Forget 10,000 steps — try my 3-4-5 walking workout to boost your cardiovascular fitness and mood

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It’s my new favorite walking workout. Here’s how to try it

a woman on a trail with arms outstretched
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

I’ll start this article with a strong caveat — I’m not a personal trainer or a walking coach, I’m a fitness editor and enthusiast, who reviews gear and tests new workouts for a living.

Like the rest of the fitness world, I’ve recently been swept up in the Japanese walking method hype, and it’s changed my walking workouts for good, but after a month, I found myself thinking, what's next?

In order to get fitter and stronger, you need to keep progressing your workouts. With walking workouts, this is pretty easy — you simply walk faster, add weight in the form of a weighted vest (or in my case, a baby strapped to your torso in a sling), walk up hill, or increase the time you spend walking.

That said, if you’re looking for a new walking workout to try this summer, why not give my 3-4-5 walking method a go? Read on to find out exactly how to do it. As a reminder, if you’re returning to workouts following an injury or pregnancy, it’s always a good idea to get signed off by a medical professional before taking on a new routine.

What is the 3-4-5 walking workout?

Similar to the Japanese Walking Method, my 3-4-5 workout is also a form of HIIT training that involves changing the pace throughout the session. I found it best to program the walking workout on my Apple Watch beforehand (here’s how to build a custom workout on your Apple Watch), but you can do the same on most of the best fitness trackers.

If you don’t have a fitness tracker, just use a stopwatch or the stopwatch on your smartphone.

Here’s how to do it:

  • Walk for three minutes at a low intensity. This should be a 4/10 effort — you’re still moving, but you should easily be able to hold a conversation with someone next to you.
  • Then walk four minutes at a high intensity. This is a 7/10 walking effort — you should be working hard.
  • Repeat this 5 times. You’ll walk for 35 minutes in total.

a photo of a woman wearing walking boots

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

I’ve been doing the 3-4-5 walking workout for a week — here are the benefits

As you might have spotted, this progresses the Japanese walking method by increasing the time spent walking at a faster pace and adding five minutes to the workout. Here’s what I noticed:

The extra 60 seconds of work makes all the difference

60 seconds doesn’t sound like a long time, until you’re having to power through another minute of walking at a fast pace. The extra minute of work made this feel like a step up from the three-minute intervals involved in the Japanese walking method. It’s enough to keep your heart rate elevated for a little bit longer, and I felt like I’d worked harder and burned more calories during this walking workout.

One of the benefits of adding intervals to your walks is raising your heart rate. This helps lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and increases your aerobic capacity compared to walking continuously at a moderate pace for the same time.

You’re also likely to burn more calories than you would if you just walked at a moderate pace for 35 minutes, which is useful if you're walking for weight loss.

Knowing how many times I was repeating the intervals helped

I’ve run five marathons, and one thing that always gets me through the final miles is counting. From mile 20, I’ll count each step to 100, then start again, or work out how many minutes of running I have left and count down. It helps keep my mind busy when the going gets tough.

I also use a similar technique in my speed workouts when running, counting down the intervals, work, or laps of the track left. I liked counting down from five during this workout — knowing I only had one interval or four minutes of work left allowed me to push my pace.

It raised my heart rate and boosted my mood

I’m not walking to lose weight, but using it as a way to rebuild my fitness postpartum, and keep moving on days when my toddler doesn’t go to daycare, and I can’t head out for a run.

It’s also a great form of active recovery, and stops my legs getting too stiff between running and strength training sessions. I have to walk my dog every day, so why not mix it up and make it more of a workout?

As well as raising my heart rate and leaving me feeling like I’d done a workout, not just rambled along with a podcast, my 3-4-5 walking workout left me with all those happy, post-workout endorphins flowing through my body before I sat down at my desk.

It’s a fun challenge, and one you can do for free, from anywhere. Do it on a treadmill, with a friend or a dog, in your local park, or up a hill if you want to really work your legs. All you need is a comfy pair of sneakers and 35 minutes. Happy walking!

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Jane McGuire
Jane McGuire
Fitness editor

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy. 

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