The fitness industry is no stranger to viral trends and fads, from exercise snacking to vibration plates to the 75 Hard Challenge, and there seems to be something new popping up every week.

One trend fitness influencers have been praising is the Japanese walking method. But what exactly does this involve, and it is worth trying?

We spoke to Steve Chambers, a certified personal trainer and gym manager at Ultimate Performance, who explained how this method works, as well as some of the benefits and potential drawbacks.

What is the Japanese walking method?

“It’s a cardiovascular training method, but it’s a little bit more focused than just going out and trying to do more steps because there’s a bit of a protocol to it,” says Chambers.

The Japanese walking method is also known as known as Interval Walking Training (IWT).

“It involves alternating between three minutes of walking at a slower, more relaxed pace, followed by three minutes of faster, more purposeful walking, repeated in cycles for around 30 minutes,” explains the personal trainer.

“So, the effectiveness of this workout come from the changes in intensity over this half an hour period, rather than the number of steps.”

Chambers recommends doing a warm-up before you start and explains that this method uses the RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) scale from 1 to 10 to help people measure and guide their pacing.

“For the slower three-minute periods, you want to be on the lower end of the scale, so I would recommend nothing more than a five out of 10,” advises Chambers. “If you do this with someone else, you should be able to hold a conversation during this three-minute window.

“However, for the faster three-minute periods, you want to try and push that up to a seven or an eight out of 10. So, you’re not quite maxing it because you want to be able to repeat this multiple times over the half an hour period, but your heart rate should go up quite a lot.”

What are the benefits?

Requires minimum equipment

“You can do it either on a treadmill or outdoors on foot,” says Chambers. “All you need is a stopwatch or a phone to help time the three-minute cycles.”

Ideal for beginners

“This training method is accessible to lots of different types of people, including those who are brand new to training and don’t know where to start,” says Chambers.

“The entry level for it is really low because your seven out of 10 versus somebody else’s will be completely different, so it’s accessible for different fitness levels.”

Is more gentle on your joints

“Running has a high impact on your joints when your feet hit the floor. However, the surface impact of walking is a lot lower, so this walking method of training is much more friendly on the joints,” says Chambers.

“Therefore, from a longevity perspective and an injury prevention perspective, this is a massive win.”

Engages lots of different muscles

“All the lower body muscles – such as your glute muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles – are engaged during this interval walking method,” says the personal trainer.

“Even the smaller muscles, ligaments and tendons in and around the feet will all be working while you walk.”

He adds that walking also naturally engages both your core and your arms too.

Boosts cardiovascular fitness

“During the faster intervals, you heart will be working a little bit harder and will be pumping more blood around the body, which will improve your cardiovascular fitness,” says Chambers.

Can be a social activity

“I would recommend asking a friend or family member to join you, as it can be a great opportunity to catch up with somebody,” suggests Chambers. “Sharing this journey can help boost enjoyment and motivation, which makes people more likely to keep going and do it more regularly.”

Is time efficient

“Everyone is so busy these days, so if you haven’t got a lot of time in your diary for training, you can just do this in a half an hour slot that you have spare,” says Chambers. “So, this is a really time-efficient training method which is another big win.”

Are there any limitations of this method to consider?

“One drawback is that there’s a limit of how much muscle growth, definition and strength that somebody could get out of following this walking training method,” says Chambers.

“This is because although the muscles are working whilst you are walking, there isn’t that external load that needs to be there to further increase strength levels and improve muscle definition. Therefore, I would recommend doing it in conjunction with other forms of training such as resistance training.”

He highlights that it’s also important to take every fitness trend you see on social media with a pinch of salt.

“I’ve seen many fitness trends come and go over the years, and while some are gems, some have no research to back them,” says Chambers. “So, if you see a fitness trend on social media I would recommend doing your own research and it might be worth consulting a personal trainer too to see if they know anything about it.”