Walking backwards for exercise, also called retro walking, has many research-proven benefits that can help improve flexibility, strength, and brain health. As an exercise drill, retro walking can be part of a physical therapy rehabilitation program, or you can incorporate walking backwards into your fitness routine.
You might consider walking backwards using handrails or a treadmill—and you need to consider safety, especially if you’re doing it on your own.
Benefits of Backward Walking
Backward walking has a wide range of health benefits. This challenging exercise improves muscle and joint coordination, enhances balance, and improves physical endurance.
Works Different Muscles to Improve Their Strength
Backward walking uses muscles in your legs, helping to strengthen the following muscles:
Quadriceps (at the front of your thighs)
Gluteal muscles (in your buttocks)
Hamstrings (at the back of your things)
Anterior tibialis and posterior tibialis muscles (in your shins)
Burns More Calories per Minute
If you are interested in walking to lose weight, you might be pleased to know that walking backward uses up about 40% more calories per minute than forward walking at the same speed. Retro walking can be an efficient use of your exercise time.
Builds Cardio Fitness
Walking backward has an energy expenditure rate that can increase cardiorespiratory fitness, which is the efficiency of your heart and lung function. It also lowers cardiovascular risk factors, reducing the risk of heart disease and vascular disease (conditions of your blood vessels).
In one experiment, participants who engaged in retro walking showed improvements in blood pressure, a strong indicator of cardiovascular health. They also showed improvements in C-reactive protein values, which is a measure of inflammation.
Improves Balance
Backward walking has been shown to improve balance and stability, even among people who have experienced injury to their hips or legs.
Good for the Knees
Knee pain and inflammation are the most common effects of arthritis. One study comparing the effects of forward walking with retro walking for participants with knee osteoarthritis showed that, among participants, retro walking led to a greater reduction in pain and functional disability and improved quadriceps muscle strength and performance.
Improves Flexibility
Backward walking conditions the muscles and joints, improving flexibility. Enhancing your flexibility is key to avoiding injury, and preventing falls, especially as you get older.
Works the Brain
Walking backward forces your brain to work a little differently than when walking forward, which promotes improved coordination. This is valuable if you are healthy or if you’re working through a physical rehabilitation program. In fact, backward walking can improve forward walking abilities when it’s a part of rehabilitation after a stroke.
Improves Mobility
Backward walking increases speed and mobility in healthy adults, which can help you gain fitness and stay active.
Disadvantages
It’s important to be mindful of safety when walking backward. Due to limited visibility while retro walking, you could trip over something behind you. And because walking backward isn’t the way we normally walk, you could accidentally miscalculate the distance or direction of your steps—which could cause you to fall.
Who Should Walk Backwards and Who Should Avoid It?
You might consider adding backward walking to your exercise routine if you want to challenge yourself and use a different combination of muscles when you work out. You can also build balance and coordination that could come in handy during activities like yoga or dancing.
If you work out under the guidance of a trainer or participate in physical therapy, you could discuss your interest in backward walking with your trainer or therapist and ask them to watch you for safety while you practice.
Exercising in a way that isn’t natural can be beneficial by pushing your body to build new skills, but it can also be dangerous if you can’t do it safely. It might not be safe for you to walk backward if you have a disability that could increase the likelihood of an injury, such as a neuromuscular disability or chronic vertigo (dizziness or spinning sensation).
When you are being supervised by someone who can help guide you—retro walking can be safe and beneficial, even if you have a disability.
How to Get Started
When you want to begin incorporating backward walking for exercise, a few different techniques you can try as you get started are:
Handrails: When you start backward walking, be sure to use handrails for support.
Step platform: Using a step platform for forward or backward walking can challenge your muscles.
Track: For clearly marked lanes and distances, you may prefer retro walking on a track.
Treadmill: If you have a treadmill at home or if you have access to a treadmill at a fitness center, you can set it to a slow speed, turn around, and walk backward at a steady pace.
Anchors and support straps: A coach or therapist might use support anchors to help prevent falls while you challenge yourself with retro walking.
Start by taking just a few steps at a time and making sure you have support. After that’s well established, you can increase to a few minutes of backward walking.
With time, you can eventually make the backward steps a part of your usual fitness routine to vary the intensity and muscle movements of your workout and to improve your balance. Your speed and duration walked will likely increase with practice of backward walking.
Since you typically can't walk backward as quickly as you walk forward, you can use backward walking as a warm-up before your exercise session. Because it usually safe to challenge yourself too much after a tiring workout, retro walking isn’t a good way to cool down.
How to Incorporate Walking Backwards in Your Walking Routine
You might consider including backward walking in your walking routine. It’s important to start slowly, increase gradually, pay attention to visibility, and challenge yourself this way when you have energy—not when you are tired.
Be sure not to be around moving vehicles while you walk backward and to walk backward only on a flat and even floor or ground. You could also hold on to a rail or a counter to maintain your balance.
Summary
Walking backward for exercise and fitness (retro walking) has many benefits. This type of exercise drill can help you lose weight, gain balance, and build muscle strength. Retro walking can be a great addition to your fitness regimen.
If you are having physical therapy for a neurological condition or while recovering from an injury, your physical therapist might include backward walking in your rehabilitation program.
While it can be useful for your health and fitness, you need to take precautions when using backward walking to avoid injuries. Whether you are working out on your own or under the guidance of a professional, you need a variety of exercises, such as backward walking, to build and maintain skills.