It will soon be four months since Julie Bernet stopped exhausting herself with long running sessions to stay in shape. Last February, the 18-year-old discovered on social networks a technique presented by some as miraculous to “lose fat while gaining muscle”: the “12-5-30” or “15-5-30” , according to the variants
Now, once a week, he walks at a pace of 5 km/h for 30 minutes on a 12-15% incline treadmill. The rapid results of this technique, praised by influencers on Tiktok and Instagram, convinced the student from Poitiers to fully integrate it into her sports routine.
“The first time I thought I was going to die!” Julie Bernet jokes. “After three minutes I thought I was going to let go. I was sweating so much I had to take a break in between.”
“But it’s actually amazing, I saw results from 4 or 5 sessions,” she says. “And since I recommend it to all my friends, especially those who want to lose weight.”
A challenge accessible to all audiences
This trend, popularized in 2019 by an American influencer named Lauren Giraldo, has conquered French sports halls since the end of the lockdown. “Difficult to lose in the cardio rooms, everyone got in,” confirms Kevin Gaillard, sports trainer.
Also a manager of a sports center in Montreuil, he notes that “men en masse” have embraced it as much as “young women and adolescent girls who want to refine themselves.”
“The advantage is that it is accessible to all audiences, from the elderly to the elite athlete,” he stresses. “It’s a good alternative to running when you don’t like to run or can’t.”
“Nothing revolutionary about that!”
Lisa Lhomme, 22, got involved in spring 2022 hoping to ‘melt out’ before summer and ‘feel comfortable in a swimsuit’, after hearing about it from a lifestyle influencer on Instagram. “It’s super hard at first: it hits your breath well, but it’s very effective!” comments this freelancer from Bordeaux, who started the challenge at a speed of 4 km/h before gradually increasing her level. .
She says she saw results quickly, two weeks after starting, practicing it twice a week. “She tones, she loses cellulite and tones the thighs, the calves, the buttocks”, she assures, like Estelle Bagassien, a communication student in Nantes, that she had gotten used to doing it four times a week. for many months.
After a few weeks of effort, the young woman claims to have noticed “small changes” that make her day-to-day life easier. “After a while, going up the stairs, carrying groceries up to the sixth floor became a lot less painful.”
“Nothing revolutionary” there, however, tempers Renaud Longuèvre, a high-level sports coach and former manager of French athletics teams, who judges this Tiktok challenge as “a bit of a gimmick.”
“On the treadmill or in the mountains, we don’t wait for social networks to do inclined walks at a brisk pace, social networks only gave a name to something that already existed before,” says the specialist.
The combination of cardio and muscle strengthening
The coach acknowledges, however, that “12-5-30” is still interesting for keeping fit or losing weight. “While you practice a cardiovascular activity – whatever it is – you spend energy while regulating your cravings. This helps to maintain a balanced diet, and the two combined necessarily help to reduce layers of fat, that is, fat.
“Is it useful? Of course! Why not?” Trainer Romain Bouzigon also enthusiastically answers when asked about the effectiveness of this method. “I prefer that to someone who is going to try to do sit-ups without rest to lose belly”, says the physical trainer, used to working with elite athletes.
“It is quite intense, it generates a significant metabolic cost”, equivalent to just over 300 kcal for 30 minutes. “But the advantage is, above all, that it combines cardio and weight training.”
The back and lumbar muscles are very stressed, according to the sports trainer, because “the inclination of the slope forces the person to be in a holster to be upright and have a proper posture at all times.” But the “12-5-30” also works the extensor muscles of the lower body, that is, the buttocks, thighs and calves.
“The key, though, is not to hold on to the mat handles!” recalls Lisa Lhomme. “If it’s not useless, it’s like walking flat.”
“Everyone is benefiting”
The main interest of this method, for the two sports trainers, is that it has the merit of protecting the joints. Unlike running, which can be violent to the bones due to repeated impacts, “fast walking does not cause any impact on the ground,” says Renauld Longuèvre. “It is much less traumatic for knees, hips or ankles”, and “it can be interesting for people who have weaknesses at this level, or who are overweight”, he adds.
The effectiveness of ’12-5-30′ ultimately “will depend on the physical state you are in”, concludes the sports coach. “If you are completely sedentary, it can be daunting because you can resume smoothly, adapting the values, for example,” he explains. “Then gradually increasing the difficulty as you improve. You always have to set an escalation.”
On the other hand, “if you are more used to effort, it will keep you going but it may not be enough”, “maybe you will look for a little more intensity”. But even for the most experienced, inclined walking on a treadmill can be very helpful on tired days, after an injury, or after a period of inactivity.
The risk of injury is very low if you are able to play a sport. The two trainers still recommend taking care to maintain good posture throughout the exercise so as not to risk tendonitis.
Source: BFM TV
