Walking on a slope.
Walking slowly on a slope. What are its benefits and will it help your weight loss journey?
Lauren Giraldo, an American network influencer on a weight loss journey, decided to try raising the incline on her treadmill to the maximum - and this exercise helped her lose 13 kilos
But is going on max incline good for you? What are its advantages and disadvantages and who is it suitable for?
Three years ago, when she was only 21 years old and carrying an excess of 13 kg, Lauren Giraldo, an American network influencer, tried to find a fitness workout that, on the one hand, would not threaten her daily life, and on the other hand, would motivate her to persevere, provide results and help her get rid of the kilos The excesses. She didn't connect to running, and walking just didn't work for her, so one day she hopped on the treadmill and started playing around with the settings: she increased the incline to the maximum (level 12 on the device she used), found that the speed was 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h) which was easy enough for her, and she decided on a training duration of 30 minutes following a sentence of her grandmother that was well embedded in her memory: "Every person should devote 30 minutes a day to physical activity"
From these three definitions, Giraldo created a training routine that she called 12-3-30. In 2019, she uploaded a video to Instagram in which she talked about the method while showing her before and after photos (a few weeks from the day she started training), and stated: "I don't do a diet and I don't count calories." Since then, the video has garnered tens of millions of views and attracted more and more enthusiastic supporters.
Fitness experts from across the United States who tested the method were unanimous in its pros and cons. Among other things, it is said that this is training based on an old principle in a new package. The 12-3-30 method is based on scientific findings known as Low-Intensity Steady State or LISS for short.
So should you also go for it?
The Pros of this style:
Walking on an incline activates many muscles and helps create a load on the lower body muscles and thus contributing to increasing energy expenditure and supporting the weight loss process. The method also contributes to improving cardiopulmonary endurance and balance.
Get on the treadmill and adjust it according to the three settings: incline 12, speed 3 miles 30 minutes.
Exercising daily (or at least five times a week) will allow you to meet the recommendations of the American Heart Health Association, according to which 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week are required to maintain heart health
The method does not require any thought or skill. It's easy to start applying it, which also makes it easier to stick with it.
The cons of this style:
This method does not incorporate strength training that is necessary to strengthen your upper body, so if you do this exercise alone, you miss work on an important muscle group.
The activity is not varied or exciting. Walking at a constant pace for a constant time in the same parameters can get boring, and over time also lead to a decrease in motivation
Walking on a slope of 12 immediately in the first stage, without gradation, may cause a load on the vertebrae of the lower back. Also, the training may aggravate existing problems in the knees or ankles for those whose thigh muscles are not strong enough.
Like any other training that is repeated in the same format day after day, 12-3-30 can cause injuries as a result of creating a constant load on the joints, especially for people who do not train regularly and need gradualness in their training routine.
To lose weight a negative caloric deficit is required - take out more and take in less. The deficit in the method is constant and the training is relatively low intensity. In the absence of a balanced nutrition plan, there is no guarantee that you will indeed spend more and put in less, which means that weight loss will not necessarily be achieved. Moreover, in a study published about a year ago, it was found that in order to lose weight only with the help of physical activity, 300 minutes of activity per week are required. Even if you train with the method seven days a week, you will not reach this number.
A 12-3-30 workout can offer some significant health benefits, as long as you are in good basic shape. It does improve cardiopulmonary endurance and will show an advantage in supporting weight loss processes as long as you observe a caloric deficit. If you have chosen to adopt the method and you are untrained, it is very good not to rush and start easy while making sure to increase gradually during the training (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30), and only after a few pieces of training try to incorporate changes in the slope while making gradual and controlled progress and listening to the body.
"Before" and "after" videos and photos create unrealistic expectations and encourage comparisons, which can do more harm than good. In the end, each person is an individual, and it is not guaranteed that the results that a certain person achieves will also be achieved by others under the same conditions.
