12/3/30 cardio is a very simple and effective treadmill workout, where you set the incline to 12, the speed to 3.0, and walk for 30 minutes.  

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Is 12/3/30 a Good Cardio Option?

12/3/30 is an excellent cardio option for a few reasons:

It’s Low Impact

Uphill walking and jogging are typically low impact on your joints. 

Walking or jogging uphill require mostly concentric muscle contractions.

That is, it takes away a large portion of the eccentric portion (having to slow down, as in lowering a biceps curl down slowly). 

The eccentric portion of a movement is much harder on the joints and muscle tissues. 

For this reason, uphill walking or jogging is much friendlier to the joints and connective tissues than running on flat ground.   

Studies, like this one, show that uphill walking can strengthen the knee joint while also subjecting it to less stress.

It Burns More Calories

A lot of energy is expended walking up an incline vs. flat ground.

For every 1% increase in incline grade, you’ll burn about 10 additional calories (roughly) per mile walked.    

So, for 12/3/30 cardio, you’ll be at a 12-degree incline, burning about 120 more calories per mile.

Variations of 12/3/30 Cardio

People love slapping labels on things. 

12/3/30 is just one mix of settings you can employ for your cardio sessions.

You can just as easily set the incline to 5, 8, 10, etc. and set the speed to whatever is comfortable.

You can also go for shorter or longer time periods, depending on your level and what your goals are.

Is 12/3/30 Enough to Lose Weight?

12/3/30 is a great method to use for cardio days, but you should definitely be lifting weights as well if you want to optimize your physique goals. 

Having a program to follow is the best way to hold yourself accountable and ensure progress over time.

For women, I highly recommend the Forged Female program.  It’s a community of women building incredible bodies and is scalable to multiple levels.

You get access to a coach, and workouts are planned for you (including cardio) 6 days a week. inal

Final Thoughts

12/3/30 Cardio is a solid method to burn additional calories and get some quality cardio in.

Done alongside a solid resistance training program, it can be a highly effective, time-efficient and simple way to improve your physique and your health.

To get a little deeper into how to perform cardio properly, check out this article

Thanks for readingm, let me know what you think!