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Move differently · 4 min read

Japanese walking
What if you changed your pace?

3 minutes slow, 3 minutes fast. A different way to cover your kilometres, without changing anything about your daily walk.

A woman walking along a tree-lined path in the soft morning light

In Japan, researchers studied a simple idea: instead of walking at the same pace for the whole outing, alternate slow and fast phases. It's called Japanese walking, or interval walking. No gear, no track: just a change of rhythm.

1 The method in 30 seconds

3 min Slow walking Easy pace. You can talk without effort and recover.
3 min Fast walking Brisk pace, no running. Your breathing quickens: you can say a few words, but no longer hold a conversation.
slow fast  ·  repeat 5 times (≈ 30 minutes), classically. Fewer is already great.

2 Why try it?

The method has mostly been tested by the Shinshu University team (Japan), in middle-aged and older adults, over several months. Compared with walking at a constant moderate pace, alternating gave better results on:

Endurance

Better aerobic capacity, meaning how easily you sustain an effort.

Cardiovascular fitness

Improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and, in some trials, in blood pressure.

Muscle strength

A strength gain in the thighs, which the fast phases work harder.

3 How to try it

  1. Set off as usual. A few minutes at an easy pace to get going.
  2. Speed up for about 3 minutes. A brisk pace, never running.
  3. Slow down for about 3 minutes. Breathe, look around you.
  4. Repeat as many times as you like. Once, twice, five times: you decide.
A country path in the soft morning light

It's a free discovery, with no performance requirement. No mandatory stopwatch: estimate the time with a watch, a song or every other street. If a phase is too hard, shorten it.

4 How it fits with WSWA

Try the alternations during your daily walk, whenever you like: at the start, in the middle or at the end. Nothing changes in how you log or validate your walk.

5 Who is it for?

For most walkers: the method adapts to everyone, since “slow” and “fast” are measured against your own pace.

  • Start with one or two cycles, then add more if you feel like it.
  • A gentle hill can replace a speed-up: the effort rises without you running.
  • Choose stable, safe ground for the fast phases.
  • Listen to your body. In case of pain, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or chest discomfort, slow down or stop.
  • Heart or joint problem, pregnancy, or ongoing treatment? Talk to your doctor first (see the medical disclaimer).

Going slower, shorter or less often is still walking, and good walking. Respecting your capacities is part of the method.

Go further

References

  1. Nemoto K. et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2007: 5-month trial of interval walking in middle-aged and older adults (Shinshu University, Japan)
  2. Masuki S. et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2019: large-scale interval walking programme in middle-aged and older adults (Shinshu University, Japan)
  3. Karstoft K. et al., Diabetes Care, 2013: interval walking in people with type 2 diabetes (Copenhagen, Denmark)

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