12-3-30 Workout: Elevate Your Next Treadmill Walk

As much as we love treadmills, the honest truth is that sometimes they can bore the living daylights out of you, and being bored is the last thing we want you to feel when exercising. Say hello to the 12-3-30 workout.

If you love using the treadmill to get your steps up each day but are looking for a way to add some spice to your walk or get more out of it for your strength and fitness, this viral workout could be exactly what you need. And it’s simple.

What is the 12-3-30 workout?

We wouldn’t blame you if you thought this sounded similar to the very popular 3-2-1 Method in the Sweat app (three strength workouts, two Pilates sessions and one cardio day), but it’s actually nothing like it.

The 12-3-30 workout is a treadmill session involving:

• 12% incline

• 3 miles per hour (roughly 4.8 kilometres per hour)

• 30 minutes

That’s it. It’s not a program - it’s just one workout you can do as often as you like provided you have access to a treadmill. Hop on, set it to a 12% incline, adjust your speed to a brisk-but-manageable 3 mph, and walk for half an hour.

You’re not running, there are no intervals or a crazy upper-body workout to complete at the same time, it’s just you and a treadmill that is potentially a lot steeper than you’ve ever seen it before. Good luck.

What do you need to start?

Must-haves:

• A treadmill that can reach a 12% incline with speed settings (you don’t even need a gym membership for this one if you have a treadmill at home!)

• A timer on your treadmill (or your watch or phone) to record the 30 minutes

• A pair of comfy, supportive walking shoes

• Whatever workout clothes you feel your best in!

You may also want:

• A sweat towel

• A water bottle

• Headphones

• A killer playlist, podcast or the latest episode of your favourite show to make those 30 uphill minutes a tad more fun

• Ankle or wrist weights to make it even more challenging

Where did the 12-3-30 workout come from?

Like a lot of fitness trends, the 12-3-30 method went viral on TikTok, shared by influencers who found the gym intimidating and found this workout an incredible way to get fit and healthy without a fancy, complicated routine or equipment.

What are the benefits?

Overcomplicating your workouts doesn’t necessarily make the returns better, and the 12-3-30 workout is the perfect example of a cardio session that is super simple yet delivers big bang for your buck. It also easily counts towards your weekly cardio goals for any program you’re following in the Sweat app.

So what is there to love?

• It’s low-impact, simple AND challenging: Walking is gentle on your joints, making this a great option for anyone who doesn’t like running or is recovering from injury but wants to push themselves.

• Faster fitness gains: Any walk is fantastic for your cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Walking uphill?

  Even better.

• Stronger legs, incoming: With every push up that 12% incline, you’ll be working your quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves much harder than you would on flat ground. Although strength training should always be your go-to over walking if you have muscle-building goals, your muscles will feel the love (or the burn, depending on which way you look at it) a lot more thanks to that added resistance.

• Mood booster: Like all forms of exercise, this routine can help lift your mood and reduce stress.

• Beginner-friendly: Of course, walking uphill might feel tough if it’s your first ever incline walk or you’re coming back from a break, but overall it’s pretty beginner-friendly and you don’t need any impressive skills to get started apart from knowing which buttons to press on your treadmill. If you’re finding that 12% incline really tough, simply lower the incline or pause the treadmill to catch your breath - no worries.

A 30-minute burn you’ll learn to love

The 12-3-30 workout is proof that fitness doesn’t have to be complicated, intimidating, or boring to give you a tough, sweaty session. With just a treadmill and some grit, you can boost your cardio, strengthen your lower body and walk your way to a better mood in 30 minutes flat.