Are you at risk of back pain?

Are you at risk of back pain? Many of our personal training clients start training with some kind of back issues, and we need to help them overcome back problems before they can train safely. So it is part of the health building process to make sure backs are as strong and healthy as possible.

Think about this...

Have any of you been camping? Or built a temporary shelter in the army? You know when you pitch a tent or "basha" the incredible thing is that that tent is very strong and a good tent can even survive the night on a windy mountain slope.

The secret to the strength of a tent is the poles or wires which anchor it to the ground. Without these poles or wires, the tent is just a floppy, weak, piece of fabric.

It's the same thing with your spine. In general, my 85-year-old grandmother's spine can support about the same amount of weight as 2010 world strongest man winner Brian Shaw. Roughly the weight of a person's head.

But why so some people get injured picking up a pencil, while others can lift hundreds of kilo's off the floor safely?

The secret is in the strength of the muscles around the spine.

Unless you are lifting massive weights where strength matters, it is in fact the endurance of these muscles that is the critical aspect of back health.

World renowned back health researcher Stewart McGill gives these following norms for core strength and stability which result in long term back health.

Next time you are doing your exercise program, give these tests a try. They are fairly easy to do and are pretty safe.

Because it is an endurance, rather than a strength test, the requirements are the same for men and women.

If you have problems holding the right position, or passing the test, its time to use these exercises as a training so you can get your back and core strong enough to support your spine well so you can have a pain free, and perfect functioning back.

Back Extension Test - Passing mark 120 sec keeping the back flat

Side Bridge Test - Passing mark 45 seconds. Shown is the easy version. Try the harder version with one leg and one hand in the air.

Front Bridge Test - Passing mark 75 seconds. Keep the buttocks tight and flat during this time. Not sagging down, or up in the air..

Coach Jonathan Wong is the owner of Genesis Gym Singapore which aims to provide the best personal training and fitness services in Singapore.