With the exception of white-knuckle rides, Beatles tracks and childbirth, few things are better backwards. Running seven miles in reverse through the bad streets of central London is, I discovered, definitely not one of them.
My usual training route takes me from Kennington in south-east London, up over Blackfriars Bridge, all the way along Embankment and past the Houses of Parliament before heading to Battersea Park and looping back towards my starting point.
Forwards, it’s a scenic 90-minute run. Backwards, it was a surreal nightmare, both physically, mentally and logistically, with potholes, traffic lights and wide-eyed tourists all competing to knock me off my feet and send me crashing to the tarmac, bottom first. I barely managed a mile before admitting defeat.
I first heard about reverse (or retro) running from a friend who’d seen a group of octogenarians practising it in China. Admittedly they had been walking backwards rather than sprinting, but it piqued my interest sufficiently to investigate further. It turned out the Chinese are not alone in their interest in back-to-front activities. From Germany to the US, runners are reversing. While for many it’s a silly stunt for charity, surprisingly the sport can help improve your regular training and fitness.
The sport’s origins in the west can be traced back to early 20th-century athletes including boxer Gene Tunney and wrestling champions William Muldoon and Ed Schultz, who were all noted for using backwards running in their training regimes. It wasn’t until the 1980s, however, that the technique grew in popularity.
Professor Barry Bates was among the first to publish findings on the benefits of the sport. In his study, Bates claims the exercise can help you maintain a more upright posture, and also lessens the impact on your knees.
The findings of two studies, one published in 2011 by researchers from the University of Milan and another by scientists from Cardiff University in Wales last year, suggest that reverse runners pound the earth more softly, thereby reducing the risk of knee injuries.
Scientists from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa found it could even help runners burn more calories, In the study of 26 female university students, joggers who ran 15 to 45 minutes backwards, three times a week over the course of six weeks, were found to lose up to 2.5% of their body weight by switching to retro running alone.
In a blog for the Reverse Running website, StrideUK, performance analyst Mitchell Phillips agrees that walking or running backwards offers a number a benefits.
“It is a great way to cool down; it helps improve balance and promotes better neuromuscular efficiency,” he explains. “It is the perfect remedy to help cure the frequent deficiency between anterior and posterior chain muscle groups – the hamstrings/calves and quads.
“This switch in movement also helps the body’s antagonistic (opposing) muscles function like the agonistic (contracting) muscles. Overall, backward running will produce a far better relationship between your muscles and help deliver more power, safely.”
In his aptly named book, Backwards Running, Dr Robert K Stevenson claims the sport should be an essential practice for any athlete, building stamina, strengthening the leg muscles, increasing oxygenation, improving speed and balance, and adding variety to the workout.
Developing the right technique, however, is vital to avoid injury or accident. First, you need to find the proper training ground. According to Stevenson, the best places to practice are in the park, on the beach, or on a track. Advice I happily ignored to my peril.
Next, keep your shoulders over your feet, hold your arms close and low to the body, and remember to frequently look over your shoulder. Push off from the balls of your feet and avoiding lifting them too far off the ground. Stevenson also advises to first start training with a partner. That way, you’ll avoid tripping.
And if you thought running backwards meant losing speed, Germany’s Achim Aretz showed it needn’t be slow, breaking the world record for the fastest half marathon backwards with his time of 1 hr 40 min 29 sec.
Looking back to go forwards may seem like a frivolous waste of time for the hardcore runner, but there’s no harm in injecting a little fun into training sessions. And if research is correct, a change of direction could give your performance a boost as well.
As Stevenson writes: “Anybody seriously interested in improving his athletic performance, physical condition, and outlook on life would do well to take a close look at backwards running and its benefits.”
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