How Fast Should You Walk in Japanese Walking? Finding Your Fast and Slow Pace
The rule sounds simple: 3 minutes fast, 3 minutes slow. The question everyone asks next is how fast "fast" should be. The answer is about effort, not a number on a speedometer.
How the studies set the pace
In the Shinshu University studies, the fast phase was set at about 70% of each person's peak aerobic capacity and the slow phase at about 40% (Nemoto et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2007, PMID 17605959). Participants had their capacity measured first, so the pace was personal: what was fast for one person was a stroll for another.
You do not need a lab test to get close to that. A few simple checks do the job.
The talk test
- Fast: you can speak in short sentences, but you would not want to hold a long conversation. Singing would be out of the question.
- Slow: you can talk normally. Your breathing settles within a minute or so.
The effort scale
On a scale from 0 (sitting still) to 10 (all-out), the fast phase should feel like a 6 or 7: "somewhat hard". The slow phase should feel like a 2 or 3. By the end of the fifth fast phase it is normal for 7 to feel a bit harder than at the start.
What it looks like
Most people find their fast phase looks like walking to catch a train you can still make: longer strides, arms bending and swinging, a quicker rhythm. If you start to jog, you have gone past it; walk faster with longer steps instead, or find a slight hill.
Adjust as you get fitter
The point of interval walking is that the fast phase stays a little demanding. As your fitness improves, the same speed will start to feel easy, and you will need to walk a little faster, add a slope or swing your arms more to stay at that "somewhat hard" level. That is a good sign: it means the walks are working.
Ayumi counts the five rounds and tells you when to switch, so you can pay attention to how the pace feels instead of the clock. Indoors, it suggests treadmill speeds based on your outdoor tempo, so your fast phase on the belt feels like your fast phase outside.
General information, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition or take medicine that affects your heart rate, ask your doctor what effort level is right for you.