I would choose any workout over running on a treadmill. If it came down to an hour on the treadmill versus an hour spent in a military-style boot camp taught by an ex-Marine, I’d go for someone who barks orders at me over the monotony of a treadmill every time.
The one thing that could make me use my most hated workout gear? A workout based on my favorite musical artist – Taylor Swift.
When I saw this Taylor Swift-themed treadmill workout had over 3 million views on TikTok, I knew it was time to revisit my relationship with the treadmill and try the Taylor Swift Treadmill Strut.
What is the The strut of the Taylor Swift treadmill?
The Taylor Swift Treadmill Strut (TSTS) was created by Allie Bennett, a TikTok creator known for her programmed treadmill workouts for popular music artists. “I grew up as a dancer, so I tried to find ways to incorporate some of that musicality and fun energy into my workouts – and that’s how I was able to do it!” Bennett said TODAY.
The TSTS has been his most popular video so far. After someone messaged her asking for an all-Taylor Swift playlist, she decided to structure the workout like what you’d see in a spin class. The workout playlist features 10 of Taylor Swift’s best bangers and is just under 37 minutes long.
“I think these videos have been so popular because they’re simple workouts that people can do to the music of their favorite artists! They’re easy to follow and deceptively sweaty, but they take the time pretty quickly,” Bennett said. says TODAY. “I’ve even received messages from people who have tried my workouts saying they’ve never felt like they could run before, but they found it easy to do with the workout setup. ‘coaching.”
She also thinks her workouts resonate with people because they are more about mental health than focusing on physical goals. “It’s a workout without any sort of ‘burn X calories’ or ‘get bikini ready’ message, which you see a lot on the fitness side of TikTok,” she said. “It’s refreshing to be able to put something in that space that’s just about enjoying your workout, because I think fitness should just be about finding a form of movement that you enjoy and look forward to, not about your appearance!”
Ready to try? All you need to complete the workout is a treadmill and the playlist, which Bennett has compiled here on Spotify. You can access it without a premium account, but if you want to avoid ad interruptions, having a subscription (or borrowing one from a friend) would be ideal.
The workout begins with finding your starting rhythm to the beat of Taylor Swift’s “The Man.” (Bennett suggests you start at 3.4 mph.) Once you’ve set your base pace, you increase by 0.1 mph for each song in the playlist (excluding the last three songs), using the song’s tempo to inform your beat.
the Taylor Swift treadmill strut workout:
- “The Man” – 3.4 mph [3:10]
- “How You Get Girl” – 3.5 mph [4:07]
- “Message in a Bottle” – 3.6 mph[3:45]
- “Better Than Revenge” – 3.7 mph [3:37]
- “New Romantics” – 3.8 mph [3:50]
- “You Belong to Me (Taylor Version)” – 3.9 mph [3:51]
- “Look What You Made Me Do” – 4.0 mph [3:31]
For the next two songs on the playlist, Bennett says you can either increase the speed to a running pace or maintain a brisk walk.
- “Shake It Up” – 7.0 mph [3:31]
- “…Ready for this?” — 7.0 mph [3:28]
Finally, the workout ends with a cool down on one of my favorites:
- “Style” – 3.0 mph [3:51]
Who is the Taylor Swift Treadmill Strut workout for?
Although Bennett has speed suggestions that coincide with the beats per minute for each of the songs, the workout is malleable to whatever pace you’re comfortable walking and running at, making it a good workout. for everyone, regardless of fitness level.
It’s something personal trainer Holly Roser appreciates: “It’s a great workout for someone who doesn’t like a lot of direction. It doesn’t tell you what speed or incline you should be at, it just gets you moving.
Roser also says that treadmill formats like the one in TSTS provide an effective workout. “Cardio intervals like these get great results if done for at least 30 minutes, three times a week,” Roser says. “Cardio three days a week and strength training three days a week is the winning formula for reducing body fat and seeing results.”
Based on this advice, I decided to add TSTS training to my routine three times over the course of a week – and that’s how it went.
My Experience Trying the Taylor Swift Treadmill Stand
Even though Bennett recommends going at your own pace, I decided to try doing the TSTS workout exactly as she described it.
I started with “The Man” at 3.4 mph, which felt slow to me as a fast walker. As the name of the workout suggests, I focused on really “strutting” with purpose on this treadmill, and by the time song number two (“How You Get the Girl”) is arrival, I felt like the main character of a fast Taylor Music Video.
Increasing your pace by 0.1 after each song didn’t seem to make much difference, but as I was nearing the middle of the playlist (somewhere between “New Romantics” at 3.8 mph and “You Belong with Me” at 3.9 mph) the workout really picked up, and my leg became more of a brisk walk.
I tried to push myself from 4.0 mph (“Look What You Made Me Do”) to 7.0 mph (“Shake It Off”) like Bennett did in his video, which was a real challenge as someone who only runs when she is late.
I made it about halfway through “Shake It Off” at 7.0 mph until I had to come back to 4.5 mph to catch my breath. Halfway through “…Ready for this?” I got a second wind and pushed it up to 6.0 mph.
I never wanted a Taylor Swift song to end as much as I did towards the end of this song. I was so happy when the playlist switched to the cool song, “Style”.
By the end of that first workout, I had burned 234 calories, covered 2.45 miles, and maintained an average pace of 15:20.
Feeling sore but excited to try again, I started my second TSTS workout at a slightly higher pace, 3.6 mph. Instead of running at 7.0 mph for “Shake It Off” and “…Ready for It?” I decided to start at 5.5 mph, increasing my speed halfway through each song to finish at 7.0 mph for the last half. This brought my calorie burn to 258, my distance to 2.55, and my average pace to 15:09.
I repeated this formula on the last day, but tried to run at 7.0 mph for the entire last song and got most of the way. This workout was about the same in calories burned (261), but I saw my distance increase slightly (2.57) and my pace pick up (15:02).
What I liked about the Taylor Swift treadmill workout
Having someone give you a custom made workout set with the best hits from your favorite musical artist without having to pay for it sounds like an amazing gift. I really liked how easy it was to tailor the speeds to my own fitness level. I never felt like I had to struggle to follow a pre-determined workout; I felt like I had the flexibility to lower or increase the speed when I needed it. The workout is also dynamic – you can increase the speed or even the incline to keep challenging yourself. And it accomplished an incredible feat: making me not absolutely hate the treadmill.
Being able to track your progress from workout to workout with the metrics provided by the treadmill was another benefit I didn’t realize I was missing – it was very rewarding to see my distance and pace improve over time.
What I Didn’t Like About Taylor Swift’s Treadmill Workout
Even if you love every song on this list, it will eventually lose its novelty. While changing your pace and incline can help the workout feel fresh, I think after a month of using this playlist, I’m starting to get tired of it.
The long pauses in “…Ready for It?” were also difficult to keep going. All of the other songs on this list have a beat that helps you keep up, but the dips and dramatic breaks in this particular song were hard to get across.
I would recommend this workout to:
- Taylor Swift fans
- Anyone who feels lost in the gym and wants a simple plan to follow
- People looking for a workout to get back into a fitness routine
- Anyone who hates the treadmill
