I’ve been doing the viral 12-3-30 workout at least once a week for the past year, so when I came across the 6-6-6 walking challenge, the latest walking workout trending on TikTok, I hoped I had found another go-to routine.
The 6-6-6 challenge promises to boost step count, support physical health and build consistency with a simple, structured approach.
There are a few versions of the challenge circulating, but the one I tried involves 60 minutes of brisk walking every day at 6am or 6pm, bookended by a six-minute warm-up and a six-minute cool-down.
Brisk walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. From improving cardiovascular health to supporting stress management, the benefits of this simple and accessible exercises is well documented.
As someone who aims to hit around 10,000 steps every day, I was eager to see if this structured approach could boost my step count and set a strong foundation before I start training for a 26-mile charity hike.
Here’s how I got on.
My experience of doing 6-6-6 walking challenge for a week
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I had to make room for it in my schedule
Usually, I do three gym sessions a week with a mix of cardio and strength training that takes me around one hour.
The thought of adding another hour in the gym every day was overwhelming, so to commit to the challenge, I reduced my regular strength training sessions to a quick 15-minute dumbbell workout.
From Monday to Friday, I made a routine of hitting the treadmill in the gym at 6pm. I started with a few squats and lunges, followed by a gentle warm-up walk for six minutes and repeated this again for the cool-down.
For the main walk, I aimed to get my heart rate up and stay in the cardio zone (according to my Fitbit), so I increased both the incline and the speed on the treadmill and got moving.
I preferred the outdoors to the treadmill
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I won’t lie—I found walking on a treadmill for over 60 minutes boring. Music—an upbeat playlist featuring plenty of Beyoncé—kept me going, but by Saturday I’d had enough of staring at the walls of my gym, so I went for a walk outside.
Swapping the gym for the great outdoors made all the difference, and on the final day I tacked the last of the challenge onto a 15km nature hike, which was the perfect way to finish strong.
A set time was a curse and a blessing
It took serious planning to leave my desk and make it to the gym by 6pm every day. However, it did help me stay consistent and on reflection was a great way to close out the working day.
A walk at 6pm on the weekends didn’t make sense with my schedule and I’m not an early riser, so on my weekend nature walks I made sure I was out of the door and moving by 9am rather than 6am.
My step count exploded
My daily step count skyrocketed during the challenge. I exceeded my daily step count target of 10,000 steps, averaging 15,000 a day over the week, and even hitting as high as 24,000 on one of my longer weekend nature walks. This gave me a solid foundation to start my training for the charity hike the following week.
It’s worth saying that making large jumps in the number of steps you take every day comes with risks. Your body may not be able to cope with the extra stress you place on it, so you should approach this challenge with caution if you don’t exercise regularly.
I won’t stick with it
If you’re already active and looking for a challenge to build momentum, the 6-6-6 routine is a great place to start, although it’s unlikely to be suitable for beginners, who should look to increase their step count safely with small, incremental increases each week.
That said, taking on this challenge week in, week out wouldn’t be sustainable for me, either, and would take time away from the other workouts I enjoy.
I missed my usual gym program, and by day five I was completely done with spending 60-plus minutes on a treadmill.
I’ll be sticking to the 30-minute 12-3-30 routine when I’m on the treadmill, and walking outdoors in nature as much as I can.
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