The Most Dangerous Walk You'll Ever Take (& Why It's Worth It)
Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast
Dr. Eric Berg
4.7 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 15 June 2026
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Most people overlook this simple walking exercise that supports ankle strength, hamstring flexibility, and helps improve balance naturally. Discover the profound benefits of reverse walking for brain health, knee pain relief, mobility, and more. It can even promote brain rewiring!
0:00 Introduction: Walking for brain health
0:59 Natural movement/walking on flat surfaces
3:00 Walking backwards
3:14 Backward walking benefits
3:52 Walking backwards uphill
4:57 How to prevent injury while reverse walking
The Backward Hill Protocol: https://drbrg.co/4xCZ1Ki
10 biological signals control how you feel every day, but only 1 matters most for YOUR body. Take the free 2-minute quiz to find out: https://drbrg.co/4tO9nV9
Walking on flat surfaces does not mimic natural movement. Natural movement involves uneven terrain, inclines, rocks, and other unpredictable surfaces that challenge the body and brain.
The cerebellum, which controls balance, contains nearly half of the brain's neurons. When movement becomes repetitive and automatic, the brain doesn’t have to work as hard. Novel movement and changing pressure patterns can help stimulate the brain in new ways.
Reverse walking shifts pressure away from the knees and forces the hamstrings and glutes to become more active.
Some of the benefits of reverse walking include:
• Reduced knee pressure
• Improved hamstring flexibility
• Better balance and coordination
• Cognitive function improvement
Once you’re comfortable with reverse walking, try walking backwards uphill. Reverse walking uphill is one of the best glute activation exercises and can also help improve ankle strength and coordination.
Dr. Eric Berg, DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 61, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.
Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
*Dr. Eric Berg, DC, is not AI-generated. AI-enhanced elements may be used in this video for production purposes only.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The most dangerous walk you will ever take and why it's worth it. Today I'm going to show you |
| 0:05.4 | the most bizarre 10-minute walking protocol that will act like the ultimate biological reset |
| 0:11.7 | for your entire body. And I'm not just talking about getting fit or helping your lungs or your |
| 0:17.2 | heart. I'm talking about rewiring your brain. But I have to start with a warning because |
| 0:22.3 | what I'm going to describe could land you in the emergency room. If your knees are aching and your |
| 0:28.9 | balance is a little bit off and you find yourself shuffling a little bit more than usual, |
| 0:33.3 | the absolute worst thing you could possibly do is go for a normal walk on a flat sidewalk. |
| 0:39.5 | This will be accelerating the breakdown of knee cartilage when you do that. |
| 0:44.0 | But I'm giving you a disclaimer because I know someone's going to say, well, Dr. Berg, |
| 0:47.5 | I can't believe you're recommending this for people right out of the gate without actually warming up. |
| 0:53.2 | Well, I'm not saying that. I'm saying you have to |
| 0:55.4 | do this gradually to work up to it. First, let's talk about what happens when you walk on a flat |
| 1:02.1 | sidewalk to get your exercise, right? Or even a flat treadmill. Very similar to when you go to the zoo |
| 1:07.6 | and you see these animals inside their cages, they have this like flat |
| 1:11.2 | cement, very, very unnatural. Your foot has been perfectly sculpted over a very, very long time |
| 1:17.3 | to navigate uneven surfaces, rocks, dirt, unpredictable terrain. But for the last hundred years, |
| 1:25.2 | we've put our feet in these things called shoes, and then we |
| 1:29.3 | walk on very flat, hard surfaces for long periods of time. |
| 1:34.3 | Your cerebellum that controls balance and coordination and posture literally contains half of the |
| 1:40.9 | neurons in your entire brain. |
| 1:42.3 | But because you only walk on flat surfaces, |
| 1:45.2 | everything's very predictable. |
... |
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