What Personal Trainers Really Think About The Viral 12-3-30 Treadmill Workout

When it comes to exercise, so many people — beginners; determined enthusiasts; reluctant participants; and everyone in between — are looking for holy grails: workouts that involve the least amount of time and effort and offer maximum results.

We live in the most scientifically advanced age of fitness. Exercise is a multibillion-dollar industry, and much of that money is spent on new research and development of new technology. If there was an easier way to get the benefits of a squat or a pull-up without actually having to do a squat or a pull-up, you’d think we’d have found it by now.

Despite the absence of a magic pill or a one-minute, low-impact total body workout that will burn fat, build muscle and prevent all serious health problems, the industry is full of cleverly marketed plans and potions, promising the world for just a little time and work.

The latest trendy regimen that falls into this category is the cardio workout known as 12-3-30. Devotees say that 12-3-30 lives in that ideal intersection of minimal effort and maximum results.

Could it be true? Have we unlocked exercise’s biggest secret? Or is this another lie perpetrated by Big Treadmill?

The trainers and personal trainers I spoke to said 12-3-30 was a net positive. People who move their bodies are generally better than people who don’t, and anything that gets people exercising is a good thing. But they also believe that 12-3-30 offers a glimpse into how people traditionally thought exercise was complicated, and how much simpler it could be.

No one alive today can truthfully claim to have invented uphill walking. But fitness influencer Lauren Giraldo is largely credited with renaming this physical act as 12-3-30. Giraldo placed after YouTube video on 12-3-30 in 2019; In 2020, she claimed that walking on the treadmill at a 12 percent incline at a speed of 3 mph for 30 minutes helped her lose 30 pounds and keep the weight off. in an interview with Good morning AmericaGiraldo said she started using the 12-3-30 formula because it was a way to work out that wasn’t intimidating.

The nice thing about 12-3-30 is that it’s simple. There are a limited number of settings on a treadmill, and the hardest thing about this routine is remembering which number goes where. The slope is set to 12. The speed input is where the three go. And 30 is the number of minutes needed to complete this ritual.

“12-3-30 does what it’s designed to do: a low-impact cardio workout that’s easy to repeat,” Charlie Atkinsa certified personal trainer and the founder of the guided exercise program Le Sweattold Vox. “I would categorize 12-3-30 as LISS, or low intensity steady state cardio.”

Atkins explained that 12-3-30 and other LISS routines are effective because they allow you to get your heart rate up with relatively lower effort and less wear and tear on your body than something like running. This makes 12-3-30 particularly attractive to beginners, people coming back from injury or a long break, and anyone who recommended amount of cardio for better health but don’t want to make it their full-time job.

James McMillian, a certified personal trainer and president of show housea strength and conditioning facility in New York City, agreed with Atkins that 12-3-30 is good for many people. Because it doesn’t require a particularly high skill level and is relatively easier on the joints, its entry barrier is lower. People who are turned off by more challenging forms of cardio, such as running or group cycling classes, may find 12-3-30 more doable, which can lead to more consistency.

“You’re walking on an incline, so your heart rate stays up, you burn calories, and you get some lower-body endurance without beating yourself up,” McMillian said. “The more you remove friction, the more people stay consistent.”

I tried 12-3-30 at the gym this week and was surprised: I didn’t expect to be hard enough to break a sweat at this seemingly easy pace. Yes, 12-3-30 is super simple (almost annoyingly so), but it’s also not really something you can coast through. The pace is just a little above a brisk walking speed, the kind you’d use to pass someone lolling in front of you on a sidewalk. The slope feels like a steep hill. And while it’s certainly not as challenging as the spin or HIIT classes I have, I worked up a good sweat. (I don’t usually trust tremill calorie counts, but for what it’s worth, the machine told me I burned 390 calories.)

The experts I spoke to told me that you don’t need to hold on to the treadmill’s handrails to really get the most out of the workout. Following that advice makes for a cardio experience that’s uncomfortable enough that you actually have to pay attention (I couldn’t text or scroll on my phone while doing it), but it wasn’t impossible to finish either.

While experts I spoke to said that 12-3-30 is not a magic bullet and strength training may be more beneficial if your goal is to get stronger or improve athletic performance, there is also an industry saying that the best workout is the one you actually do. 12-3-30 is a plan that many people can achieve consistently. By that standard, it’s a good one.

How much of 12-3-30 is just good marketing?

While efficiency and consistency are crucial components, perhaps the biggest factor when it comes to 12-3-30’s popularity is that it is easy to sell.

“12-3-30, it’s like the $5 foot long,” Bobby McMullena personal trainer and founder of the fitness app Adonistold Vox. McMullen’s app matches clients with personal trainers based on goals, budget and location, and he spends a lot of time thinking about how to meet gym-goers where they are.

McMullen pointed out that workouts like P90X and Hard 75 are becoming hugely popular, in part because of how they’re packaged. It turns out that some people enjoy it when their workouts, like their sandwiches, include a numerical identifier. Branding matters, in part because it can be a form of motivation to participate in the hot, number-named workout everyone is posting about.

“It stays with you, so you know exactly what to do,” McMullen said. “You push some buttons, you don’t change it for 30 minutes. It’s just a really catchy viral workout.”

McMullen and the other experts I spoke to noted that the 12-3-30 gimmick also works due to the simple fact that many people go to the gym and either don’t know what to do or want/need to be told exactly how to use their time. Exercising is an escape for many people, and who wants to think when they’re actively trying not to think?

Unlike the allure of bootcamps and other workouts that pride themselves on pulverizing you, 12-3-30’s charm is that it’s supposed to be easy enough—something a wide range of people can achieve in theory. Its accessibility is its strength, and a big part of why it’s so popular. McMullen said that one can even customize the program, tinkering with the speed to make it as easy or as difficult as needed. (But, he said, “going steeper is crazy.”)

“Not moving your body at all is a victory, and I will not, nor will any trainer, poo-poo any kind of over-marketed three-number system that gets you to move your body,” McMullen said, adding that the most important thing about 12-3-30 is that it shows people that exercise doesn’t have to be as complicated as it seems.

“Whatever you can fit in is better than nothing,” he said. “If that’s all you’ve got time for, run up that hill like Kate Bush, baby.”