Club Benefits
If you’ve been scrolling through fitness feeds lately, you may have noticed treadmill walking is trending (you’ve got to love a Hot Girl Walk), along with hybrid training.
The idea of combining weights and cardio into one session is everywhere right now — think two birds, one stone. Not only does hybrid training save time, but it also improves strength and endurance in a single workout.
What if I told you you can now walk on the treadmill and lift weights at the same time? We’re not talking heavy deadlifts or squats, but upper-body exercises using light dumbbells, such as bicep curls, hammer curls, upright rows, lateral raises and triceps extensions.
Enter: “Tread and Tone.”
What is the 'Tread and Tone' walking workout?
The Tread and Tone workout rose to fame in December 2024 after 25-year-old TikTok creator Samantha Banwer shared it with her audience. It’s a simple yet effective blend of two fitness staples: 30 to 60 minutes of treadmill walking paired with a continuous light-dumbbell upper-body routine.
Banwer calls it her “holy grail,” and her followers’ enthusiasm — and her athletic look — show it works for her 263,000 TikTok fans. Whether it would do the same for me was another question. I gave it a try.
Day 1: Getting started
The first session felt genuinely exciting because I love trying something new. If you’re imagining a complicated routine, think again. After pressing start on my treadmill, I set it to a 1% incline (my usual) and walked at the suggested 3 to 3.5mph pace.
After five minutes, I grabbed my 2kg dumbbells and cycled through 10 reps of bicep curls, hammer curls, upright rows, lateral raises and overhead presses. I then took a brief reset and went straight back into the next round.
As it was my first attempt, I stuck to a 30-minute session, taking 60 seconds of rest between rounds to keep the routine flowing. At first, I underestimated the coordination required. Holding dumbbells, keeping my core engaged and performing each move while walking took more focus and balance than expected. Still, the transitions were manageable, and the time flew by.
Roughly 3,000 steps (and more rounds than I could count) later, my arms felt properly worked, and my heart rate was noticeably elevated.
Day 2: The burn is real
By day two, my arms and shoulders were definitely feeling worked. The treadmill kept my heart rate high, while the dumbbells targeted smaller upper body muscles that often get neglected during standard cardio sessions.
I could feel my glutes, hamstrings and quads working as I walked, while my core stayed switched on to support posture and balance. There’s no holding onto the rails when your hands are occupied.
I’ll admit, the only thing I missed was my phone. Like many people, I tend to scroll while walking, but with no spare hands, I rested it on the dashboard and used the time to catch up on some motivation courtesy of Eckhart Tolle instead. I extended the session to 45 minutes, and once again, the time passed quickly.
Day 3: Low impact, high return
One of the biggest advantages of this workout is that it’s joint-friendly. You’re not running, jumping, or even power walking, which makes it feel kind on the knees and hips without sacrificing intensity. For anyone who wants the metabolic benefits of cardio without the impact, this feels like a smart option.
Today, I increased the incline to 8% while keeping the speed at 3mph. My heart rate climbed quickly, so I allowed myself longer 90-second rest periods between rounds. The balance between effort and recovery made the session feel challenging but sustainable.
Day 4: A familiar class format
I swapped Tread and Tone for a similar stint on the treadmill using intervals, dumbbell resistance work (off the treadmill), then some boxing drills. I still got my treadmill and strength fix, and a solid 45-minute workout.
The key difference? I could lift heavier weights during the resistance phase, thanks to a stable surface, which allowed me to focus more on load and muscle engagement, which is harder to do while walking. This brief switch-up allowed me to compare the two similar styles of training.
Day 5+: Verdict
Samantha Banwer recommends doing Tread and Tone twice a week.
But was I enjoying it? I wasn’t entirely sure. It’s one of those workouts you don’t see many others doing, which can feel intimidating for anyone with gym anxiety (yes, it’s a thing!). That said, I’m comfortable owning my workouts and not worrying too much about curious glances, but I can see how this might feel daunting for some.
I noticed two things almost immediately: my muscles were sore (in a good way) and I felt I’d worked my body from head to toe, including my balance and coordination.
The combination of steady treadmill walking and light weight training created a rhythm that felt sustainable rather than exhausting. It’s also the kind of workout you could realistically slot into a busy schedule.
When asked about the benefits, Banwer was quick to point to “time management, efficiency and making walking more fun," and she’s not wrong. The trend has gone viral and become increasingly more common, and I can see why. That said, not everyone is fully convinced.
It’s one of those workouts you don’t see many others doing...
Speaking to personal trainer Laura ‘Biceps’ Hoggins, she raised concerns about whether you can lift heavy enough during Tread and Tone to meaningfully develop upper-body strength.
“To lift heavy enough to develop the upper body, I’d argue it could be dangerous on a moving treadmill at a pace that’s cardiovascularly challenging,” she explains. “I’ll always remain open-minded in the wonderful world of fitness, but sometimes we overcomplicate movements, and that can take away from their effectiveness in isolation.”
She makes a valid point. The benefits of walking and resistance training are well documented; walking has been linked to improved longevity, nervous system regulation and boosted mood, while resistance training supports bone health and strength and muscle development. But when you’re walking and lifting at the same time, there’s a clear limit to how heavy you can go. This workout style emphasizes volume rather than intensity.
I’ll happily keep experimenting with this type of training, but for me, it works best as part of a wider routine alongside sprints, heavier lifting and focused core work, and it taps more into endurance than anything else.
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