This Brat summer treadmill strut is the walking workout fall needs

This fitness influencer's 40-minute treadmill workout is soundtracked by Charli XCX’s Sweat tour setlist

A smiling woman in a pink crop top and black leggings walks on a treadmill. She wears white over-head headphones and her arms are raised as though dancing.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charli XCX’s Brat album was the sound of summer 2024, and while the weather may have cooled down, it doesn’t mean you have to. This "treadmill strut" by Allie Bennett follows the set list for the North America Sweat tour headlined by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan. Bennett does her walk on a treadmill, but there's no reason you can't take it outdoors.

Starting at a treadmill speed setting of 3.5mph for the duration of the song "What’s the Time…?", the idea is that you increase your speed with each track from the tour setlist, ending on "One of your Girls" as a cooldown. This is a great way to do a walking workout, as the music keeps you from getting bored and there are plenty of studies which suggest music can even improve your ability to exercise. Use Bennett's speeds as guidelines only. Bennett points out she's 5 foot 9 inches, so her longer stride, compared with someone who's shorter, will make it easier for her to walk faster.

You can load up Bennet’s playlist for the workout on Spotify or Apple Music and get strutting.

How to do this walking workout

Shop workout earbuds

If you've gone to plug in a pair of old headphones and realized your phone no longer has a headphone jack, it's time for a new pair of Bluetooth earbuds. We test plenty for our guide to the best workout earbuds—here are three top picks.

Benefits of walking

With social media full of people running ultra-distances and clanging weights around, it can be easy to forget that walking is still exercise. "It’s a great way to work the heart and blood [circulation] together, and it can be a great way to burn calories, all while having low impact on the body," NASM-certified personal trainer Ellen Thompson told me when I asked her if walking counts as a workout. "Compared to other forms of cardio, it can also put less stress on the joints."

When I asked Thompson if we should be aiming for a specific pace, she suggested going at your own pace, like Bennett advises. Even a short walk will burn some calories and get your heart working harder, but the more effort you put in, the greater the benefits to your health will be.

Lou Mudge
Fitness Writer

Lou Mudge is a Health Writer at Future Plc, working across Fit&Well and Coach. She previously worked for Live Science, and regularly writes for Space.com and Pet's Radar. Based in Bath, UK, she has a passion for food, nutrition and health and is eager to demystify diet culture in order to make health and fitness accessible to everybody.

Multiple diagnoses in her early twenties sparked an interest in the gut-brain axis and the impact that diet and exercise can have on both physical and mental health. She was put on the FODMAP elimination diet during this time and learned to adapt recipes to fit these parameters, while retaining core flavors and textures, and now enjoys cooking for gut health.