What is the ‘Japanese walking’ viral fitness trend and how healthy is it? Experts weigh in
It’s all over TikTok and YouTube but is ‘Japanese walking’ all it’s cracked up to be? Health experts aren’t so sure
It promises the benefits of a 10,000-step walk in just 30 minutes. No gym membership is required. Just a pair of shoes and a willingness to alternate between brisk and slow-paced walking in three-minute bursts.
Dubbed “Japanese walking”, this latest viral fitness trend is all over TikTok and YouTube. It has people wondering whether this short-interval workout can improve health more efficiently than a traditional stroll.
The trend has spread beyond social media, with bloggers, online articles and major media outlets all jumping in on the walking routine.
The protocol traces back to a 2007 Japanese study that tested the effects of high-intensity interval walking on middle-aged and older adults.
But the recent buzz started with a punchy video from Australian content creator and fitness coach Eugene Teo that surpassed 10 million views on TikTok and 17 million views on YouTube.
Known to his over 426,000 TikTok followers and 1.22 million YouTube followers as “Coach Eugene”, Teo rebranded the science-backed routine into an accessible, algorithm-friendly idea: “Japanese walking”.