There’s nothing like a successful rebrand to get people talking. In fashion, it was Burberry. In music, it was Miley. And in fitness? Well, nothing quite compares to the glow up of walking.
Really, we should’ve been paying it more attention all along. Research proves it as a central part of the Mediterranean lifestyle, which also champions regular, moderate movement, alongside a seasonal wholefood diet, plenty of sleep and strong social connections. Other studies consistently link walking to healthy ageing and increased longevity, with this 2006 paper proving it to help regulate the nervous system and improve mood.
But for years, it struggled to compete with the high-octane energy of sweat-drenched classes and HIIT circuits. It wasn’t until lockdown slowed everything down and stripped fitness back to basics that walking had its moment in the sun, with TikTok trends spanning the Hot Girl Walk, rucking, colour walking and silent walking all hitting millions of views.
And while the beauty of walking lies in its unstructured, low-pressure simplicity, it has slowly been making its way to the gym floor. Peloton now offers dedicated treadmill walks, and where 45 minutes of walking on a treadmill would have once raised eyebrows, it’s now totally normal.
Still, I’ve always been a little sceptical about walking indoors. Without the fresh air or natural scenery, it felt a little boring and, dare I say it…pointless? Which is why my curiosity was piqued by TikTok’s latest viral fitness trend: tread and tone.
Coined by creator Samantha Banwer, tread and tone fuses treadmill walking with light dumbbell exercises for the upper body in a strength and cardio mash-up, which is blowing up online for being both efficient and effective.
With upper body training far from my favourite, and in search of a low-intensity cardio boost, I asked the experts for their thoughts before giving it a go myself.
For my honest reflections, keep scrolling. And if you’re after more walking inspiration, we’ve got guides to the best walking workouts for beginners, the best 10 minute walking workouts, and the best walking pad workouts, here.
I Tried Out a Week of TikTok’s Tread And Tone Workouts to See if They’re Worth the Hype. The Verdict? Mixed.
What is the tread and tone workout trend?
The tread and tone workout, a term coined by TikTok creator Samantha Banwer, first went viral in December 2024 and has been gaining traction ever since. Combining a light dumbbell routine with 45-60 minutes of treadmill walking, Banwer swears by the workout, describing it as her “holy grail”.
Banwer’s viral routine involves walking on a flat incline at a speed of 3 to 3.5mph for 45 to 60 minutes. Whilst you walk, you cycle through as many sets of bicep curls, hammer curls, upright row, lateral raise and overhead press as you can. Each exercise is performed for ten reps, and Banwer uses 2kg weights throughout the session.
Why is the tread and tone workout so popular?
The benefits of both walking and resistance training are well-documented. The former has been closely linked to increased lifespan, reduced biological age, and improved mental health, whilst the latter is associated with protection of bone health, improved athletic performance and positive body image amongst women.
But together? Is combining walking with resistance training actually any better than training separately? Αccording to Banwer, the answer is yes. When asked about the benefits of her workout in the comments section of her video, she replied, “time management, efficiency, makes walking more fun!”
So, what do the experts think? Well, according to personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long, the tread and tone workout is going viral because it “offers a creative and efficient way to train both cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength in one session.”
She explains that whilst Banwer’s specific workout might be new, the concept of tread and tone has been a popular tool in the fitness space for years. “Trainers and group fitness classes have long combined walking or treadmill intervals with strength training because it improves cardiovascular fitness, builds muscle strength and tone, increases your metabolism and improves mood and energy, especially when paired with music or a group setting.”
“What’s changed,” she says, “is the accessibility. People are now creating their own routines at home or at the gym, which has turned this structure into a more flexible and personalised way to train.”
Do experts recommend the tread and tone workout?
Despite its appeal for efficiency, the expert view is mixed when it comes to the efficacy of tread and tone workouts.
According to Jack Claxton, personal trainer at David Lloyd Clubs, “cardiovascular training and resistance training are most effective when performed separately, allowing full concentration on the technique, intensity, and quality of each. Dividing focus between two demanding forms of exercise can easily disrupt posture, compromise joint alignment, and reduce control over the weights, each of which increases the likelihood of injury,” he explains.
It’s a perspective which Tia Purewal, personal trainer and women’s health coach, echoes. “The trend doesn’t really add anything that you couldn’t get from a normal treadmill walk completed before a resistance session. Separating the two means you can give your all to each exercise, which is what you want to be doing to make the most out of your fitness goals.”
Long also has concerns about the safety of the workout. “No one should feel pressured to copy an advanced workout they see online,” she cautions. “This format can be physically demanding if you’re a newcomer or if you don’t have your recovery and nutrition in place.”
Her advice? To build up slowly and adapt the workout to fit your individual goals, energy levels and fitness experience.
What are the best alternatives to the tread and tone workout?
So, with the experts divided on Banwer’s routine, Long shares some alternative workouts, which retain the concept of tread and tone, but which separate the walking from the weighted section of the session.
1. 30 Minute Beginner Walk + Tone Workout
- Treadmill walk at five percent incline, 3.5mph for five minutes
- Off-treadmill circuit:
- Bodyweight squats – 15 reps
- Incline push-ups on treadmill frame or bench – 10 reps
- Dumbbell bent-over rows – 12 reps
- Repeat three times
- Cool down with a five minute flat walk at 3mph
2. 40 Minute Intermediate Hill and Tone Session
- Warm up walk for five minutes at flat incline, 3.2mph
- Incline walk for ten minutes at 8 to 10 percent, 3.5 to 4.0mph
- Off-treadmill strength circuit:
- Walking lunges – 10 each leg
- Dumbbell shoulder press – 12 reps
- Glute bridges – 15 reps
- Repeat incline walk and circuit two times
- Cool down walk for five minutes at zero incline
I Tried the Viral Tread And Tone Workout - And Have Some Thoughts
Days one to three
Armed with the experts’ scepticism, I went into my week of tread and tone workouts unconvinced. They advise me to try three workouts across the week, which I plan to intersperse with Pilates, Yoga and running workouts.
Feeling slightly embarrassed about the unusual nature of my workout, I choose to do my sessions at ONE Ldn, one of the UK’s only female-founded commercial gyms, and a space well known for its welcoming and non-judgemental community.
Fortunately, the treadmills are tucked in a quiet area of the gym, so after collecting a pair of 2kg dumbbells and plugging myself into my favourite podcast (My Therapist Ghosted Me for those asking), I get to work.
Once I was walking steadily at 3.5mph, I began cycling through the dumbbell exercises, the routine propped up on my phone screen in front of me.
My first takeaway? Headphones are essential. Sixty minutes of treadmill walking can sound like a chore, and at first, it felt like one, too. But oddly enough, the repetitive rhythm and low intensity of the workout quickly became meditative. I zoned out, focused on the form, and before I knew it, half an hour had flown by.
Each full circuit of the dumbbell routine took around two and a half minutes. I managed 20 sets in the hour, taking 30 seconds to a minute of rest between rounds. It’s very much a test of muscular endurance, thanks to the lighter weights and higher reps (for muscle growth, research suggests sticking to two to three sets of eight to twelve reps with heavier loads).
I wouldn’t call it hard, exactly, but by the 45-minute mark my arms were definitely burning, and I’d broken a light sweat.
Ashleigh gets started with her first tread and tone workout at ONE Ldn
For session two, I decided to take tread and tone outside - partly to chase some late summer sunshine and partly in search of the mental health benefits that come with fresh air and greenery. Armed with my new hand weights, I set off through the cornfields. I’m a regular walker, and I genuinely find it sets me up for a better day. But what I loved most about adding the dumbbell routine was the fact that I couldn’t check my phone the entire time. With my hands full, my phone remained in my pocket, and I came back more refreshed than usual.
Did it work as well as the treadmill version? Arguably. You can’t monitor your pace quite as closely, but uneven terrain and the odd hill introduce their own challenge. And in some ways, it’s actually safer because you aren’t tasked with navigating a motorised belt whilst gripping hand weights.
Days four to seven
By the time session three rolled around, I was back at the gym, this time nursing tired legs from a run the day before. The low intensity of walking was a welcome reprieve, and I used the workout to warm up my body ahead of Pilates.
To round off the week, I headed out for one more outdoor walk, which delivered much the same results as before: it was mindful, fairly energising, and it set me up well for a positive rest of the day.
Ashleigh heads out on her final outdoor tread and tone workout, armed with her Onyx hand weights
My verdict? Tread and tone probably isn’t going to make you run faster, lift heavier, or transform your fitness. But that doesn’t mean it’s useless, and I don’t think we should be so quick to discredit it. On days when you don’t fancy a run, can’t face the intensity of a HIIT class, or want to move without a strict structure, it serves a purpose. You can get a full hour of movement, some low-impact cardio, a bit of an upper-body burn, and uninterrupted time with your favourite podcast.
So, if you’re tempted to give it a go, take it with a pinch of salt and bear in mind the importance of safety when handling weights on a moving conveyor belt. (No fallers, please).
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If you're looking to add weight to your walks from home, then a set of hand or wrist weights is a great addition to your kit bag. I've been using this 2kg set from Onyx - they're stylish, soft and easy to grip, and have become a staple in my workout rotation.
Are outdoor walking workouts as effective as walking on a treadmill?
“Yes, definitely,” says Personal Trainer and Women’s Health Coach, Tia Purewal. “In fact, outdoor walking tends to be more exerting than a treadmill walk, especially if you’re going out on hiking terrain. Even just picking more adventurous routes that have inclines and keeping to a steady pace adds intensity. And if you want even more, you can always strap weights to your wrists or ankles.”
Personal Trainer, Aimee Victoria Long, agrees, adding that in addition to “using natural terrain like hills, stairs or parks for cardio intervals, you can pause at safe spots for strength movements. For example, you might walk briskly for three to five minutes, stop for bodyweight squats, incline push-ups on a bench, or lunges, and then continue.”
For both experts, the key to progression is not where you do your workouts, but the consistency with which you do them. “Even thirty minutes, three times a week, can make a significant difference,” says Long, who shares that when sticking to this regularity, people usually notice positive changes in energy levels, strength and mood within two to three weeks.
