It is assumed, that muscular force capacity declines with age. But does this affect coordinative capabilities to the same extent? To test this, we investigated back muscle function during a standardised rotation task. Furthermore, we tested the influence of a fatiguing static contraction on back muscle activation patterns. For the study the back muscles of 25 young (20–40 years) and old (50–70 years) healthy men were investigated during a full rotation while the upper body was loaded with 50% of its weight. Subjects stood in a training device, which applies forces on the trunk by tilting the whole body, while subjects are fixed at their legs and feet. During the task the subjects simply had to stabilize their body in body axis, controlled by biofeedback. The rotation task was performed twice - before and after a fatiguing static endurance test of 10 minutes with a load of 50% upper body weight (UBW). In general, the back muscles were not symmetrically activated - the resulting maximum was always observed already at about 170 ° of rotation. In reaction to the endurance task the old subjects showed clear signs of muscular fatigue i.e. amplitude elevations, but the young did not. In both groups back muscle coordination patterns were not altered at all. Mean strain level was similar in both groups. Older people therefore are not expected to mainly develop coordination problems of their back muscles, but are more expected to suffer from force deficits. Furthermore, the perceived strain levels include the risk of an overestimation of individual capacities in older people.