Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment Prime Day Deals Switch 2 Restock Galaxy Z Fold 7 Wordle Today Best Mattress Best laptops Recommended reading This 30-minute ‘Japanese walking’ workout strengthens your entire body and boosts your metabolism I tried the '3-3 walking workout' for a week — and now I'm hooked Japanese walking vs running — which is best for you? 10,000 steps or Japanese walking? We ask the experts if you should be walking further or faster Boost your metabolism and cardiovascular health with this 5,000-step walking workout Forget the treadmill — I took 3,000 steps from home with this 20-minute walking workout Not running or swimming —- this cardio workout boosts your metabolism and targets your abs I created the Japanese walking workout on my Apple Watch — here's how to do it Jane McGuire 18 June 2025 Inspired by the viral walking method? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) The Japanese walking method made headlines recently as a science-backed way to lower your blood pressure and burn more fat. The interval walking method originated in Japan, and is a form of HIIT training. As its name suggests, you alternate your pace throughout. It’s pretty simple: you walk for three minutes at a low intensity, then walk three minutes at a high intensity, raising your heart rate and moving quickly. You keep switching pace for 30 minutes. Yet if you don’t want to walk along looking at your phone or stopwatch for the entire workout, the easiest thing to do is set up the walk as a custom workout on your Apple Watch. You may like This 30-minute ‘Japanese walking’ workout strengthens your entire body and boosts your metabolism I tried the '3-3 walking workout' for a week — and now I'm hooked Japanese walking vs running — which is best for you? You should be able to do this with most of the best Apple Watches on the market that run watchOS 11 (if you’re using an Apple Watch 4, 5 or original SE, you won’t be able to do this). Here’s how to create a custom workout on your Apple Watch: Go to the Workout app on your Apple Watch Turn the Digital Crown to select the workout you want to do, in this case: Outdoor Walk Click on the three dots in the upper right corner, then scroll down to Create Workout From here, you can select a goal based on Distance, Calories burned, or Time. In this instance, you’ll want to select Custom. From the Create a New Custom Workout screen, select Add to add the intervals. Add an interval of 3 minutes work, using the Time option. Then add 3 minutes of recovery. You’ll then want the intervals to repeat 5 times in total to create the 30-minute workout. Add a repeat, and select both intervals. Once you’ve set these intervals, you can name the workout and save it to your Apple Watch. When you select the workout, the watch will alert you every time you need to change pace, meaning you won’t need to keep looking at your phone or stopwatch as you walk. When you’re walking, you’ll be able to see how long you have left in each interval, as well as your average pace and your heart rate. If you decide the walking workout isn’t for you, you can delete custom workouts at any time. Simply head to the workout from your Apple Watch, and click the edit icon in the top right-hand corner. Once you’re in the workout, scroll down to the bottom and click Delete Workout. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Future) If you’re meeting up with a friend who is also using an Apple Watch, you can send them the workout from your watch from this screen, using the ‘Send Workout’ option. If you’re creating a running workout, or something more intense, you might want to add a warm-up and cool-down. You can build a custom workout in all Activity types on the Apple Watch, aside from Multisport and Open Swim. It’s a great way to remove the guesswork from your session, and use the watch to complete in-depth training sessions. Looking for more inspiration? Why not try these walking workouts next: This "5-2-4 Fartlek" walking workout is my new obsession — here's why I tried the 5-4-5 walking technique for a week — and it boosted my fitness and mood I tried the 6-6-6 walking challenge — here's how it boosted my calm Today's best Apple Watch Series 10 deals Apple Watch Series 10 $329View Deal See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices See more Wellness How-Tos Jane McGuire Social Links Navigation Fitness editor Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. This 30-minute ‘Japanese walking’ workout strengthens your entire body and boosts your metabolism I tried the '3-3 walking workout' for a week — and now I'm hooked Japanese walking vs running — which is best for you? 10,000 steps or Japanese walking? We ask the experts if you should be walking further or faster Boost your metabolism and cardiovascular health with this 5,000-step walking workout Forget the treadmill — I took 3,000 steps from home with this 20-minute walking workout Latest in Fitness Forget running — this dance cardio workout helps you build cardiovascular fitness and resistance in 15 minutes Neck pain from your 'silly little emails job'? Here's 3 things I do every day after work Over 70? Not walking or swimming — research suggests this is the best low-impact exercise to try Huge Stanley summer sale from $19 at Amazon — 15 deals I’d shop now on tumblers, mugs and more I dared to exercise without music — what happened next surprised me Think you're tough? Arnold Schwarzenegger has 4 fitness tests that might just predict your ‘expiration date’ Latest in How To How to watch Travelers Championship 2025: live stream PGA Tour golf online, TV channels, schedule Sick of boring Google Meet backgrounds? Here's how to make your own with Gemini AI You won’t believe how gross your mattress gets in summer — here's how to keep your bed clean How to watch 'Surviving Ohio State' documentary online – stream true crime from anywhere Change these 3 Bose headphone settings right now to get better sound ChatGPT Projects just got smarter — here’s how to use the new tools LATEST ARTICLES The first trailer for the Bruce Springsteen biopic with Jeremy Allen White just dropped and I couldn't be more excited Trump just gave TikTok an extension on ban — here's what we know I test bedding for a living — this is the one simple switch I recommend for cooler sleep this summer A ‘Land of the Lost’ reboot is officially in the works at Netflix It has 4 stars on Amazon but this inflatable nap pillow doesn't live up to the hype — here's why Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Terms and conditions Contact Future's experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement Advertise with us Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...