What it is
Interval walking training, now often called Japanese walking, was developed by researchers at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan. The idea is simple: instead of walking at one steady pace, you switch between fast and slow every three minutes.
In the research version, the fast intervals were set at about 70% or more of each person's peak aerobic capacity, and the slow intervals at about 40%. In everyday terms, fast is a pace that makes you breathe hard but that you can hold for three minutes; slow is a relaxed recovery walk.
What the study found
Nemoto and colleagues published the main trial in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2007. Middle-aged and older adults (average age in the early 60s) were split into groups. One did interval walking, one did continuous moderate walking, and one did no training, for five months.
The interval walkers did at least five rounds of 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes slow, four or more days a week. They improved thigh muscle strength and peak aerobic capacity, and their blood pressure fell. The steady moderate walkers, despite walking a similar amount, showed much smaller changes.
It is one well-designed study plus follow-up work from the same group, not a large body of evidence. The results are promising, and the method is low cost and easy to try.
How to do it
A watch or phone timer with a 3-minute repeat makes the switches easy to follow.
- Warm up with a few minutes of easy walking.
- Walk fast for 3 minutes: breathing hard, talking in short phrases.
- Walk slowly for 3 minutes: easy, recovering.
- Repeat for 5 rounds (30 minutes) or more.
- Aim for at least 4 days a week, as in the research.
- Start with fewer rounds if 5 feels like too much, and build up.
Pacing it with steps per minute
The original study set intensity from lab fitness tests, which most people cannot do at home. Cadence is a practical stand-in. For many adults, the fast interval will land somewhere above 110 to 120 steps a minute, and the slow interval below 100. These are rough guides, not the study's own figures.
As a rough count, one 30-minute session at an average of about 110 steps a minute is around 3,300 steps, or about 2.5 km for an average adult, 0.75 m step.
Our browser step counter shows your live steps per minute while the page is open and the screen is on, against a 100 steps a minute brisk line, which helps you notice when a fast interval has drifted back to an easy pace. It cannot measure your aerobic capacity, so use how you feel as the main guide.
Who should take care
The fast intervals are harder than normal walking. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure that is not controlled, joint problems, or have been inactive for a long time, talk to a doctor before starting. Stop and rest if you feel chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.