This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/grHTkpX8AE4
Mike: In the pursuit of fitness and wellness, we often focus on moving forward and progressing. However, sometimes taking a step back can be a benefit.
Brad: That's right. Walking backwards has actually become very popular. It's really been influenced by Ben Patrick.
Mike: The knees over toes guy.
Brad: The knees over toes guy, exactly. I actually saw someone walking backwards up a hill by my house. I was going down on a bike, naturally enjoying the ride, and I wondered what was going on. Then I remembered this whole thing. We'll talk about it in detail. Now the first thing we want to address is the impact on the joints, particularly the knee when you're walking forward. Mike, can you explain it?
Mike: So most people land with a heel strike like this with their foot out in front of them when they walk.
Mike: This can put more impact on your ankle, your knee, your hip, and even your lower back. You continuously walk like this for years and decades, eventually, you're probably going to develop some issues. Now with backwards walking, it is quite awkward to extend you're knees straight all the way when you're walking backwards. Most people, when they take steps backwards, they're shortened and you can essentially never lock your knees. It's pretty hard to do.
Brad: Right, and also the muscle grouping works differently. You actually work more on the glute maximus muscle, which is a muscle that can actually be neglected. There's a name for it. It's called...
Mike: Gluteal amnesia.
Brad: There you go. And this helps reduce or eliminate that as well.
Mike: It also works on your balance and coordination. So if you struggle with that, it can help going in the opposite direction. And for some people that are older, it actually works your brain a little bit because you have to coordinate motor function in a different way.
Brad: Now we want to emphasize safety. Walking backwards, obviously you cannot see what's behind you, so either walk with someone that's watching what's going on, use a stick or a cane, or we'll talk about a method you can use on a treadmill that works very well when you have something stable to hold onto. Wow, that was a mouthful.
Mike: It was.
Brad: All right, now we're gonna give you a list of rules to keep you safe and so you kind of understand a good progression, how to get started and advance. Mike.
Mike: Now, if you are new to this or maybe an older person with poor balance, it is important to start in your house with something to hold onto. Like Brad said, a cane walking stick. Maybe at your countertop. You want to have a nice controlled environment without obstacles in the way. Make sure you have good support and slowly start walking backwards. You can wear your shoes or do it in slippers, whatever's comfortable in your house, but it's a good place to start.
Brad: I think actually, a hallway in your house, if you have a little bit longer hallway so you can actually have one hand on the wall so you know where that is. A stick in the other hand. If it's a narrow hallway, you can just use both walls. But if you feel wobbly, it's not for you. Have someone help you out standing right next to you. We want to stay very safe.
Mike: Now the next progression, if you feel comfortable with that, is progressing to outside. Typically you want to start on a more of a flat surface, maybe a sidewalk or a walking path. If you feel comfortable with that, you can certainly progress to walking up an incline or decline, but that's going to add more of a challenge.
Brad: That's right. Now the next question I know people are going to ask in the comments is how far should we walk backwards? Excellent question. To start out with, we're gonna take it slow naturally. It's going to depend on your fitness level and your comfortableness walking backwards in regards to balance. But for example, at my house, if I go to my mailbox, it's 150 feet. I just know that because I've measured it and that's the way therapists think. So I would walk backwards there and maybe that would be enough. Walk forwards on the way back from the mailbox. Pick something out, and make sure it's a flat surface. Do that, do it a few times and then progress. I would go from there and maybe double it and walk backwards on the way back. That would double it at 150 to 300 feet. It's a flat surface, I feel comfortable with it. But when you go to a new area, walking down the road, et cetera, then be careful, have good judgment, Mike, you have some more to add?
Mike: So it's good to make time options as well if you don't know distance. So you can start with three to five minutes, even work up to 10 minutes. I know some people do. Ben Patrick does when we've interviewed him on his channel before. But another progression for some people is to use a treadmill. Now if the treadmill is on, you want to make sure it's really slow and you're comfortable going backwards because it's a moving belt, you don't want to trip and fall on it. So start very slow if you are new to this. Now some people actually have the treadmill completely off and they force themselves to move the mat going backwards. That adds resistance and can be challenging. It's a good option if you feel comfortable with it. But if you're at a gym, you want to make sure it's okay with the owners because it can be kind of hard on the machines.
Brad: Yeah, the gym owners will probably not advise it.
Mike: They actually make specific treadmills for this now. So that's a good option if you happen to have one available to you.
Brad: And finally, when you get advanced and you wanna work more, and this is what Ben Patrick's 70-year-old mother, she worked up to this. So this took some time. She actually pulls a weight and drags it across the floor.
Mike: They're typically on a sled of sorts and you have a band around your waist walking backwards. This is a safe way to get some resistance training in your legs without loading your spine. Obviously she progressed up to this over time. She didn't immediately start with it, but it's a way to make it more challenging. I actually do this at the gym. I do so many laps. We have a sled, I wrap a thing around my belt. It really works your posterior chain, meaning your hamstrings, your knees, a bit in a different way and your glutes.
Brad: That's right. I think walking backwards is a really good idea, but living backwards isn't. So keep your eyes straight ahead and keep moving up. Mike, we got another video.
Mike: Yes, check out the interview I did with Ben Patrick discussing what his mother does for her routine.
Brad: That's a really good idea that really correlates and adds onto what we just did. See, we're starting to learn these tricks.
Mike: It's like I thought about it a little bit.
Brad: Thanks for coming.
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