Could a 20-minute walk every day be the key to losing weight? Fitness fans on TikTok seem to think so.
The popular 10-2-20 workout has emerged on social media as a low-impact, but still extremely effective, way to lose up to 15 pounds in two months.
The training consists of walking at a speed of two miles per hour on a treadmill for 20 minutes at a 10 percent incline four times a week.
It has been proposed as an alternative to the 12-3-30 routine, which requires walking at 3 mph at a 12 percent incline for 30 minutes.
However, experts say the less intense version is still an effective way to lose weight.
Doing the 10-2-20 workout while lifting weights and eating nutritious foods can help you lose eight to ten pounds of fat in six to eight weeks, Nicole Rauch Winter, fitness trainer at Ladder, an app-based exercise program, he said in a TikTok.
While the original workout may not seem that difficult at first, it is actually intense, according to DeAnne Davis Brooks, a professor of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“You have to be in good shape to go at that pace and that incline for 30 minutes,” he says. he told Salud.
So users have created a slightly scaled-down version that might be easier for the average person to achieve.
“Instead of just doing the workout wrong, or worse, not doing it at all, I modified it for me, I’ve been doing the 10-2-20, which is something that’s still a challenge, but it’s something I can still do “. I am capable of achieving it.’ TikTok user Jennifer Nicole saying.
Some social media users are excited about the results they have seen. ‘I lost 1 kg [2lbs] in 2 weeks just using the treadmill,” user Naima commented on Ms. Winter’s post.
‘To the girls at the TikTok gym who said 10-2-20, thank you,’ user Miranada Cheyenne shared in a video.
She said the routine would help her get her “body” in shape before the holidays.
Treadmill workouts like these are a popular alternative to the high-intensity workouts that many creators offer online. Georgie Spurling, founder of GS Method, an online wellness platform, formerly told DailyMail.com.
“Power walking can provide excellent cardiovascular exercise – strengthening your lower body, building endurance and muscle,” Ms Spurling said.
This type of exercise helps increase heart rate without damaging joints and can be a less intimidating introduction to the gym for people who may have been put off by more intense routines, Spurling added.
Walking regularly can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. according to the mayo clinic.
But this exercise is not a magic pill and probably won’t help you lose weight unless you also make other lifestyle changes, such as diet.
Ms Spurling told DailyMail.com: “If you are looking to lose weight [or] To gain fat or gain muscle there are many other factors, such as diet, sleep, stress and lifestyle, and no exercise will help you change overnight, no matter what the viral claims are.’
That’s probably why creators like Winter recommend incorporating the routine along with dietary changes.
Ms. Winter recommends following an 80:20 diet, in which 80 percent of the meals you eat focus on nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods, and 20 percent is whatever you crave.
Additionally, the frequency of your routine is important. To perform the recommended 75 minutes of aerobic exercise that doctors at mayo clinic prescribe per week, you will need to do this division at least four times per week.
While walking is generally a fairly safe form of exercise, doing it at this type of incline could cause you to walk in ways that stress your joints and back, said Jenny Francis-Townson, a celebrity fitness trainer. told Women’s Health.
He added: “If you are not used to repetitive walking or running, you may also experience pain in your knees, ankles or calves due to overuse and the repetitive nature of this form of exercise.”
Additionally, Spurling said that doing this exercise more than twice a week could be monotonous, diverting people from their fitness journey out of sheer boredom.
However, if you like doing it, he recommends combining it with other forms of cardio or going for a walk.
“I like that this workout is low-impact and doesn’t raise stress hormones too much, but there are plenty of other ways to do it that are engaging, exciting and just as effective, like Pilates or various sports,” Ms Spurling said.