Last Sunday, I was doing my nightly TikTok scroll when I stumbled across several videos about a fitness challenge called the 12-3-30 workout.

After watching video after video of people talking about their experience with the new treadmill workout, I started to understand what those numbers meant. Essentially, you walk on a treadmill at an incline of 12 and a pace of 3 miles per hour for 30 minutes.

What I Expected

I’m a sucker for simple workouts; it’s basically common knowledge that my friends and I love to try out new fitness challenges. So, the next day, I asked a friend if she heard about this new trend. Turns out, my friend not only heard of it but already tried it herself. She told me that it was certainly a good workout and that I should try it, but to take it easy and not expect to make it all the way through on the first try. My friend and I both go on 2-mile walks regularly, and I run twice a week. I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult of a workout for me, right?

During

Boy, was I mistaken. I consider myself to be in pretty decent cardio shape, but this workout was quite the challenge. At around minute 10, my body was getting tired, and I was sweating up a storm. At the 15-minute mark, I took the incline down to a 6 and stayed there for the rest of the 30 minutes, which was still moderately difficult for me. I think the incline is the reason why this challenge is so hard. I’m used to walking and running on flat surfaces, so this was totally out of my norm.

The Next Day

The next day, I wasn’t super sore or tired; I felt more energized. For me, this is typical the day after a good cardio workout. Incorporating cardio into my workout usually seems to alleviate soreness from lifting and other strength training exercises, which this did a great job of.

Takeaways

Overall: I would 10/10 recommend. Always remember it’s important to start slow and be easy on yourself. The people on TikTok make it look easy, and that’s coming from a seasoned walker. Don’t be afraid to take the incline, speed, or duration down a bit in order to make it more manageable and achievable. You can always work your way up.

Last but not least, hydrate! Drink lots of water before and after, because, if you’re like me, you’ll sweat out a lot of your body’s stored water during this challenge. Also, eat something before and after. This is not something you want to do on a completely empty stomach, and I was super hungry afterward. Your body needs to fuel and refuel before and after any workout.

It’s always important to remember that your body needs rest and variety. This workout is fairly intense, so it’s a good idea to either take a rest day or do a completely different workout the next day. While this challenge shouldn’t be part of your everyday routine, it’s a fun way to incorporate some cardio into your week. Come to The Rec, try it out on one of our many treadmills, and tell us about your experience on social media @auburncampusrec!

Be well, Auburn.

Photography: Zoe L.