The top fitness trend that’s ‘a game changer’ for the over 60s. Plus, the ‘dangerous’ fad to avoid

What do you mean you’re not practising Japanese walking? It’s the fastest growing fitness trend of 2026. Since going viral on TikTok, Google searches for the term have risen with an astounding 2,968%.

But… does it actually work? Well, that’s a whole other question, says Jack McNamara, senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of East London: ‘If TikTok fitness advice is to be believed, you should be interval walking like the Japanese, hanging from a pull-up bar every day and committing to a 75-day challenge with no rest days.’

How many of these trends are rooted in science? That’s what Jack set out to find. Here’s what he discovered.

Japanese walking

Developed by researchers at Shinshu University in Japan, essentially: ‘It’s three minutes of fast walking, then three at a moderate pace. Repeat that for 30 minutes,’ says Good Housekeeping’s fitness expert, Kim Hawley.

Is it worth the hype? Well, yes. A randomised controlled trial split 246 adults with an average age of 63 into two groups. One practiced the Japanese method (or interval walking) the other walked at a steady pace. The interval walking group ended up with significantly greater improvements in thigh muscle strength, aerobic capacity and blood pressure. A 2024 review confirmed these benefits. It’s an easy, free and sustainable way to boost the impact of your daily dog walk. A bit of a game changer, in other words.

75 Hard

A particularly punishing fitness fad, this one. For 75 days, you must sign up to drinking eight pints of water, doing two 45-minute workouts, eating clean and – we’re not entirely sure why – reading 10 pages of non-fiction. Every. Single. Day.

Paddy McGuinness claims it worked for him – taking him from dad-bod to a washboard. Should the rest of us try it? ‘The no-rest-days rule is the most problematic element,’ says Jack. ‘Physiological adaptation to exercise, the process by which your body becomes fitter, doesn’t happen during training. It happens during recovery.’

Overtraining, without proper rest, can be actively dangerous, he points out, leading to chronic fatigue, declining performance and increased susceptibility to illness and injury.

An hour and a half of daily exercise also far exceeds the 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity that the NHS recommends across a week.

So is it worth the hype? In a word, no. A better option, especially if you’re over 60, is the 75 Soft, a new toned-down version of the original with gentler, more realistic and sustainable rules:

Eat well, significantly pare back on booze and aim for 3 litres of water a day. Do one 45 minute exercise session a day, resting for one day in every seven for recovery. Read 10 pages of a book daily.

Dead hangs

Social media is awash with people hanging from a pull-up bar for as long as possible. Is there anything in it?

Well, yes, suggests Jack. Dead hangs are a highly effective, simple exercise for improving grip strength. And grip strength really matters as we age. In fact, it’s one of the best measures of longevity, associated with less heart disease, cancer and frailty.

Analysis of 500,000 people in the UK Biobank also showed those with better grip strength had better memory, reactions and problem solving skills too.

So working on your grip strength is a very good idea for the over 60s. But dead hangs aren’t the only way. In fact, Dr Jack Mosely recommends you ‘focus on increasing physical activity and resistance training’ instead. Think squats, planks and bicep curls as well as running and cycling.

Pilates

Pilates is the most-booked workout globally on ClassPass, says Jack, with reservations up 66% from 2024. Should you follow the pack?

In short, yes. A systematic review found strong evidence that the exercise, invented by a German fitness enthusiast named Joseph Pilates, improves flexibility and dynamic balance, with moderate evidence for muscular endurance, he says.

In fact, Pilates’ benefits may be particularly important for older adults. It’s low-impact and relatively accessible for those with mobility issues or joint pain, several studies have linked it to protection against cognitive decline and – according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society – ‘Pilates can help to maintain bone strength and improve muscle strength and balance.’ So book a class and embrace the zeitgeist.