5 reasons you should try reverse running

It might look a little odd, but advocates say running backwards can provide a surprisingly good workout. Here’s how to spice up your run with some reverse action.

If you run, more than likely you move forwards.

But according to a survey of recent search data, a growing number of people are spicing up their run by moving backwards – or retro running – as it’s more officially known.

There’s even a Retro Running World Championship that attracts runners from across the globe.

Backwards running isn’t new and it may even be good for you.

In 2013 Dr Robert K Stevenson published a book called Backwards Running and praised this style of running for building stamina, strengthening leg muscles, promoting better balance and restoring posture.

Here are five benefits of backward running.

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It lightens the load on your knees

Knee aches and pains can become part of life as we get older and painful knees can also be uncomfortable for people who exercise and play sports regularly.

A UK study showed less force is put through our knees when we run backwards.

“Although backward running may not be a practical solution, this study provided important insights on how loading of the knee joint can be reduced in running,” the Arthritis Research UK Biomechanics and Bioengineering Centre’s Paulien Roos said in its report.

“Participants in our study landed on their heels during forward running, but always landed on their forefoot when they ran backwards.”

It strengthens different leg muscles

“When you run backwards you use your hamstring muscles and glutes more and your quadricep and calf muscles less, so it can give different leg muscles a work out,” Dinneen Running and Osteopathy Dr Stephen Dinneen says.

“Just as when you change your swimming stroke from freestyle to breaststroke, you will still put load and pressure through your shoulders but your muscles work in a different way.

“It’s the same when you switch from forwards to backwards running.”

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Running backwards builds stamina

Dr Stevenson explains in his book backwards running has been a favourite training exercise for boxers for decades because it builds cardiovascular strength and stamina.

He says running a lap backwards is the equivalent of eight laps of traditional forward running.

“The first time you run backwards, expect to be unpleasantly surprised by how out of condition you are,” Dr Stevenson writes.

Running backwards burns fat

A study at Stellenbosch University in South Africa found that women who introduced walking and running backwards into their exercise routine for six weeks lost 2.4 per cent of their body fat during that time.

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Running backwards can break the monotony

“Keeping exercise fun and interesting is important and doing bursts of backward running can break the monotony of traditional running where you just keep putting one foot in front of the other for thousands of steps,” Health and High Performance sports and exercise chiropractor Luke Nelson says.

“It’s not an alternative to going for a traditional run but you can add it to the mix – run backwards over 10m four times as a warm-up or cool down drill.”

How to run backwards safely

• Running backwards presents obvious hazards such as bumping into objects or falling over. You also have to twist your body slightly to see behind you, which can place more demand on the neck and spine – so you probably don’t want to do it for long periods.
• Choose a flat surface with no dips and hidden potholes and ensure the surface is clear.
• “Going barefoot when running backwards may give you a more stable connection to the ground and improve balance,” Luke says.

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Written by Sarah Marinos.