As the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) craze gains momentumn in the fitness world one offshoot of the movement that is also gaining popularity is the Tabata workout.
The Tabata workout was first developed by Japenese head coach of the Japanese Olympic Speed Skating Team, Irisawa Koichi in the mid 90’s to increase his skaters’ performance in terms of endurance and speed. The nature of the workout is intrinsically very intense. During that time, research as to the workout’s effectiveness was also being done simultaneously by scientist and researcher Izumi Tabata.
Dr. Tabata’s 6 week study was later divulged in 1996 and his findings have led to the present day coining of the revolutionary workout; the Tabata Protocol. This workout routine is intense but very short and it benefits both the VO2Max or aerobic physical fitness as well as muscular strength fitness. In the results gathered by Dr. Tabata, after 6 weeks, the net gain in VO2Max was 14% and a 28% increase in the subjects’ anaerobic endurance.
The Cross Fit community has adopted this formidable workout which basically consists of 20 second high intensity segments with 10 seconds of rest per round. Each round consists of 4 minutes. Each minute one executes a specific exercise(20 seconds + 10 seconds) such as jump rope, burpees, high knee runs, etc. The sky’s the limit in terms of exercise variety. Some plans include 4 rounds that last up to 20 minutes. There is a minute of rest in between each round.
The obvious benefits of these workouts are that they are effective but very short in duration. You can save so much time in your day working out this way. Forget the hour long days in the gym. Now all you have to do is find the right combination of exercises for your interval training and simply adopt the Tabata system when working out.
Below is a great article and Tabata workout you can use to get started right now.
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Move It Monday: 5 Minute Mini-Circuits & Giveaway
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Remember that you can customize your workouts to address whatever goals you want to focus on such as arms, chest, legs, glutes. There are so many combinations!
Also, below are some more Tabata videos to keep you busy and un-bored! Enjoy!
If you are up to the challenge, below is a cross fit Tabata workout to test your resolve!
