The Japanese Walking Method Might Change How You Use Walking for Fitness
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A walking method developed in Japan is gaining worldwide attention as a low-impact but powerful way to improve health and fitness. Called Interval Walking Training (IWT), the workout alternates three minutes of brisk walking with three minutes at an easier pace, repeated for about half an hour.
Researchers in Japan found that when middle-aged and older adults followed this plan several days a week, they improved aerobic capacity (VO₂peak), thigh strength and systolic blood pressure compared with continuous moderate walking.
Personal Trainer Dan Go, who has discussed the method on his popular fitness YouTube channel, explains that “in its essence, the Japanese walking technique is a way to amplify walking.” By cycling speed, he said, people can get “greater cardiovascular benefits [and] better muscular benefits, even from walking, especially in the older ages.”
Why Interval Walking Works
Some often consider walking to be too gentle to create big fitness changes. That is what makes IWT stand out.
“The Japanese interval walking training is a science-backed walking protocol that alternates these periods of brisk walking and slower walking,” Go said. “This is all done to maximize cardiovascular, metabolic and muscular benefits in a very low-impact and accessible way.”
Researchers in Japan studied the method in middle-aged and older adults and found it improved aerobic fitness, leg strength, and blood pressure more than steady walking. The brisk segments push the heart rate into a moderate-to-hard zone, while the easier intervals provide recovery.
That balance makes it beginner-friendly for “older people who are in their 70s and 80s, who might not necessarily want to be jogging miles, but instead walking, because it’s a more low-intensity way of getting almost the same benefit,” Go said.
Rather than leaping straight into jogging, Go also sees interval walking as a safer and more sustainable “step up” for sedentary adults.
“You have to give your body a ramp-up period to develop the strength, the endurance, to go at higher intensities,” Go said.
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Japanese Walking Method vs 12-3-30 Treadmill Workout
The rise of the Japanese walking method comes at the same time as another viral walking workout. The 12-3-30 treadmill routine involves participants walking at a 12 percent incline at 3 miles per hour for 30 minutes. While both workouts take about half an hour, they stress and strain the body differently.
Research shows that walking uphill increases energy expenditure compared to walking on flat ground, and it shifts more work to the calves, hamstrings, and glutes. Incline walking also raises cardiovascular and muscular demands, though it has been less studied than IWT in long-term trials.
Still, Go sees an edge in IWT because of its flexibility and the option to take it outside.
“Outside is the absolute best,” he said, pointing to the benefits of fresh air, daylight, and nature. Specifically, he notes the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, where outdoor walks are used to reduce stress and anxiety. For him, that is one reason interval walking may be easier to sustain than treadmill routines alone.
That said, Go encourages variety.
“It’s cool to do a different stimulus for your body, especially when you’ve gotten used to it for so long,” Go said.
Someone who plateaus on IWT might find renewed challenge in incline walking, while those accustomed to 12-3-30 could benefit from the alternating rhythm of IWT.
Where Daily Step Counts Fit In
The long-standing benchmark of 10,000 steps a day remains part of the conversation. More recent studies suggest the bigger health payoff often begins around 7,000 steps per day. In one group, averaging at least 7,000 steps was associated with a 50-70% lower risk of mortality compared with fewer steps.
Go frames it more flexibly as “just get 1,000 steps more than what you’re getting right now,” setting his own “floor” at 7,000 steps and treats 10,000 steps as a ceiling.
“Should it be mandatory? I don’t think it should be mandatory,” he said.
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How to Fit Walking into Your Routine
While many weightlifters may dismiss walking as an activity to add to their workout, Go argues it also fits well with strength-focused routines.
“It’s not enough to just lift weights in the gym. You actually have to get movement outside of it,” Go said. “If I want to optimize my steps to elicit the best benefit, especially for bodybuilders who want to get leaner, I would do it right after my workout.”
Go said that when you do cardio after you lift, “it’s almost like your body is primed to burn that fat” because of the different hormones and endorphins being released.
Researchers have debated whether exercise timing makes a difference, but Go emphasizes that optimization is less important than adding it in a way that you can stick with it.
“Does optimize mean you can do that consistently? I don’t know. I don’t want to do my walking right after a gym session, because that’s going to elongate my time inside the gym, and I want to get out of there as fast as possible,” Go said, echoing a common concern of weightlifters.
For busy people, Go recommends weaving walking into daily life whenever possible.
“If I were to do it in a way that fits my lifestyle,” Go said. “I’m going to get a standing desk, going to get an under-the-desk treadmill, and I’m going to do things like this, where if I have these meetings, I’m going to talk to you and I’m going to get my steps in at the same time.”
And for those who use walking as their main form of exercise, he said it can stand on its own as long as it’s combined with some resistance work to preserve muscle mass.
At every level, his advice circles back to consistency.
“The best workout is always going to be the one that you stick with the most,” Go said.
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Stepping Up Your Life
Although many people turn to walking to burn calories or as active recovery, the benefits extend further. Regular walking supports mental health, lowers stress, and improves mood.
“I have never seen a problem that cannot be solved with a 30-minute walk.” Go said. “When you walk, especially without any tech, you are going to bring your cortisol levels down, you are going to be in almost like a meditative state.”
He said that the calming effect helps people return to their day with more focus and energy.
In the end, Go suggests using the Japanese walking method not to replace your regular walking habit, but to build on it.
“If walking was one of these things you wanted to bring into your life,” Go said, “you do that for long enough, we’ll introduce something like the IWT to amplify it, and make it a little bit better.”
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