The Ultimate Guide to Interval Walking Workouts for Beginners

Interval walking workouts are a simple way to burn more calories, improve your fitness, and boost your health without having to start running. By alternating short bursts of faster walking with easier recovery periods, you can get more results in less time and keep your joints happier than they would be with high impact exercises. If you already like walking or you are just getting started, interval walking can be your next step.

Below, you will learn what interval walking is, how it helps with weight loss and overall health, and exactly how to build interval walking workouts that fit your current fitness level.

Understand what interval walking is

Interval walking is a style of walking where you switch between periods of harder effort and slower, comfortable walking. For example, you might walk briskly for two minutes, then stroll at an easy pace for two minutes, and repeat this pattern.

Researchers describe interval walking training (often called IWT) as alternating cycles of fast and slow walking that improve physical fitness and muscle strength and also reduce risk factors linked to lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease (PubMed). Unlike gym-based workouts, this is a “free-living” intervention, which means you can do it outdoors in your neighborhood, at a park, or on a treadmill.

A popular version, sometimes called the Japanese interval walking method, uses three minutes of fast or brisk walking followed by three minutes of slower walking, for a total of about 30 minutes, at least four days per week (Brown University Health). You can adjust the exact timing, but the core idea is the same: alternate harder and easier efforts.

Learn the health and fitness benefits

Interval walking workouts give you more than just extra steps. They change how your heart, muscles, and metabolism respond to exercise.

During the faster intervals, your heart rate rises and your breathing becomes deeper. During the slower intervals, your heart rate partially recovers but stays above resting level. This repeated rise and partial recovery is one reason interval walking can improve cardiovascular fitness and oxygen use more efficiently than steady, casual walks (Brown University Health).

Research on interval walking training shows several benefits:

Improved aerobic capacity and VO₂ max, which is a measure of how much oxygen your body can use during intense exercise (Ohio State Health & Discovery)
Better knee extension and flexion strength, which supports everyday movement and joint stability (Brown University Health)
Reduced systolic blood pressure compared with moderate steady walking or no walking at all (Brown University Health)

Interval walking is also linked with support for glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. One study found that interval walking training directly improved how the body handles blood sugar, challenging older ideas about how exercise helps with glucose regulation (PubMed).

Researchers consider interval walking a promising lifestyle intervention not only for fitness, but also for helping manage or reduce risk for type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases (PubMed). Some evidence suggests it may even help prevent cognitive decline, heart disease, and osteoporosis, in as little as around 30 minutes per day, or in shorter chunks that fit your schedule (Ohio State Health & Discovery).

See how interval walking supports weight loss

If your goal is weight loss, interval walking workouts can give you a gentle but effective push in the right direction. The faster intervals increase the intensity so you burn more calories per minute than you would during a slow stroll. Beyond that, short bursts of higher effort can create an “afterburn effect”, where your body continues to use extra energy while restoring oxygen levels after your workout has ended (Ohio State Health & Discovery).

Interval walking for weight loss uses short bursts of faster walking followed by brief recovery periods. This pattern helps you burn more fat without feeling wiped out midway through your workout (Verywell Fit). When you combine regular interval walks with a balanced eating plan, you increase both your daily calorie burn and your overall activity level.

Consistency matters here. Exercise experts emphasize that you need to stick with interval walking workouts over time if you want real changes in body weight and fitness (Verywell Fit). Even relatively small increases in daily activity can make a difference. One analysis estimated that adding just 10 minutes of physical activity per day could potentially prevent a significant number of deaths among adults (EatingWell).

Know why interval walking is beginner friendly

One of the biggest advantages of interval walking is that you can do it at any fitness level. You do not need to start running, buy equipment, or join a gym.

Interval walking training is considered appropriate for people of all ages and fitness levels, including beginners, people with overweight or obesity, and older adults, because it is low impact and has a low injury risk (Ohio State Health & Discovery). All you really need is a comfortable pair of shoes.

You can perform interval walking almost anywhere. Outdoors on sidewalks or paths, in a mall, or on a treadmill. The intensity is relative to you, so your “fast” pace might be a powerful arm-pumping walk on flat ground, while someone else might reach that level on a gentle incline. Even if you use a cane or walker, you can usually adjust your speeds within your comfort zone to create mild intervals (Henry Ford Health).

Learn basic interval walking structures

You have several options for structuring your interval walking workouts. The right one for you depends on your current fitness and how much time you have.

One simple structure recommended by exercise physiologists is:

5 minute warm up at easy pace
2 minutes faster walking, 2 minutes slower walking, repeat multiples times
5 minute cool down at easy pace

A version of this plan suggests starting with about six rounds of the 2 minute fast and 2 minute recovery cycle. Once you can complete that comfortably, you increase your effort during the fast segments and treat your previous fast pace as your new easy pace (Henry Ford Health).

The Japanese interval walking approach uses three minute blocks. A typical 30 minute workout might look like this (Brown University Health):

3 minutes fast or brisk walking
3 minutes slower or relaxed walking

You repeat this pattern five times. Studies using variations of this plan have reported improvements in aerobic capacity and blood pressure, as well as more total steps in less time compared with steady walking (Brown University Health).

If you want shorter sessions, some training plans use around 20 minutes a day with relatively brief intervals. For example, a 31 day walking plan structures most workouts into:

Short bursts of fast walking where your heart rate goes up and talking becomes harder
Followed by slower walking to help your heart rate come back down

These sessions are designed to be gentle enough for daily practice because walking is low impact on muscles and joints (TODAY).

Start a beginner interval walking week

If you are new to interval walking, it helps to have a simple weekly structure you can follow. Below is a sample beginner friendly week you can repeat and adapt. You can change days around to fit your schedule.

Day 1: Baseline and gentle intervals

Measure your usual walking pace first. Walk at a comfortable speed for 10 to 15 minutes and notice how your breath feels. After this baseline, add 3 or 4 rounds of 1 minute slightly faster walking followed by 2 minutes easy. Keep the total session around 20 minutes.

Day 2: Recovery walk

Walk at a comfortable, steady pace for 20 to 30 minutes. This supports habit building without pushing intensity too often in a row.

Day 3: Ladder style intervals

After a 5 minute warm up, try a simple ladder:

1 minute fast, 2 minutes easy
2 minutes fast, 2 minutes easy
3 minutes fast, 3 minutes easy

Then walk easily for 5 minutes to cool down. This pattern is similar to beginner plans that gradually increase interval duration up to three minutes (EatingWell).

Day 4: Rest or light movement

Use this as a lower effort day so your body can adapt. A 15 to 20 minute comfortable walk, some stretching, or another light activity is usually enough. Many interval programs include such days to help beginners adjust to regular walking without burnout (TODAY).

Day 5: 2 minute intervals

Warm up for 5 minutes. Then complete 4 to 6 rounds of:

2 minutes brisk, where you can still talk but need to pause for breath
2 minutes easy, where you can hold a conversation comfortably

Cool down for 5 minutes. This mirrors the 2 minute hard, 2 minute recovery structure that exercise specialists recommend for cardiovascular benefits beyond casual walking (Henry Ford Health).

Day 6: Hill or incline focus

If you walk outdoors, find a gentle hill. If you use a treadmill, increase the incline slightly. After warming up, spend 1 to 2 minutes walking uphill at a strong pace, then 2 to 3 minutes on flat ground or at a lower incline to recover. Repeat 4 to 5 times. Plans that include hill or stair days help build strength and cardiovascular fitness together (EatingWell).

Day 7: Easy walk and check in

Finish your week with a comfortable 20 to 30 minute walk at one steady pace. Use this time to notice how your body feels compared with the beginning of the week. Are the faster intervals starting to feel more natural? Are you breathing a bit easier on hills?

Use form and safety tips

Good walking form helps you get more from every interval and lowers your injury risk. During both fast and easy segments, pay attention to:

Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth
Pumping your arms gently in rhythm with your steps
Engaging your core by gently pulling your navel toward your spine
Keeping your shoulders back and relaxed, not hunched
Aligning your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips

This posture supports your joints and helps you move more efficiently (TODAY).

When you begin adding intervals, first measure how long you usually walk, then slightly increase intensity by walking a bit faster or by using a small incline if you are on a treadmill. Outdoors, you can monitor yourself by using the “talk test”. During harder intervals, you should be able to speak only in short phrases. During easy intervals, full sentences should feel comfortable (Henry Ford Health).

Aim for two to three interval walking workouts per week, with moderate intensity steady walks in between. This pattern allows your body to adapt gradually and reduces your risk of injury or burnout (Verywell Fit).

Stay consistent for long term results

Interval walking training tends to have good short term adherence, meaning people often start strong. However, like most exercise programs, it can be hard to maintain over many months, especially if you live with a chronic condition or have a lot of weight to lose (PubMed). Long term, real world studies are still needed to fully understand its impact on major health outcomes, but the existing research is encouraging.

You have more control over your results than any single study, though. Choosing a schedule that fits your life, starting at a realistic level, and allowing room for rest days make it easier to stick with interval walking. You might find that you enjoy the feeling of the faster intervals, the variety compared with plain walking, and the satisfaction of tracking your progress over time.

To keep yourself on track, choose one small action today. That might be a 10 minute walk with two short faster segments, measuring your usual walking route, or planning which days this week you will do interval walking workouts. Small, repeated steps add up, and interval walking lets each step work a little harder for your health.