walking backward on treadmill

pegm
pegm Posts: 119 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I saw them do this on Biggest Loser because it uses different sets of muscles. I tried it today after my normal 60 min workout. (Had my hubby standing by incase I wiped out!) You have to keep your hands on the bars for support... I could really feel the burn in my quads! Has anyone else tried this? I could only go 2mph... at least until I get more coordination lol.

Replies

  • pegm
    pegm Posts: 119 Member
    I saw them do this on Biggest Loser because it uses different sets of muscles. I tried it today after my normal 60 min workout. (Had my hubby standing by incase I wiped out!) You have to keep your hands on the bars for support... I could really feel the burn in my quads! Has anyone else tried this? I could only go 2mph... at least until I get more coordination lol.
  • lmr9
    lmr9 Posts: 628 Member
    I personally have not done this, but recently my husband saw a physical therapist for an ankle injury...and he had him doing this for rehab. So it must work something! :smile:
  • stormysmom
    stormysmom Posts: 55
    wow that's cool, I havent thought about trying that. I will have to try that out tomorrow. I just hope I don't fall off and everyone at the gym gets a good laugh lol.
  • fitchick99
    fitchick99 Posts: 267 Member
    wow that's cool, I havent thought about trying that. I will have to try that out tomorrow. I just hope I don't fall off and everyone at the gym gets a good laugh lol.

    It's a great workout! but ask before you try it at the gym, for liability reasons, the gym I instruct at won't allow you to use the treadmill that way, you must always be forward facing, it's a safety factor, you can't access the emergency stop if you run into trouble.
  • debmac63
    debmac63 Posts: 459 Member
    I tried it after they did it on the Biggest Loser. I had to go slow too because it's all backwards if you know what I mean. It did fatigue the muscles, but I only did it the one time. Maybe I should try it again.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    i go backwards on my Ellip for a minute each time I work out. I am increasing it....but man it is really hard!:flowerforyou:
  • amunet07
    amunet07 Posts: 1,245 Member
    Did I miss an episode? I don't remember that... was it this season?
  • pegm
    pegm Posts: 119 Member
    It might have been last season.. it's all a blur! I'm going to keep adding it to my routine to see if it makes a difference. It feels a little funny because you are walking on your toes and balls of your feet more.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I sometimes run/hike backwards as a little rest. When I was at camp school last summer we hiked in NC, and it was a STEEP incline, and boy did it feel good to walk backwards!
  • AmandaJ
    AmandaJ Posts: 1,950 Member
    I ride my bicycle backwards for a few minutes after I ride for 30 minutes. I believe it does use different muscles but for me it is a mind over motion thing because I am so used to going forward. :laugh:
  • Marla64
    Marla64 Posts: 23,120 Member
    Did somebody say treadmill??

    :wink: :laugh:

    treadmilfail.gif
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
    Did somebody say treadmill??

    :wink: :laugh:

    treadmilfail.gif
    ahh so this is what the kiddos are up to when the peanut bowl is out!:tongue::laugh: :laugh: :noway: I wanna see a pic when ALL of them are on it!

    Woman you're sick, just plain sick! But I love ya anyway Girl!:tongue::laugh: :laugh: :heart:
  • pegm
    pegm Posts: 119 Member
    Did somebody say treadmill??

    :wink: :laugh:

    treadmilfail.gif

    That video is exactly why I made my husband stay with me while I got started! Too funny!

    132656.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Food Diary
  • runnerdad
    runnerdad Posts: 2,081 Member
    Did somebody say treadmill??

    :wink: :laugh:

    treadmilfail.gif
    LOL:laugh: :laugh: My kids watched this over and over and blasted a gut.
  • healthy_me
    healthy_me Posts: 26
    I do this exercise all the time at the gym! Ever since I read that's how Fergie got her amazing legs I've done it. And man, it works. I crank up the incline to 15%, hold the sides for support, and do 2minute intervals forwards and backwards for about 20 minutes at the end of my cardio workouts.
  • greeneggsam
    greeneggsam Posts: 121
    I personally have not done this, but recently my husband saw a physical therapist for an ankle injury...and he had him doing this for rehab. So it must work something! :smile:

    This is actually an old trick that neurologists are just starting to understand. There was a study going on when I was in college where they had people with one side of their body affected by a stroke walking forward and backward. Compared to the control group (no stroke), the brain activity was very different when walking forward, but very similar when walking backward. The hypothesis is that walking backward is a novel task for most people, so we use different neural pathways to do it.

    So, all I'm really trying to say is, it is working something in your muscles, but also something in your brain.
    :happy:

    **getting off my nerdy soapbox**
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