tiktok tuesday: what's the 12-3-30?

the trend is attributed to lauren giraldo, a lifestyle vlogger and popular tiktoker. she explains the practice helped her lose thirty pounds at a time when she felt insecure going to the gym.

“i’m not a runner, and running on the treadmill was not working for me,” giraldo told today.com . “i started playing around with the settings, and at the time, my gym’s treadmill had 12 incline as the max. the three miles per hour felt right, like walking, and my grandma had always told me that 30 minutes of exercise a day was all you needed. that’s how the combination started.”

liss: low intensity steady-state training
being pushed aside in recent years for it’s trendy cousin, the hiit workout (high intensity interval training), liss workouts focus on keeping a consistent, less energetic pace for an extended period of time.

low intensity workouts are exercises where the participant is at about 50 to 60 per cent of their maximum heart rate, according to the cleveland clinic. this level of activity burns fewer calories than a higher heart rate, but generally can be sustained for far longer than a higher intensity workout. (maximum heart rate is the highest number of times a person’s heart can possibly beat per minute. although there are tests that can determine your personal maximum, it is generally accepted that using the equation 220 minus the participant’s age gives a solid estimate.)

there is a bit of a misconception, however, that lower intensity workouts burn more fat than high intensity ones. while it’s true that the percentage of calories burned from fat is greater in low intensity workouts than high intensity, high intensity workouts can burn significantly more calories in the same time frame — thus burning more fat overall .

incline workouts
as for walking or running on an incline, it has been shown to increase heart rate and potentially give a better workout than simply walking on a flat surface. however, as with all workouts, there is some risk.

a study conducted in the journal of foot and ankle research demonstrated that walking at an incline better activates the peroneal muscles (muscles located towards the back of the lower leg) and is thought to help increase ankle stabilization. and research published in the journal of bodywork and movement therapies, also found that walking on an incline better targets the medial gastrocnemius (calf muscle) than walking on a flat surface or walking at a faster pace.

however, walking on an incline also causes the body to lean forwards (so you don’t fall backwards) which puts more pressure on the lower back. if back pain is a concern — or if you notice pain or stiffness in your back during or in the days after walking on this incline, it’s probably a good idea to consult a doctor and dial it down.

the down side?
giraldo’s 12 incline is not for everyone. trainer beau burgau advises people who want to give the workout a try to take it slow.