How fast is fast enough? Walking cadence (steps/min) as a practical estimate of intensity in adults

By J. Slaght, M. Sénéchal, T. J. Hrubeniuk, A. Mayo, and D. R. Bouchard

This report was aiming to define how fast and how much adults should walk to be healthy and the intensity involved in that.

Results from the study:

"Despite acknowledged inter-individual variability, ≥100 steps/min is a consistent heuristic (e.g, evidence-based, rounded) value associated with absolutely defined moderate intensity (3 metabolic equivalents (METs))."

100 steps/minute is a consistent value for moderate intensity 'workouts' or walking for adults. The number may be raised for elderly as they tend to have different gait patterns.

When relating this data to the project, it may be relevant to use 100 steps/min as a base rate for an intermediate level and increase.