Put Your Best Foot Backward
Get more from your walking workout by putting it in reverse.
Walking backward burns more calories, improves coordination, and gives your heart and lungs a better workout than hoofing it forward -- as long as you maintain your speed. The reason? It forces your leg muscles to work harder and in different ways. Just do it in a safe place (like the local high school or college track) where you won't bump into something and take a spill. You can benefit from working out in reverse -- even if you're recovering from certain knee or leg injuries -- because it puts less stress on the knee joint compared with walking or running forward. It's not only a great way to build or maintain cardiorespiratory fitness, but it also requires your leg muscles to work in different ways -- and that takes energy (meaning it burns calories). Walking backward also forces a "concentric contraction" (shortening) of your quadriceps, a metabolically expensive movement (meaning it burns lots of calories) compared to the "eccentric" (lengthening) movement these thigh muscles make when you walk forward.
If you have problems with balance, walking in reverse is not recommended. If you think it sounds like something you'd like to try but you're concerned about falling, buy a lightweight bike helmet with a rearview mirror so you can see where you're going. Or try walking on a treadmill while holding onto the side rails; start slowly until you get the hang of it. Then, just put one foot behind the other. Step for step at the same speed, you'll get bigger benefits going backwards! The metabolic transition speed between backward walking and running.
Terblanche E, Cloete WA, du Plessis PA, Sadie JN, Strauss A, Unger M.
Department of Medical Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, PO Box 19063, 7505, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa. [email protected]
Although the metabolic transition speed for forward exercise has already been determined, the walk-run transition speed for backward exercise has not been investigated before. The aim of this study was to determine the speed at which it becomes metabolically more efficient to run backwards than to walk backwards. Eighteen healthy volunteers, who successfully completed three backward exercise practice sessions, participated in the study. All subjects randomly performed two exercise tests: backward walking and backward running. Both protocols started at a treadmill speed of 5 km(.)h(-1). Every minute the speed was increased by 0.5 km(.)h(-1) until 8 km(.)h(-1) was reached. Cardiorespiratory variables were continuously measured and blood lactate concentration [La] was determined every 2 min, using the Accusport lactate analyser. At each work load subjects rated their perceived exertion (RPE), using the Borg scale. There were no statistically significant differences in oxygen consumption, minute ventilation and heart rate between 6 and 7 km(.)h(-1), for backward walking and backward running ( P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in blood [La] between walking and running at 7.5 km(.)h(-1) ( P>0.05). According to the RPE values, subjects rated running at speeds less than 6 km(.)h(-1) more difficult than walking at similar speeds. We conclude that the metabolic transition speed between backward walking and running is between 6 and 7 km(.)h(-1), which is lower than the metabolic transition speed for forward locomotion (7.2-7.9 km(.)h(-1)). The effect of backward locomotion training on the body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness of young women.
Terblanche E, Page C, Kroff J, Venter RE.
Department of Medical Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, PO Box 19063, Tygerberg 7505, Cape Town, South Africa. [email protected]
This study investigated the effect of a backward training program on the physical and fitness condition of young women. Twenty-six healthy female university students (aged 18 - 23 years) took part in three different baseline tests: body composition, a submaximal treadmill test, and a 20-m shuttle run test. Subjects were divided into a training group (n = 13) and a control group (n = 13). The training group completed a six-week backward run/walk training program. The control group was restricted to their daily activities similar to the four weeks prior to the onset of the baseline tests. The training group showed a significant (p = 0.01) decrease in O(2) consumption during both submaximal forward and backward exercise on the treadmill (32 % decrease during backward and 30 % decrease during forward exercise). A significant (p = 0.01) decrease in percentage body fat (2.4 %), a 19.7 % decrease in the sum of skinfolds (p = 0.001) and significantly (p = 0.013) improved predicted VO(2max) values from the forward 20-m shuttle run test (5.2 %) were also found in the case of the training group. The findings suggest that backward walk/run training improves cardiorespiratory fitness for both forward and backward exercise and causes significant changes in body composition in young women.
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