We asked a personal trainer if the TikTok 12-3-30 workout is actually effective

I need to know if this is going to give me abs

2 years ago

Gym TikTok is one of the biggest sections on the app, with over 100 billion views related to the hashtag “gym” it’s safe to say people use TikTok for every kind of workout inspiration. There’s HIIT workouts, tips on how to lift more and people downing protein shakes left, right and centre. However one of the most popular workouts on TikTok involves just walking – it is of course the “12-3-30” workout.

The 12-3-30 workout is very simple. All you have to do is go on the treadmill and set your interval height at 12, set the speed at three miles per hour and walk for 30 minutes. It’s a classic “that girl” exercise routine with nearly 100 million views, with the majority of the videos featuring girls sweating and showing off their intense walk.

It’s not the only workout like this. There’s a similar variation on the stairmaster which involves going on the stairmaster for 20 minutes at speed seven or eight, three times a week.

@styleangel Not doing the 12:3.30 wokrout aint 🅿️ #weightlossjourney💪🏼 #12330workout #fatlosstips #12330challenge #weightlosscheck #weightloss #absworkout ♬ Under The Influence – Chris Brown

Both these workouts promises to give you abs and a toned bum, but is this really possible? We spoke to personal trainer and founder of Square Mile Fitness Tirrel Grant to find out:

Does the 12-3-30 workout give you abs and a toned bum?

According to Tirrel Grant the 12-3-30 workout can’t give you abs or a toned bum by doing this exercise alone. He told The Tab, you cannot “spot” rescue fat and whilst these exercises can target your glutes, the impact they have is limited.

He said: “You can’t spot rescue fat so there are no particular workouts that will give you abs. Your body will pull fat from wherever.”

Tirrel argues you would need to combine this workout with a number of changes in order for it to have an impact.

He said: “For you to build muscle which is what ‘toning’ is you need a few things to happen with your training to see results. Progressive over load and intensity to name a few. Your training need to progressively get harder to gain muscle or ‘tone up’.

“My suggestion for building muscle and losing body fat would be resistance based training.”

What benefits does the 12-3-30 workout have?

Though it may not automatically give you a great bum and abs, Tirrel suggests it is possible to lose body fat with the 12-3-30 method if you are in a calorie deficit.

He said: “This workout wouldn’t specifically give you abs but it can help you lower your body fat IF you are in a great enough deficit. If you do this workout whilst eating more calories than you expend you will not lose body fat.

“You can create a calories deficit with progressive training but you need to know how much you are eating.”

Both the stairmaster and 12-3-30 workouts are low impact, meaning they are accessible for most people said Tirrel.

Are there any risks associated with these TikTok workouts?

As they are low impact workouts, Tirrel suggests there is little risk associated with including these into your exercise routine.

However the biggest problem Tirrel says you can have with these workouts is boredom, “you also need to enjoy what you do, if walking on a treadmill is boring, you probably won’t stick with it.”

Attempting to do the stairmaster challenge three times a week if you’re new to the gym can also be quite difficult to manage which can be “damaging for moral and motivation.”