You can do anything for 20 seconds, right?
Tabata Training is all about short burts of exercise workouts.
So What is a Tabata workout?
Tabata is a form of (HIIT) high-intensity interval training and an anaerobic exercise whose unique structure distinguishes it from others.
For those that don’t know, Anaerobic exercises are exercises that involve short bursts of intense activity. Tabata features exercises that last four minutes. It gets its name from the person who invented it, Dr. Izumi Tabata.
What is difference between HIIT and Tabata?
As I mentioned, Tabata is a HIIT program. 8fit shares… “one of the main differences is that Tabata is completed in four-minute increments and completed with higher intensity than other HIIT exercises. Tabata’s rest period is also shorter, always lasting only 10 seconds.
Other HIIT exercises can have longer recovery periods, sometimes up to two minutes. In other words, Tabata takes less time but can be more intense, whereas non-Tabata HIIT workouts are spread out a bit longer and are still very intense, but with longer recovery times.”
History of Tabata
Tabata gets its origins from the world of athletics. In 1996, Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers at the Ritsumeikan University wanted to find out if shorter periods of high-intensity exercises coupled with shorter rest periods would help improve athletes’ performance.
For this study, he used two groups exercising for six weeks. The first group exercised at moderate/medium level for five days a week, with each workout lasting one hour.
The second group worked out for four days a week, with each workout lasting 4 minutes at a high-intensity level. Thus, the first group had a cumulative 1,800 minutes of training while the second group had 120 minutes of training at the end of the six weeks.
The results from the experiment showed that the first group had improved their aerobic (cardiovascular) performance increasing the amount of oxygen consumed (VO2max) by 5 ml/kg/min. However, there was almost no change in their anaerobic (muscular) performance.
The second group which used the Tabata model showed even greater aerobic improvement increasing their VO2max by 7 ml/kg/min. The group also had a 28% improvement in their anaerobic performance.
Scientists have replicated the Tabata model in various rigorous settings serving as proof that high-intensity interval training is effective.
If you like to explore some of the science behind Tabata training you can review this report – Tabata training: one of the most energetically effective high-intensity intermittent training methods.
Here is the promo video when Tabata was brought to the US
How Tabata works
(The Tabata Protocol)
How long should a Tabata workout be?
The Tabata program follows a 20/10 setup which means 20 seconds of maximum load (intense exercise) followed by 10 seconds of rest.
You then repeat the cycle eight times which is one round of Tabata and lasts 4 minutes. You can fit in different exercises in the Tabata program, including squats, lunges, planks, push ups, sit ups, mountain climbers, and many more.
The experts recommend having one-minute rest between the rounds. So, if you are doing the full load, you will only require about 3-4 rounds. Meaning you can design an effective workout for about 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t forget warm ups and cool downs before and after your workout.
Tabata is excellent for several reasons, including the fact that it takes a short time makes it preferable for people with busy schedules. It also increases your overall endurance while building your muscle and burning high calories. In fact, you still burn calories long after the exercise.
Yep, you heard me… you continue to burn calories long after the exercise.
This training program is excellent for people with different goals, including those seeking to improve endurance and fitness levels, lose weight quickly, speed muscle growth and avoid or get rid of training stagnation.
Due to my own inactivity in life and well, during Covid, I was seeking a way to get more active at home with little space and little equipment needed.
So I found a trainer and we worked together to build an online workout program I could use for myself, but one I could also share with others. The Tabata Workout Program we created does use weights, but the trainer Ro Little, offers great alternatives if you don’t own weights. So it is a pretty flexible program. If you want to check it out click below.
If you like other exercises and workout programs let me know what your favorites programs are. If you’d like to try a starter program in Yoga check out my Mindful Yoga Program teaching 44+ yoga poses to help you build your yoga practice.