How to Train Your Spine

If you’ve been dealing with regular back pain or if sitting all day makes your back feel 80 years old while you’re barely in your 30s this one is for you!

Background

Most of us delegate our spine health. We go see a physio, a chiropractor or an osteo when something feels “blocked” or “out of place”. We expect that a crack, a stretch or a massage will reset things and give us relief.

However, when this happens, it is often already to late. Your spine isn’t broken it’s under-trained.

What if the reason you find yourself stuck in this endless cycle is simply because you don’t move your spine enough?

The Myth

Always keep your back straight!

You’ve probably heard it before.

This old idea came from the belief that bending or loading the spine in different positions would damage your discs.

We now know that this is not as simple as that. Your spine is designed to adapt to force, just like any other part of your body.

If we look at the structure of the spine, we quickly realize that it is made of 24 mobile joints, and that small and deep muscles connect those joints; reinforcing the idea that the spine is supposed to move.

What to do instead?

Think of your spine the same way you think of your hips, shoulders, or knees: you need to train it.

One of my go-to starting points for clients is the Segmented Cat-Camel. This is an amazing exercice to get your spine moving and build some control.

The key isn’t how far up or down you move. It’s the segmentation. You want to roll through your spine one vertebra at a time, building awareness and control over each joint.

What’s next?

In a next article, I’ll share some progressions to make this exercise more challenging, so you can really start strengthening your spine from the inside out.