Muscle Definition

cindybpitts

I love to do Tabata. I do that four times a week and most of the time it is done with weights. I have lost some weight and have gotten stronger. I want some muscle definition. Will I get some definition with doing this alone or do I need to weight lift too? I do lift a couple of times a week but not always consistant. I usually only lift with legs and not arms. I dont really want to give up Tabata. It is just hard to lift and do Tabata with time, gym being crowded or physically drained after Tabata.
My question is will I get muscle definition doing Tabata alone or what do you suggest?

grantdumas7

You will need to do strength training and be sure you are at a calorie deficit to see any muscle definition but you need to have muscles before you can define them.

h9dlb

lifting heavy weights and low body fat

contingencyplan

tabata is 4 minutes. you do a 4 minute workout 3 days a week? and that's it?

bostonwolf

lifting heavy weights and low body fat

"Lift heavy weights" is my answer to about half the questions I see on here.

PlayerHatinDogooder

When you say 'Tabata' are you referring to actual Tabata training?

4 minutes 20 seconds intense exercise ( around 170% VO2 max) with 10 seconds rest repeated 8 times?

If so, there's no reason you can't do that coupled with a 3 times a week strength training routine.

I usually just did it 3 times a week after my lifting sessions.

Vonwarr

Lifting helps build muscle, but definition comes from reaching a lower body fat percentage.

healthy4heidi

tabata is 4 minutes. you do a 4 minute workout 3 days a week? and that's it?

Tabata is not 4 minutes - one exercise is 4 minutes. Tabata can be as long as you want it to. The normal tabata contains 8 exercises with a minute of rest in between which equates to a little under 38 minutes. I do 7 exercises for a total of 32:50 minutes.

For muscle definition you need to lift. You will get some doing weights with Tabata, but will take a while and you will hit a wall for definition without weight training.

I try to do a HIIT like Tabata 2-3 days a week and lift 3 days a week. I use an app on my IPhone for Tabata. I love that I can do it anywhere at anytime by myself - and select the exercises I want to do. If you are targeting your legs in your strength training, maybe try incorporating Tabata weighted exercises targeted at your arms.

HeidiMightyRawr

Muscle definition shows as a result of lower body fat. Exactly how much muscle there is in the first place, is a result of lifting and eating to build muscle in the first place.

Most people have some definition, at lower levels of body fat. You don't NEED to lift weights or build muscle to have some, but it helps. When you build more muscle, there is more of it to show, and it is easier to show (may appear at slightly higher body fat levels, or in places where you didn't have definition before)

manique45

Lifting helps build muscle, but definition comes from reaching a lower body fat percentage.

Wow this post is awesome! Thanks for some visual motivation!!! I would love to be 18-20% body fat range... helps me aim for a goal!

tomg33

The original Tabata protocol is difficult to apply to normal people because it calls for literally 100% effort during the "on" parts. Usually non-athletes simply cannot push themselves hard enough to reach the results that the original experiments showed. Your body has inbuilt mechanisms which prevent you from applying the maximal force which your muscles are already able to theoretically produce. A significant part of strength training is training your body to push that threshold further and further away so that you can voluntarily apply more force

So considering that, no you will not see the results you want with four 4-minute exercise sessions per week.

rick_po

Tabata is not 4 minutes - one exercise is 4 minutes. Tabata can be as long as you want it to. The normal tabata contains 8 exercises with a minute of rest in between which equates to a little under 38 minutes. I do 7 exercises for a total of 32:50 minutes.

The original Tabata protocol is 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeated 8 times, for 4 minutes total. Intensity is off the chart hard (170% VO2max).

People tend to use the word "Tabata" for any HIIT program, which can vary all over the place. But classic Tabata is very short.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

aelunyu

you'll probably have to weight lift. it just depends on if you're naturally pretty muscular or not. I did cross country in highschool and ended up pretty "defined" without ever lifting weights. genetics have a huge role to play in how you look at the lower BF spectrums. Failing great genetics, weightlifting will be necessary

cindybpitts

tabata is 4 minutes. you do a 4 minute workout 3 days a week? and that's it?

No we do 3 Tabatas in a 30 minute workout with warm up, stretching , cool down and sometimes 4 tabatas.

cindybpitts

tabata is 4 minutes. you do a 4 minute workout 3 days a week? and that's it?

Tabata is not 4 minutes - one exercise is 4 minutes. Tabata can be as long as you want it to. The normal tabata contains 8 exercises with a minute of rest in between which equates to a little under 38 minutes. I do 7 exercises for a total of 32:50 minutes.

For muscle definition you need to lift. You will get some doing weights with Tabata, but will take a while and you will hit a wall for definition without weight training.

I try to do a HIIT like Tabata 2-3 days a week and lift 3 days a week. I use an app on my IPhone for Tabata. I love that I can do it anywhere at anytime by myself - and select the exercises I want to do. If you are targeting your legs in your strength training, maybe try incorporating Tabata weighted exercises targeted at your arms.

I have two different coaches every other day. Both work legs with weights and one really works arms. Its been five months doing it and I have upped my weights to double what I started with. We do 20 seconds HIIT, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds a HIIT (different exercise) then repeat four times. We do 3 or 4 tabatas, warm up, cool down, and stretch.

cindybpitts

When you say 'Tabata' are you referring to actual Tabata training?

4 minutes 20 seconds intense exercise ( around 170% VO2 max) with 10 seconds rest repeated 8 times?

If so, there's no reason you can't do that coupled with a 3 times a week strength training routine.

I usually just did it 3 times a week after my lifting sessions.

At the times the Tabata classes are after that is when the weight machine, smith machine, cable weights are all crowded with people waiting to use them. Work hours makes it hard to get there when its not crowded but I get to do a couple times a week when its available.

cindybpitts

Muscle definition shows as a result of lower body fat. Exactly how much muscle there is in the first place, is a result of lifting and eating to build muscle in the first place.

Most people have some definition, at lower levels of body fat. You don't NEED to lift weights or build muscle to have some, but it helps. When you build more muscle, there is more of it to show, and it is easier to show (may appear at slightly higher body fat levels, or in places where you didn't have definition before)

Should I keep doing Tabata (cardio) to lose more body fat then maybe lift more or keep doing what Im doing with some lifting too?

cindybpitts

The original Tabata protocol is difficult to apply to normal people because it calls for literally 100% effort during the "on" parts. Usually non-athletes simply cannot push themselves hard enough to reach the results that the original experiments showed. Your body has inbuilt mechanisms which prevent you from applying the maximal force which your muscles are already able to theoretically produce. A significant part of strength training is training your body to push that threshold further and further away so that you can voluntarily apply more force

So considering that, no you will not see the results you want with four 4-minute exercise sessions per week.

Its 30-35 mins total...we do 3 to 4 tabatas. When we use weights I do push myself. Thats why I like this class so I will push as hard as I can. My heart rate is usually 170 and has been higher. Sometimes our warm ups are intense as well. Its not just 4 minutes and then done.