I was already trotting at 3.5 mph for the second hour. My heart is beating. My blood is flowing. I'm in the zone. I also work on my laptop in the middle of my living room. TikTok's famous WalkingPad belt glides so smoothly under my sneaker-clad feet that sometimes I forget I'm exercising.
Earlier this year, videos showing off good-looking, fitness-inspired work-from-home styles started trending on TikTok. Remote workers share their chic desk space, but instead of office chairs or yoga balls, there’s a moving walkway.
“You can’t convince me that there’s a better way to start your day than with a caffeinated drink, your favorite podcast playing in your ears, and a brisk walk on the walking mat,” the caption of TikTok 1.4 in April wrote. Millions of views. Videos tagged #walkingpad have been viewed more than 20 million times.
I've been working from home for ten years but am used to exercising at the end of the day. Two years after my gym membership lapsed, however, I began to notice more couch-induced back pain at the end of the day and an unshakable sluggishness into the late afternoon, no matter how much coffee I drank. Watch the walking mat video on TikTok, where young professionals seamlessly take steps throughout the day without interruption, introducing a potential solution. I decided that if the hundreds of laptop girls on TikTok could walk and work, so could I.
Read on to find out if the WalkingPad is as easy to use as TikTok says it is.
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quick overview
- Price: $450-$799
- Best for: Private workspace
- Your rating: 3.5/5
- Brand: walking machine
- What we like: Easy to set up and comfortable to use
- What we don’t like: Heavy and noisy
What is a walking mat?
The walking mat is just like a treadmill without all the bells and whistles. Most treadmills aren't as fast as gym treadmills, don't have incline features or endurance settings (no 12-3-30 here), and are specifically designed to be thin enough that when folded in half, they can stow away under a low couch. On TikTok, they're used by people to turn standing desks into more active treadmill desks, but they're also promoted as being suitable for moderate exercise around the clock.
Unlike traditional treadmills, walking pads — especially the TikTok-favorite WalkingPad C2 Mini — are meant to be stowed away when not in use. The C2 model has a top speed of 3.5 mph, which means it's really only suitable for walking, although it's advertised as suitable for walking, jogging and running. I tried jogging a bit and found that not only did it feel awkward, but it was almost impossible to type without making critical mistakes or losing focus.
If you want a walking mat for your home gym, you might be better suited with a faster walking mat, like the foldable WalkingPad Handrails for safety. C2 is great for staying active but won’t give you an intense cardio experience.
The design
View on TikTok
There are a variety of walking mats available on TikTok, but the viral model is compact, foldable, relies on a single power cord, requires no handrails, and is lighter than other models. (By comparison, the Goplus 2-in-1 Folding Treadmill, $330, weighs over 70 pounds).
The display will track elapsed time, speed, distance, calories, and steps, but you can also use Bluetooth connectivity to link to the KS Fit app to track these insights. While you can tap the display directly to turn it on or off, you can also use a lightweight remote with a wrist strap to quickly stop or change speed. This model has a weight limit of 220 pounds, which does reduce the number of people who can use it. The machine measures approximately 56 inches x 20 inches x 5 inches when unfolded and 32.5 inches x 20 inches x 5 inches when folded.
My home office situation
While I could theoretically find time to work out at home while working remotely, it has never been a priority. Before 2020, I would go to the gym at the end of the day, but once I took a break from going to the gym, I lost motivation. WFH friends brag about the Peloton and Zoom fitness classes they squeeze in between meetings, but I never find a good time to stop and sweat.
In a video posted in April that has been viewed more than 6 million times, a young professional wearing loungewear, sneakers and AirPods turns on his computer, slides a walking mat into place, and starts working and walking. Setup is no more complicated than pulling out an office chair. The biggest selling point for me is how small the device looks and how light it seems, making it perfect for my small living space that would definitely not fit in a conventional sized machine.
View on TikTok
As the walking mat spreads on TikTok, and I see more and more evidence that the corporate queen is walking and working efficiently—no follow-up posts about tripping over her feet—I think this will work for me. I contacted the China-based company and requested a machine for review. A few weeks later, my WalkingPad brand walking mat arrived.
first impression
I was nervous when I watched FedEx workers laboriously move boxes to my door. Thankfully, I was on the first floor now, but it occurred to me that if I were still in a five-story walkup, I would need to get some help getting in.
Unboxing is very easy. The machine comes fully assembled with a simple instruction manual, a box containing the power cord, remote control, and oil for belt maintenance. The machine folds in half, exposing wheels on one side to help you position it into place. The problem is that the machine weighs about 50 pounds and has no handles. It's difficult to move unless you move forward or backward. For example, in order to completely hide it under the sofa, I would need to store it horizontally without the help of vertically aligned wheels. It's difficult to push and pull in tight spaces since the machine has non-slip material on the bottom for safety. It took me a while to put it away, and knowing it would be a hassle to pull it out meant I didn't pick it up again for several days.
Use a walking machine
Putting aside the surprisingly bulky nature of the machine, when I first officially set it up to walk around and work with, I was really pleased with how authentic the experience was to TikTok. I placed the WalkingPad under the desk where I work and raised my laptop so that it was at normal desk height when I stood. I turned it on by plugging it in, turning on the power button, and pressing the "Start" button on the remote. Not only is it comfortable to walk and work with, it's also a complete no-brainer. When I first looked down at the display, I was shocked to realize that I'd been gone for 30 minutes.
It's easy to type while walking, but I do need to enlarge the screen to read. I also find myself pausing the machine to read a particularly important email or take a closer look at something. Because I couldn't really jog or get enough speed to slam my feet, my footsteps never became an annoying sound, but people did ask me what I was doing when on the phone. The machine emits a constant buzzing sound that may disturb callers or roommates.
While you absolutely can't move around during a video conference unless your co-workers don't mind your head bouncing in and out of the frame, almost any computer-related task that doesn't require a completely steady hand is more doable than on a machine .
Is the WalkingPad worth buying?
If you don't rely on it for strenuous cardio, and have the upper body strength to handle it, the WalkingPad will definitely make working from home a more positive experience. Even if you don't want to work harder during the workday, you can pull out the WalkingPad while watching a movie if you need to stretch your legs.
final verdict
When used, the WalkingPad is as easy as it looks. You can write emails without typos, you can make phone calls without getting too breathless or struggling with loud mechanical sounds, and you can get in and out of the car throughout the day without any complications. However, if you have a space that requires you to stow it away regularly in order to function, you'll want to consider that it's not as easy to move as it looks, and you may be more likely to use it if you unfold it.
