I write about fitness for a living, but on days when I’m lacking motivation, there’s one workout I always return to — the Japanese Walking Method. It only takes 30 minutes and is scientifically proven to boost aerobic fitness, work the muscles in your lower body, and look after your heart health. Read on to find out more.
As a reminder, what works for me might not be right for you and your body. While this workout is beginner-friendly and suitable for most, if you’re pregnant or postpartum, or recovering from an injury or surgery, always check with a qualified professional before trying something new.
What is the Japanese Walking Method?
This workout, also known as Interval Walking Training (IWT), was developed by Dr. Hiroshi Nose at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan. It’s a simple workout — here’s how I set it up on my Apple Watch before heading out for a walk. If you don’t have a smartwatch, you can use the timer on your phone or a stopwatch to time the intervals.
You’ll also want to ensure you have a comfortable pair of walking shoes on your feet. Right now, my go-to sneaker for easy runs and walks is the Asics Novablast 6, but you can check out our roundup of the best Skechers here, which are also popular for walking workouts.
Here’s how to do it:
- Set a timer on your watch or phone and 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 for three minutes at a high intensity. This is a 7/10 walking effort — you should be working hard.
- Repeat 5 times, switching between paces for a 30-minute workout.
Studies have found IWT has several health benefits. After three months of doing a 30-minute interval walk three times a week, participants had lower blood pressure and cholesterol, increased leg strength, and more aerobic capacity than those who walked continuously at a moderate pace for the same time. Here’s what happened to my back pain and energy levels when I did it for a month.
What are the benefits?
As mentioned above, there’s scientific evidence to support that interval walking workouts like this one get results. I’ve personally found it a game-changer for my lower back, as I suffer from sciatica, and often find that too much time sitting down behind a desk makes it a lot worse. But in addition to boosting your mood, interval walking can do a lot more for your body.
It can boost your aerobic fitness
As mentioned above, the clinical studies from Shinshu University showed that participants who practiced IWT for five months increased their peak VO2 max by 14%. Your VO2 max is simply the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and use during intense exercise.
It’s considered the best score when looking at cardiorespiratory fitness, as a higher VO2 max means you can pump more oxygen to your muscles and run or cycle faster and longer before getting exhausted. A higher VO2 max is also linked to a longer lifespan and a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
It can strengthen the muscles in your lower body
Compared to steady-state walking, as you pick up the pace during this workout, you’ll be working your quads, hamstrings and calves harder. As a runner, strong lower-body muscles are essential for helping me get to the start line of my next marathon. While this workout is low-impact enough to use on rest days, it helps me accumulate extra aerobic load to get stronger and faster.
The IWT is also great for runners, as it can help strengthen the stabilizers in the lower body. During a fast walking stride, you’ll be engaging your glutes and hamstrings and extending your hips to full extension. These are often muscles that runners overlook and can help reduce the risk of muscle injuries and imbalances in the body.
You’ll burn more calories
If weight loss is your goal, you’ll burn more calories during this 30-minute walking workout than you would doing a steady-state walk. This is because the faster intervals raise your heart rate, then the lower intervals drop it — this spiking and dropping triggers an elevated post-exercise oxygen consumption compared to a steady stroll.
Of course, the best way to lose weight is to ensure you’re in a calorie deficit — in other words, burn more calories than you consume. To keep track of this, it’s best to wear one of the best fitness trackers.
It can help strengthen your heart
Walking workouts are a great way to strengthen your heart, which is essential, especially as we get older. The three-minute fast intervals force your heart muscle to pump a larger volume of blood with every single beat.
Over time, this increases the heart’s stroke volume and efficiency. Rapidly cycling between elevated heart rate and active recovery can also improve the heart’s blood flow and overall vascular function.
As well as looking after the heart muscle, IWT helps lower cholesterol levels and control blood sugar more effectively than continuous walking workouts. These can help protect against heart disease and keep the blood vessels healthy.
It’s low-impact and joint-friendly
By nature, this workout is low-impact and kind to your joints, making it a great form of active recovery, but also suitable for beginners or those getting back into fitness following an extended break.
It’s important to listen to your body and your breathing during this workout — the fast-paced intervals should be at a 7/10 intensity that feels right for you. Over time, as you get fitter, your pace will likely increase, but ensure that you’re listening to your body and really letting your heart rate drop on the easier intervals.
What are you waiting for? Grab your sneakers and give this one a go; you won’t regret it.
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