What is Tabata exercise?
The exercise programs you’re familiar with probably take time, money, and equipment.
Sound about right?
Tabata doesn’t need any of these. Instead, Tabata uses short, intensive sessions – known in fitness circles as “the four-minute miracle”.
The science is solid, and the results are conclusive:
If you’re looking to build strength and blast fat in less time, read on to find out how Tabata might be the answer to your prayers!
Contents
What is Tabata Exercise? A Deep Dive Into The World of Tabata
Sounds Like a Spicy Meal… But Rally, What the Hell is Tabata?
Tabata is a form of High Intensity Interval Training discovered in the 1970s by Dr Izumi Tabata of the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.
Dr Tabata and his team of researchers compared two groups of athletes:
– Group 1: trained for 1 hour at moderate intensity (5 days per week for 6 weeks)
– Group 2: trained for 4 minutes and 20 seconds (4 days per week for 6 weeks)
Even though Group 1 trained for more than ten times longer than Group 2, Group 2 had significantly better results; increasing both their aerobic and anaerobic systems more than Group 1.
So What’s so Good About This Tabata Thing?
Dr Tabata’s findings were not a one-off miracle. This exercise is so effective that a 4 minute workout can increase:
- aerobic capacity
- anaerobic capacity
- VO2 Max (maximum amount of oxygen your body can use)
If all that wasn’t good enough, a 4 minute Tabata workout will burn more fat than an hour of low-intensity cardio!
“The routine was developed to fully exhaust Olympic athletes, so it’s probably not the best routine to try if you’re a total newbie.”
Reference: greatist.com – The 4-Minute Workout: Is Tabata Training Effective?
Tabata is a flexible workout that is compatible with many exercises.
This means you can tailor it to meet your personal preferences- don’t like burpees? No problem! Your options are almost limitless with Tabata, and you don’t need to waste money on equipment.
The Principles of Tabata Workouts
A Tabata workout lasts four minutes, but don’t be fooled by the short length. Tabata exercise relies on the “no pain, no gain” principle- it is incredibly demanding, and pushes your heart and body to its limit.
If you’re not feeling nauseous or seeing stars, you probably need to push harder!
A Tabata workout consists of:
- 20 seconds of intensive activity
- 10 seconds of rest
- 8 rounds
- 4 minute total
And you know what’s crazy?
There even is a “Tabata song” helping you keeping track of the intervals! The world has gone nuts…
What Types of Exercise Work With Tabata?
As Tabata is a form of High-Intensity Interval Training, Tabata exercises utilize your body weight to create resistance and push your body to its limit.
The sky is the limit with Tabata. All you need is an exercise that will raise your heart rate; one that will place strain on your body.
Use one of these beginner cardio workouts, or any of the following exercises with the 4-minute recipe for success described above.
Here are some perfect exercises for Tabata:
Burpees
1. Stand with feet a shoulder-width apart
2. Drop into push-up position
3. Push up, jump into squat position
4. Jump into air and reach arms above head
5. Land and repeat
Jumping Squat
1. Stand with feet a shoulder-width apart
2. Squat, hands by ears
3. Using your core, explode upwards into the air
4. Control your landing, landing quietly
Jumping Lunges
1. Stand tall, left foot slightly in front of right
2. Step your right foot into a deep lunge, leg parallel with ground, upper body straight
3. Explode into the air, swapping position of feet in mid-air
4. Drop into another lunge, other leg forward
5. Repeat
Mountain Climbers
1. Form a triangle with your hands on the ground, feet on the floor, butt raised
2. Bring one leg forward towards your chest
3. Jump to switch the position of your legs, hands remaining on the ground, landing on your toes
4. Repeat
For even more smart exercises to combine in your Tabata routine, be sure to check out my killer list of cardio workouts to do at home for massive inspiration.
Final Words: So, What is Tabata Exercise?
Tabata is one of the best-kept secrets in fitness circles. If you like the sound of spending LESS time and seeing MORE results, Tabata could well be for you.
BUT BE WARNED:
This is an intense form of exercise that brings real, proven results: fat loss, increased aerobic and anaerobic capacity, muscle gain, and the list goes on… BUT Tabata is not for the faint-hearted!
However, if you are prepared for a little pain, you are certainly going to get the gain.