‘Japanese’ interval walking is an easy way to become fit, experts say

By Melanie Radzicki McManus, CNN

(CNN) — One of the latest fitness fads trending on social media is “Japanese walking,” a 30-minute exercise regimen in which you alternate walking at a normal pace with bursts of speed. It’s easy to see the appeal.

Japanese walking is a relatively short, accessible workout that doesn’t require a gym membership or special equipment. All you have to do is walk out the door.

“What I like about Japanese walking is that anyone can do it,” said Dr. Irvin Sulapas, a sports medicine physician and associate professor at UTHealth Houston. “You don’t need to do super high-intensity workouts, where you’re sore and tired, to gain improvements to your health.”

Japanese researchers developed this exercise regimen — hence the moniker Japanese walking — more than 20 years ago. The goal was to increase physical fitness among middle-aged and older adults, plus help this group prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

High-intensity interval walking may protect older people from higher blood pressure, the researchers found. The activity may also help combat decreased thigh muscle strength and diminished peak aerobic capacity, according to the July 2007 study.

This same research team found in a related 2009 review that five months of interval walking training increased participants’ physical fitness and improved their indices of lifestyle-related diseases by an average of 10% to 20%.

More recently, older adults who practiced Japanese walking for five months showed improvements in resting blood pressure, lower-limb muscle strength and VO2 max, a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance, according to a 2025 study by a different group of scientists. This latest research may have sparked Japanese walking’s current popularity.

High-intensity interval walking — and other forms of exercise — are definitely good for your heart health and well-being, said Dr. Sergiu Darabant, a medical cardiologist at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida.

“But Japanese walking is intriguing to many because it offers an entry to exercise from a sedentary lifestyle,” Darabant said. “It’s not intimidating.”

How to get started

In the 2007 study, researchers instructed participants to alternate three minutes of fast walking at 70% peak aerobic capacity — a moderate- to high-intensity pace — with three minutes of slower walking at 40% peak aerobic capacity, a low-intensity exercise level, for at least 30 minutes on four days per week.

That’s generally the same advice experts give today, although Darabant suggested upping the walk to five days per week. If you do so, you’ll be getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, the exact recommendation for aerobic activity from the American Heart Association.

How do you know if you’re walking fast enough during your speedy minutes? Walk as fast as you can without breaking into a jog, Darabant said.

“Generally, a brisk walk is considered around 4 miles per hour, although everyone’s different,” Sulapas said. Four miles per hour equates to a 15-minute-per-mile pace.

As with any exercise, safety is key. Before rushing outside to try Japanese walking, consult your doctor, and stop immediately if you experience pain. Keep in mind you can also practice Japanese walking indoors on a treadmill, especially if your streets aren’t well-paved, it’s icy out, or you don’t have a safe place to walk.

“If you’re using a treadmill, set the incline at 1% to 2%,” Sulapas said, as this incline best mimics the resistance the average person gets from walking outside.

But if you do have the option of performing this workout alfresco, especially in a natural setting, that’s the best option, Darabant said.

“Engaging with the outdoors is 100% better,” he said. “It not only helps your overall physique, but it helps engage your mind, reduces anxiety and connects you with nature.”

Transitioning to other forms of exercise

Once you’re a pro at Japanese walking, you may want to consider advancing to jogging or walking with a weighted vest.

“The more intense the level, the better outcomes you’ll see,” Darabant said.

Yet in the end, committing to your exercise regimen is most important.

“I don’t mean this as a pun, but exercise is a marathon, not a sprint,” Darabant said. “We should all aim for consistency and a clear lifestyle change. Embarking on an exercise journey should be done gradually.”

Sulapas agreed. “Interval walking is a great start to someone’s fitness journey,” he said. “As you become more fit, you can always up the intensity. But there are definitely health benefits, even if you stick with interval walking.”

Which, incidentally, both physicians practice. Sulapas employs Japanese walking toward the end of the half-marathons he runs. “By then,” he said, “I’m kind of hurting!”

Darabant turns to Japanese walking whenever he’s short on time and energy. “It’s always my go-to backup,” he said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.