14 DAY TRIAL // Running or walking at a brisker pace has been proved to work wonders for those looking to lose weight in a more efficient way, as well as for those who just want to keep in fit shape. Because of the repetitiveness of running, injuries may occur, which is why fitness experts recommend we also try jogging and walking backwards, for even better results and to eliminate the risk of injuries.
As FitSugar points out, running backwards has countless benefits. Other than toning the muscles and helping us lose weight, it also improves balance and makes the legs stronger. Because the backwards stride tends to be longer than when we’re running normally, we are able to cover more distance in the same amount of time, which translates into better results and seemingly less effort.
Backwards running is also recommended by fitness experts to those who suffer from knee injuries, especially when descending steep hills, since it takes some of the pressure we usually put on the knee joint. For those who suffer from hamstring injuries, backwards running can prove to be a very good form of cardio, since it implies a reduced range of motion at the hip.
Nevertheless, as you can imagine, this type of exercise, while extremely beneficial for our health and efficient in terms of shedding the pounds, needs some practice until mastered to perfection. Experts advise us, for starters, to take it easy at first, by combining regular running with the backwards type, until at least we become accustomed to it. Furthermore, to avoid neck pain, they also say we should make sure we alternate looking over the left shoulder and the right one.
Once we’ve learned how to walk backwards first, and as we notice improvement in our style, we can move forward to more complicated exercises, such as running backwards on the treadmill, stairmaster, or jumping rope backwards.