Tabatas

There are many different types of exercise and there is not always a right answer to which one is going to work best for you.  One particular workout program that many people do not know a lot about is the Tabata.  It provides similar health benefits to that of cardio workouts but has a bit more pizzazz.  Not only can they be completed in just 4 minutes, but they are a lot more fun!  They fall under the category of HIIT or high intensity interval training.

The Tabata was founded by a scientist, Izumi Tabata and fellow colleagues at the department of physiology in Japan when they conducted a study to compare moderate intensity training to HIIT.  He conducted tests on 2 groups of athletes, Group 1 used moderate intensity interval training (1 hour sessions at 70% intensity, 5 days/week, 6 weeks) and Group 2 used HIIT (4 minute sessions, at 20 second intervals of 100% intensity and 10 seconds of rest, 4 days/week, 6 weeks).

Here are the direct results of the test:

• Group 1 had a significant increase in the aerobic system (cardiovascular system) with little or no gains in the anaerobic system (muscles)
• Group 2 showed much improvement in all their athletes.  Their aerobic systems increased much more than Group 1 and their anaerobic systems increased by 28%.
• HIIT had a bigger impact on the aerobic systems and the anaerobic system as well.

Although you can incorporate any exercise into Tabata training, here is the basic outline of the Tabata training method:

• 4 minutes long (whole session)
• 20 seconds of intense training
• 10 seconds of rest
• total of 8 sessions or rounds
• You may do more than one tabata in a workout to make it a total body routine

Check out this online Tabata Timer if you don't have a stopwatch handy.

You can use almost any exercise in a Tabata so choose ones that will help you reach your specific goals.  Tabatas should not replace all of your workouts, but could be done 2-3 times per week.  Try starting out slow and working up to more.  Also, make sure to warm up your muscles before and complete a cool-down after.  

If you find your workout is still too easy, you may not be working at full intensity... so push yourself harder!

Here is an example of a Tabata Workout:

Tabata 1:

Push-ups - 20 seconds hard/10 seconds rest

Squats - 20 seconds hard/10 seconds rest

*Repeat for 4 minutes

Tabata 2:

Speedskaters - 20 seconds hard/10 seconds rest

Reverse Lunges 20 seconds hard/10 seconds rest

*Repeat for 4 minutes

Tabata 3:

Kettlebell Thrusters - 20 seconds hard/10 seconds rest

Mountain Climbers - 20 seconds hard/10 seconds rest

*Repeat for 4 minutes

Good luck!

oxox, Em