I tried the 5-4-5 walking technique for a week — and it boosted my fitness and mood
There's no doubt about it — walking is a seriously underrated way to boost your fitness. It's free, it's low-impact, and it's accessible to almost everyone. That said, as someone who walks every single day for her physical and mental health, I know that sometimes, it can get a little dull.
Here on the Tom's Guide fitness desk, we love a walking challenge. You can read what happened when I recently tried this Japanese walking method, and everything you need to know about 'fart walking', as well as what happened when our Fitness Editor Sam Hopes tried silent walking. Next on my list? The 5-4-5 walking technique. Read on to find out how to do it, and how I found it after giving it a go.
Similar to the Japanese Interval Method of walking, the 5-4-5 walking technique involves changing the pace of your movement to raise and lower your heart rate, similar to HIIT training. Here's how to do it:
Designed to be lower-impact than just running, this is designed to boost your heart rate, then let it recover, before elevating it slightly again. If you repeat the circuit twice through, you'll have a 28-minute workout. Do it three times and you'll have run/walked for 45 minutes.
As you'll be running for five minutes, it's a good idea to set out with a pair of the best running shoes on your feet. These don't have to be expensive, but you'll need a comfortable, supportive pair of sneakers, rather than a set of hiking boots.
As this workout moves between high, low, and medium intensity, you'll burn more calories than if you were walking at a steady pace for the same amount of time. The running element of the workout will boost your heart rate and metabolism, followed by a four minute walk to aid recovery, then a brisk walk to work on your cardiovascular fitness.
You'll work on your endurance and stamina during this workout, and it's gentler on the joints than heading out for a non-stop run. If you're a complete beginner, looking to build up to running your first 5K, this is a good place to start.
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This workout is generally safe for most people, as it only involves short amounts of running, but if you're recovering from an injury or pregnancy, it's always a good idea to speak to a doctor beforehand. If you are new to running, remember that this isn't a sprint — you should still be able to hold a conversation with someone running next to you.
Here's what happened when I added the 5-4-5 walking technique to my routine for a week:
I'll caveat this by saying I'm a marathon runner, so I'm very used to the running element of this workout. For the first day of this challenge, I opted to do two sets of the workout, and I immediately enjoyed the gentler start to my day than my usual run. I'm a year postpartum, but have built back up to running five miles three mornings a week, but I'm currently recovering from a head cold, and am on antibiotics for a throat infection, so this was a much kinder way to add movement to my morning.
I found it easiest to program the intervals into my Apple Watch 10, using the custom workout feature. This meant the watch buzzed when I needed to change pace, so I didn't have to check it every few seconds. Most of the best fitness trackers on the market will allow you to do this, but if you don't own one, just use the timer function on your smartphone.
I have a tendency to rush through my workouts, so the four minute recovery walk was a challenge. I had to really focus on slowing my pace down, taking deep breaths, and letting my heart rate recover during this part of the workout. After all, this is designed to be the recovery part of the workout.
I found myself breathing in for four, and slowly exhaling, almost like I was in a yoga class, and made an effort to look at my surroundings, rather than watch the seconds go by on my watch.
As mentioned in the intro, I walk every day for my physical and mental health. Most days I'll have my dog with me, some mornings I'll have my toddler in tow, but this workout made the walk fly by, and really made it more interesting. On my days when I had my baby with me, I strapped him into the running stroller, and he loved the faster intervals. The dog, on the other hand, seemed mighty confused, but I'm sure he'll get over it.
My morning walks outside help me manage the stresses and strains of everyday life, and this was definitely an endorphin buster. I personally prefer running outside, but if you'd rather, this could easily be replicated on one of the best treadmills, manually changing the speed of the belt to reflect the different paces.
While this felt a little easy to replace my morning runs for good, it was a great form of active recovery, and a fantastic way to keep my legs moving when I wasn't feeling 100%.
I'd definitely recommend this to beginners, and will be returning to it on mornings when I want more than a steady walk to wake me up.
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