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A fitness trend that went viral on social media with more than 14-million views may actually do what it says, new research suggests. The 12-3-30 treadmill workout took off on TikTok and was popularized by influencer Lauren Giraldo, claiming that walking at a 12% incline, at a pace of three miles per hour, for 30 minutes is a fat-burning, low-impact fitness fix. A new study puts it to the test, comparing results to “self-paced” treadmill running.
Researchers looked at how many calories each method burns, as well as how the body fuels each workout, whether it uses carbs or fat for fuel.
- In the study, young adults did two workouts, one round of 12-3-30 and one session of running at a pace they could keep up for 20 to 25 minutes.
- The workouts were adjusted to burn the same number of calories and running burned calories faster, about 13 calories per minute compared to 10 calories per minute for the 12-3-30.
- That’s because calories are burned faster with a higher intensity workout, like running.
- What’s interesting is that the 12-3-30 workout used more fat as a fuel source - 41% of energy came from fat, while 33% did during running.
The study does have some limitations, including that there were only 16 participants and they were all already exercising at least three times a week for three months, so results for less active people may not be the same. And if you’re trying to lose weight, total calories burned matters more than whether you’re using fat or carbs for fuel. But if your goal is to burn more fat, the 12-3-30 may be the way to go, and not just another pointless TikTok trend. ⠀
Source: NY Post⠀