He confirms Badyna's hunch that it will also "improve your balance and coordination" and suggests progressing to running backwards towards the end of a regular jog. "Go slowly, taking small steps at first, and stay in control," he says. "Let the ball of the foot contact first, then allow the heel to touch just briefly. If this feels OK, repeat the one-minute segments two or three times, jogging forwards slowly in-between." After a few weeks he promises you will feel less anxious about collisions and can begin to step up your retro running to five or six minutes in total. "At this point, you can try taking longer steps and, if you want to stretch your legs more, try running backwards on a slightly downhill slope," he says.
Even sceptical experts concede that, while backwards shouldn't fully replace forwards, it can have a place in a workout program.
For some sports, it is an essential element of training. Champion boxer Gene Tunney ran 6km to 12km a day backwards and Muhammad Ali incorporated it into his regime. "Professional footballers, rugby players and referees as well as top track and field athletes all use it routinely," says Nick Linthorne, a biomechanics researcher at Brunel University in London. "It does make sense for other people, especially the injured, to include a little backwards running or walking as the landing is smoother." But the real attraction for the masses, he says, is the novelty factor. Like striptease workouts and karaoke spinning, retro running will appeal to those prone to gym boredom. "If the prospect of running backwards inspires someone who wouldn't otherwise exercise to get out, then that can only be a good thing."
On the Web: www.backward-running-backward.com
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