It’s no secret that we’re big fans of walking (I mean, how else are we going to win our step challenge?). And while we’ll gladly take a casual stroll around the block, we’re always looking for strategies to amp up our daily steps for greater health benefits. So when Japanese walking began its rise to social media prominence, we had to take a closer look.

We reached out to two fitness pros to get their takes on Japanese walking and how to implement it into a productive exercise routine. 

The Experts:

• Zach Smith, PT, DPT, founder, owner, and Doctor of Physical Therapy at HIDEF Physical Therapy
• Baltazar Villanueva, personal trainer and nutrition coach at Relentless Spirit Personal Training & Nutrition

What is Japanese Walking, Anyway?

Japanese walking involves alternating intervals of fast and slow walking: Walk slowly for three minutes, walk more rapidly for three minutes, and repeat the cycle five times (totaling a 30-minute walk, ideally four to five times weekly). It’s an interval walking method designed to boost cardiovascular health and support weight management. 

Japanese walking can be traced to a 2007 clinical study headed by an exercise physiologist at Shinshu University in Japan. It found that high-intensity interval walking training protected against age-related shifts in blood pressure, thigh muscle strength, and aerobic capacity. While it’s been close to two decades since this study was published, the method made a comeback this year with a little help from TikTok (particularly fitness influencer Eugene Teo, who swears by it as a superior alternative to the typical 10,000 daily steps). 

What Are the Benefits of the Japanese Walking Method?

While it’s undoubtedly become a viral trend, does Japanese walking offer benefits to back up the hype? According to our pros, here are the biggest perks of this fitness strategy:

• Longevity

“The biggest benefit of Japanese interval walking is the increase to VO2 max, [which] is heavily tied to longevity,” says Dr. Smith. VO2 max refers to the volume of oxygen your body can use during exercise. “There are also studies that have shown walking speed is very predictive of longevity,” he adds. 

• Calorie burn

“Walking is the method I recommend to all my clients to achieve their step goal, which leads to fat loss and a more active lifestyle,” says Villanueva. “With that being said, I do have clients who are looking for a way to achieve a higher caloric burn without feeling like they're going to be found on the side of the road dead. The Japanese walking method is perfect for this. You can move briskly for a few minutes and return to a normal walking pace, [and] no muscle or joint damage is caused by performing this type of exercise.”

• Mental health refresh

Like any form of exercise, Japanese walking doesn’t just improve physical fitness—it can give you a mood boost and stress reset. “You can get outside and clear your thoughts and surroundings from screens, such as a TV or smartphone. Now, you can undoubtedly bring a phone on your walk, but it would be challenging to focus on it when you're picking up pace every three minutes,” says Villanueva. 

• Accessibility

While all types of walking are accessible, Japanese walking is an approachable alternative to more intensive exercise programs. “The great thing about the Japanese interval walking program is that it's very accessible to anyone and doesn't require any equipment,” says Dr. Smith. “Anytime we can motivate people to get out and walk more often, it's going to have benefits. This program is four to five times per week, which is a good amount of time to be exercising and starts to help people hit the minimum effective dose of exercise per week,” he adds. 

• Back and joint support

“Most people who walk at a slow pace don't really utilize lower extremity muscles that much, because we’re extremely efficient with slower paced walking,” says Dr. Smith. “Walking at a high speed gets the glutes engaged as you'll get more hip extension, and your knee will actually pass behind your hip. This will put you into full hip extension, which is good for the low back and the hip joint.”

• No next-day soreness

With the Japanese walking method, you won’t have to worry about muscle soreness sabotaging your schedule. “It will not leave you sore and unable to do something the following day. In fact, you could do this daily…it can be done as a low-intensity activity with family or friends,” says Villanueva. 

Can Japanese Walking Help With Weight Loss?

Searching for a low-impact strategy to maintain a healthy weight? Japanese walking could be just what you need. 

“Walking, in general, can help you lose weight,” says Villanueva. “Transitioning from a sedentary lifestyle to 10,000 to 15,000 steps daily will help you achieve your weight loss goal. With this method, you can add in some low-intensity cardio.”

“Think of it this way: If you were walking and able to hold a conversation with someone, you're moving at a level one when it comes to the talk test. Adding a brisk pace for three minutes should still allow you to maintain the same conversation, but now you are starting to break a sweat and elevate your heart rate. Thus, you are burning more calories. This will help enhance your ability to lose additional weight without damaging your joints as much as running can,” he says. 

Dr. Smith agrees: “Any time you’re increasing exercise, it will help you improve overall calorie expenditure. That pattern elevates your heart rate in waves, which keeps your metabolism higher during and after the workout. This phenomenon is called EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.”

In short, Japanese walking may help you lose weight by upping how many calories you burn in a day, without the impact on your joints that comes with running. 

Is Japanese Walking Right for You?

Our experts agree that anyone and everyone can benefit from Japanese walking. That said, these groups might be particularly good candidates:

• People not currently hitting weekly exercise recommendations (at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week)
• People looking to dive back into a wellness routine but struggle with high-impact cardio
• More advanced exercisers looking to add extra movement into their routines to complement other workouts, like weightlifting, without excessively stressing the body

Tips to Manage Your Walking Pace

So far, we’ve learned that Japanese walking’s health benefits largely hinge on the faster walking pace. So how will you know whether you’re walking fast enough? Both of our experts recommend the talk test. 

To hit a good pace for the quicker portion of Japanese walking, Dr. Smith says: “You should be breathing hard but still able to say short phrases, not full sentences. If you can carry on a conversation comfortably, you’re likely below the ideal intensity.” 

So, we hereby grant you permission to talk to yourself on your next walk. Or better yet, bring along a buddy and use your conversation as a gauge of your walking intensity. 

Stridekick Shop Picks: Kick-Start Your Walking Routine

With free step challenges, group events, and top-notch gear, Stridekick is here to make the most of your walking sessions. From HOKA trainers to help you push for extra steps to Superfeet orthotics and ONNIT Creatine, we’re a one-stop wellness shop. Browse our featured products for more fitness essentials.

Parting Words From Our Pros

Japanese walking has everything we look for in a hype-worthy fitness trend: accessible, enjoyable, and actually effective. Here are a few last thoughts from our experts to consider as you set out on your first session. 

• Alternate Japanese walking with strength or resistance training for a well-rounded routine. “Pairing this method with proper resistance training is the most effective way to lose body fat and build lean muscle tissue,” says Villanueva. 
• Aim to prolong the faster-walking period as you gain stamina. “Based on the research, it seems as though the fast walking part is serving the majority of the benefit, and the slow walking part is just allowing the person enough recovery to be able to do more fast walking,” says Dr. Smith. “If someone began to develop more cardiovascular fitness, they could extend the duration of the fast walking and decrease the rest interval.”

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