Does the 10-2-20 workout really help you lose weight in just 20 minutes? Fitness buffs rave over simple exercise

Could a 20 minute walk every day be the key to losing weight? Fitness fanatics 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 workout involves walking at a speed of two miles per hour on a treadmill for 20 minutes while at a 10 percent incline four times a week. 

It has been proposed as an alternative to the 12-3-30 routine, which calls for walking at 3mph at a 12 percent incline for 30 minutes. 

However, experts say the less intense version is still an efficient way to drop 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, a fitness coach at Ladder, an app based fitness program, said in a TikTok. 

While the original workout may not seem that hard to begin with, it is actually intense, according to DeAnne Davis Brooks, kinesiology professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. 

'You have to be in pretty decent shape to go at that pace and that incline for 30 minutes,' she told Health.

So users have created a slightly dialed down version that could be easier for the average person to accomplish. 

'Instead of just doing the workout wrong, or even worse, not doing it at all, I modified it for me, I've been doing the 10-2-20, which is something that is still challenging but is something that I'm able to accomplish,' TikTok user Jennifer Nicole said. 

Some social media users are enthused about the results they've seen. 'I lost 1 kg [2lbs] in 2 weeks by just using the treadmill,' user Naima commented on Ms Winter's post.

'To the TikTok gym girlies who said 10-2-20, thank you' user Miranada Cheyenne shared in a video. 

She said the routine was going to help her get her 'body snatched' into shape before vacation. 

Treadmill workouts like these are a popular alternative to the high intensity workouts that many creators feature online, Georgie Spurling, the founder of GS Method, an online wellness platform, previously told the DailyMail.com. 

'Power walking can provide a great cardio workout - strengthening the lower body, building endurance and muscle,' Ms Spurling said. 

This type of exercise helps you get your heart rate up without harming your joints, and can be a less-intimidating introduction to the gym for people who may have been turned off by more intense routines, Ms Spurling added. 

Walking regularly can help reduce your risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke, according to Mayo Clinic. 

But this exercise isn't a magic pill, and probably won't help you lose weight unless you also make other lifestyle changes, like diet.

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Ms Spurling told DailyMail.com: 'If you're looking to lose weight [or] fat or gain muscle there are so many other factors such as diet, sleep, stress, and lifestyle, and no workout is going to help you change overnight - no matter what the viral claims may be.'

That's probably why creators like Ms Winter recommend incorporating the routine alongside diet changes. 

Ms Winter recommends following an 80:20 diet, wherein 80 percent of the meals you eat are focused on eating unprocessed, nutrition heavy meals, and 20 percent are whatever you're craving. 

Also, the frequency of your routine matters. To get the recommended 75 minutes of aerobic exercise that doctors at Mayo Clinic prescribe per week, you'd need to do this split at least four times a week. 

While walking is generally a pretty safe form of exercise, doing it at this kind of incline could cause you to walk in ways that stress your joints and back, Jenny Francis-Townson, a celebrity fitness trainer, told Women's Health.

She added: ‘If you’re not used to repetitive walking or running, you could also find you feel pain in knees or ankles or calves due to overuse and the repetitive nature of this form of exercise.'

Additionally, Ms Spurling said doing this exercise more than twice a week could be monotonous, leading people off of their fitness journey because of sheer boredom. 

If you enjoy doing it, however, she recommends mixing it in with other forms of cardio, or taking a walk outside. 

'I do like that this workout is low impact and won't spike your stress hormones out too much, but there are so many other ways to do this that are engaging, exciting, and just as effective, such as Pilates or various sports,' Ms Spurling said.