What is the ‘backwards walking’ workout on TikTok, and does it really work?

The latest workout trend on TikTok involves walking backward on a treadmill — but does this viral fitness craze actually yield results? Here’s everything we know.

TikTok is a hive for popular workout tips and fitness trends, with several health ‘hacks’ going viral on the platform over the years.

For instance, the 12-3-30 treadmill workout took over TikTok a few years ago, and ‘cozy cardio’ came in with a bang shortly thereafter.

Now, the latest workout craze is all about walking backward — but does it actually make you break a sweat?

Walking backwards TikTok workout explained

The ‘walk backwards’ tag on TikTok has grown more and more popular over the past few months, with several fitness influencers racking up millions of views by touting the benefits of the unusual workout.

For instance, TikToker and MMA fighter Kaytlin Katniss says the workout “gets the blood flowing” and helped her recover from an injury, while TikToker Chayse M Byrd claimed that the workout yielded improvements in her knee health, coordination, and posture.

Influencers aren’t the only ones hawking this new fitness fad; occupational therapist and TikToker ‘kali OT’ explained that walking backwards can strengthen muscles in the knees to increase stability and prevent injury.

The best part about it is that you don’t need to spend twenty minutes on the treadmill to see results, with kali OT saying that she only “adds a few minutes” of this to her overall workout routine.

Biomechanics expert Janet Dufek has been studying the effects of backwards walking for 20 years. In an interview with the BBC, she explained that walking backwards for just 10-15 minutes per day over four weeks can strengthen back muscles, increase hamstring flexibility, and even reduce lower back pain.

“Our research has shown that, indirectly, backward walking has some benefits relative to lower back pain simply because you’re stretching the hamstrings,” Dufek said. “Often one of the pieces that’s tied to lower back pain is tight hamstrings.”

While the walking backwards fitness trend has been around for a hot minute, formerly being called “retro walking” in the early 1900s, it looks like it’s making a big comeback… all thanks to TikTok.