Guide
Interval walking for beginners: 5 easy plans to start
Interval walking means switching between brisk and easy walking. It keeps walks interesting, and it's an easy way to make a walk count for more without running. Here are five plans to start with.
Why walk in intervals?
A steady walk is great. Intervals add short bursts of brisk walking with easy recovery in between. You get some of the effort of a harder workout, in manageable pieces, and the time passes faster because there's always a next switch coming.
1. Quick 10
Ten minutes, for busy days. A short warm up, then quick swaps between fast and easy.
2. Beginner Builder
Warm up 3 minutes, then 1 minute fast and 2 minutes easy, six times, and a 3 minute cool down. Twenty four minutes, with plenty of recovery.
3. Classic 30 / 40
Thirty seconds fast, forty seconds easy. Short bursts that keep you on your toes, as a 20 minute session.
4. Gentle walk with rests
For easing in: easy walking with standing rest breaks, then a few short brisk bursts. See the full plan in walking with rest breaks.
5. Japanese walking
The classic: 3 minutes fast, 3 minutes easy, five rounds. Build up to it with the plans above. Our Japanese walking guide has a 4 week starter plan.
How to pick one
- Short on time: Quick 10.
- Just starting: Beginner Builder, or the gentle walk with rests.
- Want variety: Classic 30 / 40.
- Ready for more: Japanese walking, four days a week.
All five are in Pace Pulse, and the custom plan builder lets you make your own: any blocks, in any order, with rest stops and repeats.
Let Pace Pulse time it for you
A free interval walking timer for iPhone, Apple Watch, Android and Wear OS. Ready made plans, gentle walks with rest stops, treadmill plans with speed and incline, voice and haptic cues for every switch, and a custom builder. No ads, no account.
Get Pace PulseQuestions
What is interval walking?
Interval walking switches between brisk walking and easy walking in set times, for example 1 minute fast and 2 minutes easy, repeated a few times.
How long should a beginner interval walk be?
Ten to twenty five minutes is a good start. Add rounds or lengthen the fast part as it starts to feel easy.
Do I need a special app?
You can use any timer, but switching every minute or two is fiddly. An interval walking app like Pace Pulse announces each switch so you don't have to watch the clock.
Pace Pulse is a walking timer, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are recovering from an illness or injury, or haven't been active for a while, check with your doctor first.