Ten thousand steps a day is the best-known walking target in the world. Japanese interval walking asks for something quite different: 30 minutes of alternating easy and brisk walking, a few times a week. They answer different questions, and the research on each is worth knowing.
Where 10,000 steps came from
The number goes back to 1965, when the Japanese company Yamasa sold a pedometer called the manpo-kei, which translates as “10,000 steps meter”. It was a product name and a memorable round figure, not the conclusion of a study. Research on step counts came later.
What the step-count research found
A 2022 analysis of 15 studies covering 47,471 adults found that the risk of death fell as daily steps rose, but levelled off at around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for people aged 60 and over, and around 8,000–10,000 for younger adults.
A study of 16,741 women with an average age of 72 found something similar at lower numbers: women taking about 4,400 steps a day had lower mortality than those taking about 2,700, and the benefit levelled off at around 7,500.
Two things to note. These are observational studies: they show that people who walk more tend to live longer, which is not quite the same as proving the steps caused it. And they measure mortality, not fitness or strength.
What the interval walking research found
The 2007 Shinshu University trial is the closest thing to a head-to-head comparison. It randomly assigned 246 people with an average age of 63 to three groups for five months. One group walked at a steady moderate pace, aiming for 8,000 or more steps a day on four or more days a week. Another did interval walking. A third did no training.
The interval group’s gains in thigh strength (13–17%) and aerobic capacity (8–9%) were significantly larger than the steady walkers’, and their blood pressure fell further. The steady walkers were not inactive; they were walking a lot. The difference was intensity.
A later study of 679 people found the same theme from another angle. Improvements in fitness and health markers rose with weekly brisk-walking time, up to about 50 minutes, and then levelled off. Slow walking time and total walking time didn’t predict improvement. The brisk minutes did.
Side by side
| 10,000 steps | Japanese interval walking | |
|---|---|---|
| What you track | Total steps, all day | Brisk minutes in a structured session |
| Typical commitment | Every day | 30 minutes, four or more days a week |
| Where benefit levels off | About 6,000–8,000 steps (60+); 8,000–10,000 (under 60) | About 50 brisk minutes a week |
| Main evidence | Large observational studies of mortality | Randomised trial and cohort studies of fitness, strength and blood pressure |
| Equipment | Step counter or phone | A timer that tells you when to switch |
Which should you do?
If you already hit a healthy step count and want to get fitter and stronger, adding interval walking is the more targeted change: the trial shows it improved fitness in people who were already walking a lot. If you are mostly inactive, simply moving more across the day is a sensible first goal, and the step research suggests you don’t need to reach 10,000 for it to count.
They also combine easily. An interval walking session adds to your daily steps, and on the days you don’t do one, ordinary walking keeps you moving. Start with the 30-day plan if you want a structured way in.
Related guides
- Japanese interval walking: the complete guide
- 3-3-3 walking: a 30-day plan
- Interval walking after 60
- Does interval walking help you lose weight?
Sources
- Bassett DR, Toth LP, LaMunion SR, Crouter SE. “Step counting: a review of measurement considerations and health-related applications.” Sports Medicine 2017;47(7):1303–1315. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0663-1
- Paluch AE, Bajpai S, Bassett DR, et al. “Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts.” The Lancet Public Health 2022;7(3):e219–e228. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00302-9
- Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Kamada M, et al. “Association of step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women.” JAMA Internal Medicine 2019;179(8):1105–1112. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.0899
- 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
- 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