Outdoor sports are too difficult. What urban people love most now is "in-place slow jogging".

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Relaxed, happy, gentle, not tiring, without restrictions on the venue, suitable for anyone... Has the savior of the lazy person's exercise that hits every pain point of office workers really arrived?

Recently, under the squeeze of dazzling mainstream outdoor sports, a low-threshold, without time and space restrictions, gentle, not tiring, and happy exercise that seems extremely suitable for lazy people - ultra-slow jogging has quietly become popular. As the name suggests, it is an extremely slow jogging.

This exercise became popular earlier in the circle of marathon elite runners than on the public platform. It is used as cross-training to break through bottlenecks and improve performance.

For novice runners, it is also quite attractive. Shi Chunjian, the founder of Chunjian Running Club, has been explaining the knowledge of ultra-slow jogging on social media since 2020. In more than two years, the cumulative number of paid students online and offline has exceeded 2,000.

On Xiaohongshu, the tag of ultra-slow jogging has 60 million views, and the #ultra - slowjogging topic on Douyin has attracted more than 20,000 participants and 680 million views. And its most recent breakthrough came from Ella Chen's recommendation to the audience at an event in June. According to Ella, her father persisted for three months, and his blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol all decreased, and the fat in his abdomen also reduced.

And all that is needed to achieve this is just to jog in place?

Running Happily Like Slacking Off

It may seem like a joke, but ultra - slow jogging is really a scientific exercise.

It originated in Japan in the 1960s, when it was mainly for the recovery of injured athletes and to increase the amount of exercise for people without an exercise habit. The origin is disputed, but it is certain that the biggest promoter and theoretical support in the past 20 years comes from Hiroaki Tanaka, a professor of sports science at Fukuoka University.

Tanaka named it niko niko running. In Japanese, niko niko means smiling, because Tanaka believes that the healthiest jogging is one that can be done while keeping a smile.

Source: Tanaka Hiroaki's official website for ultra - slow jogging

As for how slow it should be, a speed of 10 to 15 minutes per kilometer is usually stable enough. According to Tanaka's definition, "The speed can even be so slow that it can be surpassed by office workers who are walking quickly. This is ultra - slow jogging."

If it is more visualized, it is the running speed that gets rid of the difficulty in breathing when having the 800 - meter physical test nightmare, and allows you to run while humming and chatting with friends with a smile on your face.

Currently, there are two mainstream forms of ultra - slow jogging. The first is outdoor ultra - slow jogging, that is, moving forward at a turtle's pace with a pleasant mood and without panting. Some sports bloggers on Tik Tok also use tennis balls to measure it. If you can run while playing with the ball, then the speed is just right. It can be seen that the speed of this kind of ultra - slow jogging does not have a particularly clear standard, and everything is based on your own feelings.

The second is in - place ultra - slow jogging, which is more popular in the Chinese world. It is an improvement based on the original ultra - slow jogging, with very simple, clear, and easy - to - master rules: maintain a stride frequency of 180bpn, small steps + high stride frequency, and run in place. It looks like a faster in - place marching.

On Bilibili, you can find a set of dedicated BGM at will. After changing into suitable sports clothes, you can start running immediately. It really has almost no requirements for the venue and equipment.

Source: Bilibili's ultra - slow jogging BGM video cover

The duration of the exercise is also not limited. Just gradually adapt and improve within your own tolerance range. The state of running can be described by the popular eight - character formula in the ultra - slow jogging circle: No soreness, no pain, no stiffness, no panting.

As for the standard of movement, according to Tanaka Hiroaki's explanation, when ultra - slow jogging, one should imagine oneself as a puppet being pulled by a string, keep the body straight but do not exert force; use the strength of the elbows to swing the arms backward; slightly lift the chin, look straight ahead, and naturally look forward; slightly push the pelvis forward and try to lift the legs as high as possible.

Source: ins @slow jogging.de

Although there are requirements, more people see a sense of familiarity in it. More than one comment indicates: Isn't this just how I move casually when I eat too much?

Simple as it is, the benefits advocated by ultra - slow jogging are not discounted at all.

In the book promoting ultra - slow jogging published by Taiwanese coach Xu Yingdong, a large number of successful cases of ultra - slow jogging assisting the elderly in improving muscle strength and changing their lives are listed.

Tanaka Hiroaki himself also relied on ultra - slow jogging training to significantly improve his marathon performance, from 4 hours and 11 minutes when he was in his 30s to 2 hours and 40 minutes when he was 50 years old, which is a legend.

Ella's feedback on the effect of ultra - slow jogging. Source: Xiaohongshu @618 号机器人

With such an attractive low - risk, low - investment, and high - return, it is not difficult to understand why ultra - slow jogging has considerable potential for popularity.

Although it is not as glamorous as high - end outdoor sports, it is similar to the five - minute break in the office. In an environment where everyone wants to be healthy but is unable to continuously make efforts, ultra - slow jogging is like goji berries in a thermos cup and 0 - calorie sugar in milk tea. It is a small self - rescue that urban people, who are too tired to move due to being overworked, still have the energy to carry out.

Therefore, on social networks, ultra - slow jogging presents a very subtle situation: You can hardly find a few bloggers who focus on ultra - slow jogging for a long time, nor can you see a few useful feedbacks, but you will see many people silently and persistently checking in under many BGM videos.

So, is ultra - slow jogging really effective or just another exaggerated marketing campaign?

A Truly Joyful Exercise

"Humans are the best long - distance runners in the animal kingdom. If done correctly, ultra - slow jogging is similar to the way our ancestors used to run for miles without getting tired," Tanaka Hiroaki said.

The benefits of promoting ultra - slow jogging always mention that ultra - slow jogging has many positive effects on the body, including fat loss, improving basal metabolic rate, enhancing cardiopulmonary function, improving immunity, improving blood sugar control, reducing abdominal fat, and improving vascular function, etc.

This is not difficult to understand and does not require special verification. Almost all exercises, as long as they are carried out seriously, have such effects.

For ordinary people, the focus is mainly on fat loss and body shaping. Under the posts on Xiaohongshu that record the changes after insisting on ultra - slow jogging, the most common question is: Can you lose weight? Many ultra - slow jogging promotional videos also mention its efficient fat - burning effect.

To be fair, the claim that ultra - slow jogging burns fat does have a scientific basis. Physiologically, compared to other intense exercises, the exercise intensity of ultra - slow jogging occurs at about 50% of VO2max (maximum oxygen consumption). This range, also known as the efficient fat - burning range, where the body's fat metabolism reaches the highest.

Source: YouTube

It sounds quite attractive, but the truth is not so magical.

On the reddit forum, netizens sincerely asked, Did you really lose weight by insisting on ultra - slow jogging? And the reply reveals the truth: No matter what exercise you do, as long as there is no calorie deficit, you will not lose weight.

In simple terms, the calories consumed by ultra - slow jogging are insignificant in the face of an unhealthy high - sugar and high - oil intake.

  Source: iQ Health Network

But on the other hand, the truly wonderful aspects of ultra - slow jogging are often overlooked.

Compared to other forms of exercise, the unique point of ultra - slow jogging lies in its gentleness and slowness. Essentially, it mobilizes the "slow - twitch muscle fibers" in the body that are responsible for durability and anti - fatigue, rather than activating a large number of "fast - twitch muscle fibers" that have poor durability and a high running cost. This principle allows people to exercise for a long time without feeling tired.

Its low - impact characteristic also makes it a joint - friendly exercise method that is not easy to cause injuries.

Therefore, it does not limit the venue and time, is safe and feasible, can enhance endurance, and reduce fatigue, and is unexpectedly suitable for office workers who sit at desks for a long time, cannot adapt to high - intensity exercises, and are physically and mentally exhausted.

Another amazing thing about ultra - slow jogging is the happiness it can generate.

Studies have shown that our bodies release an endogenous cannabinoid that is similar to marijuana and can increase pleasure and neutralize pain.

After researchers compared the release of this substance in the bodies of people who walked, jogged, ran at a moderate speed, and ran at a fast speed, they found that fast running is easy to stimulate adrenaline, making people briefly excited and then tired. While slow running will secrete more endogenous cannabinoids, allowing people to feel happy for a longer time and without side effects.

No wonder in most feedbacks about ultra - slow jogging, "happiness" is a more frequently used word.

People who engage in ultra - slow jogging do not talk much about its specific effects, but they all mention the changes in their physical and mental states that it brings.

Netizen in100daysiwill is a running enthusiast and has participated in many half - marathons. But after she became the mother of several children, she gained 20 kilograms and suffered from postpartum depression, with severe pain in her knees and back. The running speed she used to be accustomed to made her very painful.

And after her first attempt at ultra - slow jogging, she said, "Finally, there is no pain or depression, only a sense of accomplishment. " Ultra - slow jogging allowed her to find the joy of exercise again and remember the happiness that running brings, "I just like to go out alone and travel the world."

Vasillisa Kirilochkina, a reporter for the online health magazine Fit&Well, said that she has always preferred yoga, walking, and low - impact strength training. She tried running in her early 20s, but like many people who could not adapt to long - distance running, she had to give up after several painful attempts.

And ultra - slow jogging allowed her to put aside specific indicators such as speed, mileage, and even regularity for the first time, and focus only on her breathing and overall feeling while running, dispelling her psychological pressure and unconsciously developing a running habit.

"I have been jogging for more than two years, three times a week, 15 - 30 minutes each time, usually in the evening, running while watching the sunset. I feel more energetic, my hip and core strength have improved, and I can walk and hike for a longer time."

Vasillisa injured her knee due to ballet when she was a teenager. Ultra - slow jogging will not aggravate her knee problem, "In fact, I feel that my joints have become stronger."

Now, she even regards ultra - slow jogging as meditation. "I like the drifting of my thoughts while running, which allows me to silently vent all the anxiety of the day. Whenever I feel overly stressed and mentally exhausted, I will go for a slow run, and I always feel much better afterward."

It can be seen that even people who are not good at sports can gain a sense of accomplishment and happiness from ultra - slow jogging.

Slow is the New Fast

After the Paris Olympics, the sports craze remains high. But for people without a fitness habit, the threshold to start an exercise seems never to have been lowered.

In a research survey by the sports brand ASICS, it was found that <