Tabata Training...longest four minutes of my life...twice!

In one of my last PT sessions before my surgery JL decided to introduce to me a new training method called Tabata Training. Now I have been doing PT sessions for over two years and I have suffered through a fair bit of pain, whether it be HIIT, full body circuit training, or just regular "extremely difficult" exercises...but Tabata Training definitely moves to the top of my "most difficult training methods"

Basically Tabata Workout is...

an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes

So what does that actually mean? Well pick one of the more challenging exercises you know, then for the next four minutes you will do 8 repetitions of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off, but those 20 seconds on must be done at 110% intensity!!

The two exercises that I did using the Tabata approach were:

1. Dumbbell Squat Press
2. Deadlift Upright Row

Both of these exercises are in che challenging department, but add in the Tabata protocol to the mix and you have a painful workout ahead...not to forget that this was in between the rest of the exercises in my workout.


Credit for creation of this most wonderful training method goes to a fella from Japan by the name of
Dr. Izumi Tabata. He and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo first released this approach back in a 1996 study , published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise. It provided proof regarding the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity intermittent training. They concluded based on their studies that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

If you know me at all, you know I'm a big fan of interval training for a variety of reasons and this study only further validates my thinking. Steady state sessions of cardio are little more than a waste of time and effort. Of course Tabata training is incredibly hard, you will probably need someone to push you through your first few sessions, but the results will be incredible!

One particular method i want to try is Tabata Sprints. Basically you sprint as hard as possible for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and go again.Running up and back gives you a good way rto map your distance and gives you the incentive to try and beat previous sprints.

Burt like I said earlier, Tabata training can be used with a wide variety of exercises, but try to target compound exercises that really get the heart beating. What better way to spend 4 minutes of your workout!