Dr. Yi-Cheng Wu
中文

Slow Jogging: Its Origins, Development, and the Science and Clinical Use of Its Physiological Benefits

By Dr. Yi-Cheng Wu · Reviewed June 21, 2026

Slow jogging is a low-intensity, forefoot-strike style of jogging; studies suggest it can help older adults improve fat, muscle strength, and lower-limb function.

Slow jogging comes from the research system published in 2017 by Professor Hiroaki Tanaka of Japan. It is a low-intensity form of jogging with small steps, a forefoot strike, and a heart rate around zone 1 to 2. The concept is built on the walk-to-run transition: once walking speed exceeds about 5 to 6 km/h, energy expenditure and the sense of fatigue rise noticeably, and switching to jogging at that point actually takes less effort. In a 2017 study of 81 community-dwelling older adults, 90 minutes of slow jogging per week for 12 weeks was associated with improvements for most participants in subcutaneous fat, intramuscular fat, anaerobic threshold, thigh muscle mass, and lower-limb function. It can help rebuild baseline cardiorespiratory fitness, but it still places stress on the knees; anyone with existing knee joint effusion or tendon discomfort should first be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

Five steps to do slow jogging correctly

  1. Assess before you start

    Slow jogging still places a degree of stress on the knees. If you have conditions such as knee joint effusion or patellar tendinopathy (even with mild symptoms), have a healthcare professional assess whether it is suitable before you begin.

  2. Set a low-intensity target

    Keep to a low-intensity principle, with a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) around 10 to 12 and a heart rate roughly in the zone 1 to 2 range, staying below the lactate threshold as much as possible.

  3. Adjust your running form

    Use smaller steps and a forefoot strike, keeping a relaxed, effort-saving jogging rhythm.

  4. Use cadence to control your pace

    You can use the approach mentioned in the book, such as jogging for 1 minute at a cadence of about 180 bpm or 30 seconds at 120 bpm, done in sets (the book mentions up to 40 sets a day).

  5. Build up your weekly volume

    Following the study's approach, spread slow jogging across the week; in the study the older-adult group did about 90 minutes per week for about 12 weeks, as a long-term practice to rebuild baseline cardiorespiratory fitness.

What is slow jogging?

Slow jogging likely originates from the system developed out of research published in 2017 by Professor Hiroaki Tanaka of Japan, later introduced in several of his books drawing on a series of his related studies (the Chinese edition is titled The Strongest Slow Jogging Method). As it happened, last year I was invited to speak at an obesity research society on the topic of slow jogging and zone 2 training, so here I have compiled part of that talk.

The 2017 study enrolled 81 community-dwelling older adults and randomly assigned them to slow jogging or a control group. The slow jogging group carried out a short-interval, low-intensity jogging program of 90 minutes of slow jogging per week for 12 weeks. Compared with the control group, they showed significant improvements in subcutaneous fat, intramuscular fat, anaerobic threshold, thigh muscle mass, and lower-limb function.

The physiological benefits of slow jogging are grounded mainly in the research conclusions put forward by Hreljac in 1993 and Monteiro in 2010. Slow walking is around 3 km/h, brisk walking around 5 km/h, and power walking can reach 6 to 7 km/h; this range is the walk-run transition (WRT), the point of switching from walking to running.

Energy expenditure and the sense of fatigue

With jogging, energy expenditure rises slowly. Walking starts with lower energy expenditure, but once walking speed exceeds 5 km/h, energy expenditure begins to rise sharply, and at around 7 km/h the two become similar. As for the sense of fatigue, once walking speed exceeds 6 km/h the fatigue of walking surpasses that of jogging, so switching to a jogging style at that point means fatigue does not build up as quickly and energy expenditure can also be lower than walking.

Combined with the study-supported conclusions, including improvements in subcutaneous fat, intramuscular fat, anaerobic threshold, thigh muscle mass, and lower-limb function, Professor Tanaka concluded that for these older adults, they could gain the benefits of running without needing interval or high-intensity training programs.

Clinical use of slow jogging

Beyond 90 minutes of slow jogging per week, the Chinese-language book also mentions other ways to do slow jogging, including 40 sets of slow jogging a day, done as one minute at 180 bpm or 30 seconds at 120 bpm, using smaller steps and a forefoot strike, aiming for a rating of perceived exertion (RPE 6 to 20) of about 10 to 12 so that it stays below the lactate threshold.

The heart-rate calculation formula mentioned in Professor Tanaka’s book should fall in the zone 1 to 2 range, which offers some benefit for cardiovascular capacity, overall endurance, and fat burning, and may even improve mitochondrial function. There have also been studies supporting data that low-intensity exercise can help reduce abdominal obesity and improve visceral fat.

Personally, I have a degree of confidence in slow jogging. For people who cannot run but enjoy running, and who dislike cycling, aerobics, or other resistance exercise, slow jogging can retrain baseline cardiorespiratory capacity. In the clinic, quite a few patients with knee osteoarthritis also choose slow jogging as their main form of aerobic exercise.

One final reminder: slow jogging still places a degree of stress on the knees. Occasionally in the clinic we see patients who already have knee joint effusion and patellar tendinopathy but have somewhat overlooked it because symptoms are mild. It is best to be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

References

  • Eur J Appl Physiol. 2017 Jan;117(1):7-15.
  • Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Mar 23;12(4):782
  • Ann Intern Med. 2015 Mar 3;162(5):325-34.
  • J Hepatol. 2015 Jul;63(1):174-82

Frequently asked questions

How slow should slow jogging be, and how do you do it correctly?

The key is low intensity. The suggestion is smaller steps with a forefoot strike, a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) around 10 to 12, and a heart rate roughly in the zone 1 to 2 range, staying below the lactate threshold as much as possible. The book also mentions approaches such as jogging for one minute at a cadence of about 180 bpm or 30 seconds at 120 bpm.

Does slow jogging really benefit the body? Is there research to support it?

In a 2017 randomized study of 81 community-dwelling older adults, the slow jogging group did 90 minutes per week for 12 weeks and, compared with the control group, most showed significant improvements in subcutaneous fat, intramuscular fat, anaerobic threshold, thigh muscle mass, and lower-limb function. Other studies also show that low-intensity exercise may help reduce abdominal and visceral fat, but the actual results still require individual assessment.

Why do some people say walking fast is not as good as switching to slow jogging?

According to the research mentioned in the article, energy expenditure begins to rise sharply once walking speed exceeds about 5 km/h, and above 6 km/h the sense of fatigue can even exceed that of jogging. Switching to a jogging style at that point means fatigue does not build up as quickly and energy expenditure may be lower than fast walking. This is the so-called walk-to-run transition.

Can people with knee osteoarthritis or troublesome knees do slow jogging?

In the clinic, quite a few people with knee osteoarthritis do use slow jogging as their main form of aerobic exercise, but slow jogging still places a degree of stress on the knees. Clinically, we occasionally see people who already have knee joint effusion or patellar tendinopathy but overlook it because symptoms are mild. Before starting, it is best to be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

Who is especially well suited to trying slow jogging?

Slow jogging is better suited to people who cannot or should not do high-intensity running but enjoy running, and who dislike cycling, aerobics, or other resistance exercise; it can be used to retrain baseline cardiorespiratory capacity. For older adults, they may still gain some of the benefits of running without necessarily relying on interval or high-intensity programs.

This article is also available in the original Chinese, with the full reference list.

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