If you're working on losing weight, walking and running not only burns calories, but they also strengthen and tone your legs and core. The only problem is, since the movements are repetitive, you can put yourself at risk for injury. That's why it's a good idea to incorporate backward walking and running into your routine. Here are some more reasons.
- It improves balance.
- It increases the length of your stride since you tend to reach further back when taking each step backward. So when you turn it around and walk or run forward, you'll be able to cover more distance in a shorter amount of time.
- It's a great way to descend steep hills if you have knee pain since going backwards puts less pressure on the knee joint.
To find out what the other benefits of backward walking and running are then read more.
- It uses your muscles differently so it'll make you legs even stronger, especially your quads. This will enable you to move faster when going forward.
- Since your range of motion at the hip joint is reduced, it's a good form of cardio for people suffering from hamstring injuries.
If you can't run or walk outside because it's too cold or snowy, you can get the same benefits by walking or running backward on an indoor track, treadmill (hold the handles please), elliptical, stairmaster, or by jumping rope backwards.
Fit Tip: Be sure to alternate looking over your left and right shoulders equally to prevent neck pain.
Catherine Malandrino
Splendid
Taillissime
This doesn't seem like a safe thing to do in the city. Better save this for the yard/suburb!
1Sometimes at the gym, I see this one woman facing the wrong way on the treadmill and walking backwards. I told her once that it looked like a good workout. Still, it probably requires way too much coordination for me. I do go backwards on the elliptical though. Just curious, how does jumping rope backwards do anything different? Isn't it just flipping the rope the other way?
2I've done it on an elliptical but on a treadmillI would be afraid I'd fall.
3I can be a safety hazard walking forwards. So maybe I'll only try this in the comfort of my own home!
4The ellipticals at my gym automatically set it for alternating front back throughout my workout. For some reason my heart rate always jumps like 10 bpm when I go backwards... wonder why?
5hey that's cape town in the pic! woot.
6nah.. walking backwards for more than half a minute makes me dizzy already
running? maybe not..
7I think that backward walking can be very benificial and I recommend it to most of my patients
have done so for ~ 30 yrs for knee rehab mostly (active dynamic knee & hip extension + ankle dorsiflexion)
BUT it seems to do much more
8presently I recommend a 30/100 progrem
this is 30 min of continuous non stop walking and 100 steps backwards this is a daily minimum and can be accomplished in your home if the weather is bad ( as it frequently is in Michigan where I am)
I personally do not like tredmills and especially do not like them for backward walking particularly for my older pts
you are right to think to be very careful doing this and scope out the area you will use
also a gentel up hill grade is a good thing although I personally do not like down hill backward very much
it is cheap and requires no special devices or training as with all exercise be careful and start out slowly
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