Frequently asked questions

Japanese interval walking, often just called Japanese walking or interval walking training (IWT), is a walking workout where you alternate 3 minutes of slow walking with 3 minutes of brisk walking, usually for 5 rounds (30 minutes). The method was developed by Professor Hiroshi Nose and colleagues at Shinshu University in Japan, who found it builds more fitness and leg strength than walking at one steady pace.

Start with 3 minutes of slow, easy walking, then walk briskly for 3 minutes at a pace that feels "somewhat hard". Keep switching every 3 minutes until you have done 5 slow and 5 brisk intervals (30 minutes in total), on at least 4 days a week. A timer with distinct alerts, like the free one on this site, tells you when to switch so you don't have to watch the clock. Our step-by-step guide includes a 4-week beginner plan.

Brisk walking in the research was about 70% of each person's peak walking capacity. In practice that feels "somewhat hard": you are breathing harder and can talk in short sentences, but you could not sing. Slow walking (about 40%) should feel easy enough to hold a full conversation.

Yes, it is backed by research. In the original 5-month study of middle-aged and older adults, people who did interval walking increased their thigh strength by 13 to 17% and their aerobic fitness by about 8 to 9%, and their blood pressure fell more than in a group that walked at a steady moderate pace. Larger follow-up studies and a trial in people with type 2 diabetes found similar benefits. See the science behind Japanese walking for details.

A standard 30-minute session burns roughly 120 calories at 60 kg (132 lb), 150 calories at 75 kg (165 lb) and 175 calories at 90 kg (198 lb). The exact number depends on your weight and how fast your brisk intervals are. These estimates use standard MET values of about 3.0 for slow walking and 4.8 for brisk walking.

It can help, but it works best alongside healthy eating. Four sessions a week burn roughly 450 to 700 calories, and studies of interval walking found drops in body weight, body fat and, in one trial, visceral (belly) fat. The bigger payoff is fitness, leg strength and blood pressure, which improve your health at any weight.

There is no official "3-3-3 rule", but the name is most often used for the Japanese 3-3 walking method: 3 minutes of slow walking followed by 3 minutes of brisk walking, repeated for 30 minutes. Some people read the last 3 as "3 days a week", but the original research asked for at least 4 days a week to get the full benefit.

For building fitness, yes. In the original study, people who did interval walking gained more leg strength and aerobic fitness, and saw a larger drop in blood pressure, than people who walked steadily at a moderate pace, even though the steady walkers spent a similar amount of time walking. Regular walking is still very good for you; adding brisk intervals simply gets you more benefit from the same time.

They measure different things. Japanese walking focuses on intensity, while 10,000 steps is about volume. Research suggests the health benefits of daily steps level off at around 6,000 to 8,000 steps for people over 60 and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults, and that walking faster adds benefit of its own. A 30-minute Japanese walking session covers about 3,000 to 4,000 steps, so it fits easily into a daily step goal. Read Japanese walking vs 10,000 steps for the full comparison.

Yes. It is low-impact, so most people can do it daily. The studies asked for at least 4 days a week, so daily walking is more than enough. If your legs feel sore or tired, swap a session for an easy walk or a rest day. If you are new to exercise, start with fewer rounds or shorter brisk intervals and build up over a few weeks.

Aim for 30 minutes per session (5 rounds of 3 minutes slow and 3 minutes brisk), at least 4 days a week. That adds up to about 60 minutes of brisk walking a week, which researchers found to be the key to the benefits. The studies measured results after 4 to 5 months, so treat it as a long-term habit rather than a short challenge.

For general health, yes. One hour a day adds up to 7 hours a week, well above the World Health Organization's recommendation of 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week. If you want to improve fitness, walk briskly for part of that hour, for example with Japanese interval walking. For weight loss, combine it with changes to what you eat.

Thirty minutes a day gives you 210 minutes a week, which meets the World Health Organization's activity recommendation. Over time, regular walking is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure, better mood and sleep, and stronger legs. Making some of those 30 minutes brisk, as in Japanese walking, boosts the fitness gains.

The best time is the one you can stick with. Morning walks are easy to make a habit and get you some daylight. A walk after a meal helps lower the rise in blood sugar that follows eating, which is useful if you have diabetes. In hot weather, walk in the early morning or evening to avoid the midday heat.

Yes. Pick a slow speed that feels easy and a brisk speed (or incline) that feels somewhat hard, then switch between them when the chime plays. Many people find an incline gives them the "brisk" effort without having to jog.

The timer starts with a slow walk, which works as a gentle warm-up. After your last brisk walk, a few minutes of easy walking and light stretching help you cool down.

It is a low-impact form of exercise that was studied mainly in people aged about 60 to 70. Still, if you have a heart, lung, joint or blood pressure condition, are pregnant, or have not exercised in a long time, check with your doctor first. Stop if you feel chest pain, dizziness or unusual shortness of breath.

Look for an interval walking app with different alerts for slow and brisk walking, adjustable intervals, vibration and no sign-up. This site's free Japanese walking timer has all of those and runs in any browser on iPhone, Android or desktop. On Android, our free Japanese walking app also works with the screen fully locked.

Set the slow walk length, brisk walk length and number of rounds (the defaults are 3 min, 3 min and 5 rounds = 30 minutes), then press Start. A soft chime marks each slow walk, a bright chime marks each brisk walk, and a final chime plays when you finish. On Android phones you can also turn on vibration.

Yes, with Pocket lock. After you press Start on a phone, a Pocket lock button appears under the timer. It turns the screen black and ignores taps, so nothing gets pressed by accident, while the timer and chimes keep going. The phase and time stay visible in large text if you take a look. To get back, slide the button at the bottom all the way to the right. Use Pocket lock instead of your phone's power button, because locking the phone pauses the web page.

Mostly no. Browsers pause web pages when a phone is locked, so chimes can be late or missing. This timer keeps your screen on while a walk is running (on supported browsers) and always shows the correct time when you come back. To carry your phone in a pocket, use Pocket lock instead of the power button. If you want cues with the screen truly locked, use our free Android app.

A little more than usual, because the screen has to stay on for the browser to keep the timer running. Pocket lock helps: it shows an almost completely black screen, and on phones with an OLED screen (most modern phones) black pixels use very little power. Chimes and vibration use almost none. If battery life matters most, the Android app runs with the screen off.

Yes. Slow and brisk walks can each be set from 30 seconds to 30 minutes in 30-second steps, and you can do 1 to 20 rounds. Your settings are saved in your browser for next time.

It is completely free and there is no sign-up or subscription. Your settings are stored only in your own browser.

Yes. It is a web app, so it runs in Safari on iPhone and iPad, Chrome on Android and any modern desktop browser, with nothing to install. Chimes work everywhere; vibration works on Android phones.

Safari on iPhone and iPad does not let websites vibrate the phone, so we hide that option there. Chimes still work. Turn your volume up and make sure the ring/silent switch is not muting media.

Press "Test" next to Chime sounds. If you hear nothing, turn up your media volume, check that the tab is not muted, and make sure Bluetooth headphones are connected. Browsers only allow sound after you tap the page, so press Start yourself rather than using a shortcut that opens the page in the background.

Yes. Our Japanese Interval Walking app is free on Google Play. It plays your slow and brisk cues in the background, so you can lock your phone and put it away like any other workout app.

The web timer runs in your browser on any device with nothing to install, but the screen has to stay on (or in Pocket lock) for the cues to play on time. The Android app is installed on your phone and keeps timing in the background with the screen fully off, which is more reliable on long walks and easier on your battery.

Not yet. On iPhone and iPad, use the web timer in Safari. To open it quickly, tap the Share button and choose "Add to Home Screen".