Walking has long been recommended for its physical benefits, but you can boost the health advantages by doing things backward.
Whether you take your strides on a treadmill, a track or a trail, walking backward can work different muscles, improve balance and increase cardiopulmonary health.
“I think it’s amazing to add in some backwards motion to your day,” Grayson Wickham, a New York City physical therapist, told CNN. “People are sitting way too much today, plus they lack varied movement.”
Walking backward, also called reverse or retro walking, is often used in physical therapy to help patients improve their gait and mobility; to improve knee, hip and ankle range of motion; and to increase strength, according to verywell health.
When you retro walk, the Conversation explained, you take shorter, more frequent steps, leading to the improved endurance in the lower leg muscles and lessening the strain on your joints.
“The body adapts to the positions and movements and postures you do most often,” Wickham told CNN. “That can lead to tight muscles and joints, which leads to joint compensation, which leads to joint wear and tear, then pain and injury. The more we can add in varied movement into our day-to-day activities or in the gym, it’s so much more beneficial for the body.”
Incorporating retro walking into your routine is relatively easy, Wickham said. Start by walking backward slowly for about five minutes at a time, several times a week. As you get used to the stride and motion, you can increase the time.
“If you’re younger and exercise regularly, you can probably walk backwards for as long as you’d like,” Wickham said.
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