhere between the size of a tennis ball and football — we ironed out the chest. Lying in a press-up position, we focused on three sections working from the top down with pressure.

The class member who requested the muscle group began breathing heavily and vocalising his discomfort.

For the back we began with the foam roller, slowly wheeling it down to the

For the next few days after the trigger point class my targeted muscles were slightly tender.

Jackson says that deactivating trigger points ‘‘isn’t dangerous but could be detrimental in certain circumstances’’.

‘‘If you have sustained an injury or are experiencing painful symptoms it is therefore recommended to consult a health practitioner to diagnose what is causing the symptoms, determine whether these techniques are indicated and learn how to perform them correctly.’’

Find out more

tptherapy.com