12-3-30: The Viral Workout and How It Helps

By Isma Ahmed

Mindless scrolling on social media might sometimes give way to something sensational. That’s exactly what happened with influencer, Lauren Giraldo’s 12-3-30 treadmill method. 

In 2019, a YouTube video was shared by the social media influencer, Lauren Giraldo, on her YouTube channel. In the following years, the workout became a hit on TikTok and has gained a massive number of views. The sensational workout became #12330 all over social media. With this hashtag there can be found thousands of videos of the workout all over TikTok and Instagram, that contain progress and reviews of individuals who have tried workout themselves. In an interview with Good Morning America, Giraldo talks about how she came about making up this workout, as she explained, “I was at a low point and the gym was always an intimidating environment for me. I wanted to find what worked for me and got me excited about remaining consistent. Through this, I was able to play with the settings on the treadmill and found that the 12-3-30 combination was challenging, but fun” (“What to know about the TikTok famous ‘12-3-30′ treadmill workout”, Katie Kindelan). Giraldo is aware of the growth of her workout and its positive impact on so many people around the globe, she states “We have cultivated a beautiful community of people that feel inspired.” 

So how exactly is 12-3-30 performed and why is it effective? 

12-3-30 is a low impact cardio session done entirely on a treadmill. Individuals walk at an incline of 12%, while walking at a speed of 3 miles per hour. All this is done for a total of 30 minutes. Of course, no one has to start walking at a direct incline of 12%. It is recommended to gradually increase the incline as you feel comfortable during the 30 minutes. 12-3-30 is unique in its way that not only does it improve cardiovascular health and promote fat loss, but the high incline aids the growth of muscle. 

The Forbes article titled â€œWhat Is The 12-3-30 Workout?”, written by Leoni Jesner and medically reviewed by Alyssa Cole Mixon D.O, M.B.A, has written extensively about fat loss, cardiovascular and muscular growth, all promoted by the viral workout. 

Heart Disease is a rising problem all around the world, and this exercise could prove to be a great way to reduce the risk of developing this growing disease. When talking about how 12-3-30 could help with cardiovascular disease, the Forbes article explains, “Research shows that walking on an incline, which mimics uphill walking, not only burns more calories than flat-level walking (due to higher energy requirements) but can also increase your heart rate and help maintain healthy blood pressure”. The incline required to perform 12-3-30 is high enough for it to increase the heart rate to such an intensity, that it will keep an individual’s blood pressure at a healthy level, promoting exceptional heart health. 

According to the Forbes article, 12-3-30 aids in muscle growth by the incline putting, “your posterior chain—your glutes, hamstrings, lower back and calf muscles—to work, which improves lower body strength and challenges your overall balance”. According to the article, the incline puts focus on, “slow-twitch muscle fibers”. These muscle fibers are the ones that work, while doing 12-3-30, to grow muscle in the lower body such as your glutes, hamstrings, calves, etc. Having a heartrate of 60% to 70% will keep you in the, “fat-burning zone”, as the Forbes article explains. The biggest, and most well-known, aspect of the 12-3-30 workout is how it transforms the body by encouraging fat loss. The treadmill workout always keeps the body in a fat burning zone, by maintaining the heartbeat at the required rate of 60 to 70%. While performing the workout, the best way to indicate if your heart rate is at the required fat burning rate, “is that you can maintain a conve