Japanese interval walking, also known as interval walking training (IWT), is a walking method that alternates three minutes of brisk walking with three minutes of slower walking. A typical session repeats this cycle five times, for 30 minutes.
The method was developed and studied by Hiroshi Nose and colleagues at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan. This guide explains how it works, how fast “fast” is, how often to do it, what the published studies found and didn't find, and how to follow the intervals without staring at a clock. It is general information, not medical advice.
In short
- The routine: 3 minutes fast, 3 minutes easy, 5 rounds, on 4 or more days a week, as used in the studies.
- Fast means brisk for you: talking takes effort. Easy means relaxed: your breathing settles. Neither is a run.
- Findings: in 5-month studies of adults around 60–65, it improved walking fitness and thigh strength and lowered blood pressure more than steady moderate walking [1].
- What matters most appears to be the minutes spent walking fast, up to about 50 minutes a week [4].
- Limits: most evidence comes from one research group and from middle-aged and older adults; long-term adherence is still an open question [5].
What is Japanese interval walking?
It is ordinary walking with a rhythm. Instead of holding one steady pace for half an hour, you switch between a brisk pace and an easy pace every three minutes. The brisk minutes push your heart and legs; the easy minutes let you recover so you can push again.
No equipment is needed beyond comfortable shoes and a way to keep time. It can be done outdoors, in a park, or on a treadmill, and it fits inside a walk you might already take.
Where did Japanese interval walking come from?
Interval walking training was developed in the early 2000s by a research group led by Hiroshi Nose at Shinshu University's Graduate School of Medicine in Matsumoto, Nagano. The group was looking for a form of exercise that middle-aged and older people could do on their own, without a gym, and that improved fitness more than steady walking. Their first randomised trial was published in 2007 [1], followed by studies with hundreds of participants in the Matsumoto area [2] [4].
Researchers in Copenhagen later tested the method in people with type 2 diabetes [3], and the two groups reviewed the evidence together in 2024 [5]. “Japanese walking” is the informal name the method picked up as it spread online; researchers call it interval walking training.
How the 3-3-5 method works
“3-3-5” is a handy shorthand: 3 minutes fast, 3 minutes easy, 5 rounds. It isn't a scientific name; the studies describe the same structure as interval walking training. Each round lasts 6 minutes, and five rounds make a 30-minute session.
- Walk fast for 3 minutes.
- Walk easy for 3 minutes.
- That's one round. Repeat until you have done 5.
Many people add a few minutes of easy walking before the first round and after the last as a warm-up and cool-down. The demonstration below plays a full session in 30 seconds.
Voice cue
“Round one. Fast pace, go!”
Spoken over your music, which dips for a moment and comes right back.
Tap any block to jump to that interval.
30 minutes, played in 30 seconds.
What counts as fast versus easy walking?
In the Shinshu studies, each participant's peak aerobic capacity for walking was measured, and the fast pace was set at 70% or more of it and the easy pace at about 40% [1]. Outside a lab, effort is a practical guide:
- Fast: a brisk, purposeful pace. You are breathing harder and could speak in short sentences, but not easily. Your arms swing naturally and your stride lengthens.
- Easy: a comfortable stroll. Your breathing settles and you could hold a conversation.
Fast is relative to you. For one person it is a quick stride; for another it is a little quicker than usual. It is never a jog or a run, and there is no target speed to hit. If you can't speak at all, ease off a little.
What happens during a 30-minute session?
- Warm-up (optional, a few minutes): easy walking to get going.
- 0:00–3:00, round 1 fast. Settle into a brisk pace.
- 3:00–6:00, round 1 easy. Let your breathing settle.
- 6:00–18:00, rounds 2 and 3. The same rhythm. By the end of round 3 you are halfway.
- 18:00–30:00, rounds 4 and 5. The last fast interval starts at 24:00.
- Cool-down (optional, a few minutes): easy walking to finish.
That adds up to 15 minutes of fast walking and 15 minutes of easy walking per session.
How often should you practice it?
Participants in the Shinshu studies were asked to do at least 5 rounds a day on at least 4 days a week [1] [2]. In a 5-month analysis of 679 people, fitness gains tracked the minutes spent walking fast each week, rising up to about 50 minutes a week and then levelling off [4]. Four sessions of five rounds is 60 minutes of fast walking a week.
If that is too much at first, start with fewer rounds or fewer days and build up over a few weeks. A routine you can keep is worth more than an ambitious one you drop.
What does the scientific research show?
Interval versus steady walking (2007). In a 5-month randomised study of 246 adults (mean age 63), one group did interval walking, one walked continuously at a moderate pace, and one did no walking training. In the interval group, knee extension strength rose 13%, knee flexion strength 17% and peak aerobic capacity for walking 9%, all significantly more than in the continuous-walking group, and resting systolic blood pressure fell more [1]. Not everyone reached the training targets in any group.
Fitness and health markers (2011). In 666 adults aged around 65 who completed 4 months of interval walking and all measurements before and after, peak aerobic capacity and thigh strength increased, and body weight, body mass index, body fat, blood pressure and blood glucose decreased across all fitness levels. The changes were largest in the least fit participants [2].
Fast-walking time is the key (2019). In 679 adults (mean age 65) over 5 months, estimated peak aerobic capacity rose 14% and a combined score of lifestyle-related disease risk fell 17% on average. Improvements tracked the minutes spent walking fast each week, up to about 50 minutes, then levelled off; slow or total walking time did not predict the gains [4].
Type 2 diabetes (2013). A small randomised trial in Copenhagen with 32 people with type 2 diabetes compared 4 months of interval walking, energy-matched continuous walking, and no training. Only the interval group improved fitness (VO₂max up about 16%), reduced body fat and lowered glucose measured by continuous monitoring [3].
Where the evidence stands (2024). A review by researchers from both groups concludes that interval walking improves fitness and muscle strength and reduces factors associated with lifestyle-related diseases, but that long-term adherence remains a challenge and long-term real-world studies on hard health outcomes are still needed [5].
What the research doesn't show:
- Most studies come from the research group that developed the method, in Japan, with middle-aged and older adults. Results may differ for other groups.
- Studies lasted months, not years, and measured fitness and risk markers rather than outcomes such as heart attacks or lifespan.
- Intensity in the studies was set from lab measurements. Walking by feel is a practical approximation, not the same protocol.
- No study shows that an app or timer, including NipponWalk, produces these results. A timer can only help you follow the routine.
Is Japanese walking suitable for beginners?
Often, yes. It is walking, so it is low-impact, and “fast” is set by your own effort rather than a speed. In the 2011 study the least fit participants improved the most [2]. The main studies were done in adults in their 60s, so the method was designed with older and less active people in mind.
The standard 3-3-5 session isn't the right starting point for everyone. If you are new to exercise, try two or three rounds, or a shorter fast interval, and add more as it gets comfortable.
Talk to your doctor before starting if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, joint or balance problems, are pregnant, are recovering from illness or surgery, or haven't exercised in a while. Stop and seek help if you feel chest pain, dizziness, or unusual shortness of breath.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Turning the fast part into a jog. Fast means brisk walking. If you can't say a short sentence, slow down a little.
- Making the fast part too gentle. The fast minutes are what the research links to the gains. Brisk should feel like effort.
- Skipping the easy part. The easy minutes are what let you walk fast again in the next round.
- Doing too much in the first week. Build up rounds and days gradually.
- Watching the clock. Checking a screen every minute breaks your stride and your attention, especially near traffic.
- Music too loud to hear your surroundings. Keep one ear on the road.
How to follow the intervals without watching a timer
The routine is simple; keeping time is the awkward part. Some options:
- A free web timer. Our Japanese walking timer runs in your browser and speaks each switch. Keep the screen on: browsers can pause timers when the phone locks.
- A repeating alarm. A phone timer set to 3 minutes and restarted ten times works, but it means handling your phone at every switch.
- Apple Watch. Apple's Workout app can run a custom workout with work and recovery intervals, and taps your wrist at each change.
- A dedicated app. NipponWalk is being built to call every switch with a short voice cue while your phone stays locked in your pocket and your music keeps playing.
How NipponWalk helps
NipponWalk calls each switch with a short voice cue, on time, while your phone stays locked and your music keeps playing. The Lock Screen and Dynamic Island show the phase and countdown, an Apple Watch can tap your wrist at each switch through the Workout app, and each walk is saved to Apple Health. See how the app works.
NipponWalk is in development and has not launched. It is not available on the App Store yet, and the private TestFlight beta has not opened. Join the waitlist to be invited. Join the waitlist.
Frequently asked questions
Is “3-3-5 walking” the same as Japanese interval walking?
Yes. 3-3-5 is shorthand for 3 minutes fast, 3 minutes easy, 5 rounds, which is the structure used in interval walking training studies. The researchers don't use the 3-3-5 name.
Do I need any equipment?
No. Comfortable walking shoes and a way to keep time are enough. A watch, a phone timer or an app can call the switches for you.
Can I do Japanese walking on a treadmill?
Yes. Change the speed at each switch, and keep the fast setting at a brisk walk, not a jog. Hills and outdoor routes work too, as long as you can change pace safely.
Can I listen to music while I do it?
Yes. Keep the volume low enough to hear traffic and your surroundings. Some timers, including NipponWalk, speak over your music at each switch.
Is it better than regular walking?
In the Shinshu trial, interval walking improved fitness, thigh strength and blood pressure more than continuous moderate walking over 5 months. That doesn't make steady walking worthless; any regular walking is good for you.
Will Japanese walking help me lose weight?
Some studies measured small reductions in body weight and body fat, but the method wasn't designed or tested as a weight-loss program, and results vary from person to person. We don't make weight-loss claims.
References
- Nemoto K, Gen-no H, Masuki S, Okazaki K, Nose H. Effects of high-intensity interval walking training on physical fitness and blood pressure in middle-aged and older people. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2007;82(7):803–811. doi:10.4065/82.7.803 · PubMed 17605959
- Morikawa M, Okazaki K, Masuki S, Kamijo Y, Yamazaki T, Gen-no H, Nose H. Physical fitness and indices of lifestyle-related diseases before and after interval walking training in middle-aged and older males and females. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2011;45(3):216–224. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2009.064816 · PubMed 19846423
- Karstoft K, Winding K, Knudsen SH, Nielsen JS, Thomsen C, Pedersen BK, Solomon TP. The effects of free-living interval-walking training on glycemic control, body composition, and physical fitness in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized, controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2013;36(2):228–236. doi:10.2337/dc12-0658 · PubMed 23002086
- Masuki S, Morikawa M, Nose H. High-intensity walking time is a key determinant to increase physical fitness and improve health outcomes after interval walking training in middle-aged and older people. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2019;94(12):2415–2426. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.04.039 · PubMed 31477320
- Karstoft K, Thorsen IK, Nielsen JS, Solomon TPJ, Masuki S, Nose H, Ried-Larsen M. Health benefits of interval walking training. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2024;49(7):1002–1007. doi:10.1139/apnm-2023-0595 · PubMed 38507778