It’s very easy to be taken in by a slick sales video…
A couple of months back, one of my clients with long-term back issues made me aware of this indiegogo campaign for lower back issues:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/spinegym-strong-back-and-abs-for-life-fitness#/
Its worth checking out the slick sales video, it almost makes it seem like this toy will be the panacea for back pain…almost.
What surprised me most though, was the staggering amount of demand this guy had for what is essentially two ski poles attached by a belt – a staggering $1.3M US dollars!
Let it be clear, this toy’s ability to fix long-term back issues is extremely limited at best, if it in fact does anything at all. And I suspect it does not. The whole project comes across as being put together by a serial entrepreneur who does not have a deep understanding of the causes of chronic back pain, nor the mechanics of how the body actually works. He simply saw an opportunity.
Every strength, conditioning and rehab program on Earth is governed by the law of specificity. That is to say, you get better at what you practice.
With that in mind, the real secret to long-term success is to build useable strength, to over-engineer yourself for the demands of day-to-day life by loading up the fundamental movements and getting stronger at them. Not by standing and flaying about like a dying fish in between two ski poles.