Tabata or not Tabata

I did a super fun/killer boxing tabata with a heavy bag! Loved it!

I FINISH my group classes with Tabata. When they are all laying on the floor, gasping for air and basically gassed, then I have a feeling they did it right. If they're still walking around after it and just breathing heavy, then they did HIIT.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

The 45 minute HIIT class I mentioned has a total of 8 Tabatas. Eight of the 4 minute cycles. There are some warm up and cool down minutes as well. Between cycles there is a rest period. The Tabatas are designed so that different areas are worked. Say our first Tabata is cardio. Then the next would be just abs. Then strengthening the legs, then arms, perhaps another cardio. The certified Tabata instructor for the Hospital's Fitness Center does a fantastic job of the variations! And yes.. Oh... My.. GOSH yes by the end you will collapse. It is the hardest class I've seen. I've seen very fit people fall off by the end of one of the cycles. It's also greatly encouraged that if you participate in these classes regularly (they are 3 days a week) to please not attend any other HIIT classes.

Sorry it's not Tabata. Tabata is 100% ALL OUT EFFORT. If you can sustain that for 45 minutes, then it's not Tabata. You may be tired at the end of the class, but chances are it was an 85% to 90% effort.
Here's a challenge. Warm up for a run. Then sprint as fast as you can for 20 seconds like your life depended on it. 10 seconds off and then sprint again as fast as you can for 20 seconds like your life depended on it.10 seconds off. Bet you can't do that for 45 minutes. Not a run a sprint. That means you're racing for time.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I'd be more than happy to give you the group schedule so you can attend one of these fake Tabata classes. You'll see how when people can't move by the end of one Tabata, they still find some strength deep down inside of them to make them GET UP and keep trying as the next Tabata starts. Perhaps then you will refrain from pushing your judgmental inferences and stop poo-pooing something you've never seen nor done in your 28 years of study. Just because I don't have certifications or 4% body fat doesn't mean that I'm not working to failure, giving more than I think possible. Granted, a true-to-definition "Tabata" (ultra-intense exercise (at an intensity of about 70% of VO2max)) may only be accomplished by you and a handful of people giving that inconceivable push for power. I (and anyone else) may not reach the proper VO2 to prove that I'm doing a 'true Tabata". But even the A.C.E. states "Research has shown that HIIT—whether in the form of CrossFit, P90X or Tabata—improves cardiovascular fitness, increases lean muscle mass and enhances hypertrophy, and is an effective weight-loss tool (Laursen, 2010; Perry et al., 2008; Helgerud et al., 2007)."

So, I stand by the fact the workout class I attend that has HIIT training with 8 sets of 8 cycles at 20/10 kicks butt!! And, the net has some great "Tabata songs" out there for anyone who would want to find out how intensely they can push themselves. We all had to start somewhere. The Tabata protocol is a great tool to have in workout regimes I still think that anyone of any size can create a "Tabata style" interval training workout that will personally push harder. My lunge may not be as pretty, or deep, or at perfect angles as some people, but I'll sure as heck do them to the best of my present ability and I'll sure as heck call it a lunge. ;-)

The 45 minute HIIT class I mentioned has a total of 8 Tabatas. Eight of the 4 minute cycles. There are some warm up and cool down minutes as well. Between cycles there is a rest period. The Tabatas are designed so that different areas are worked. Say our first Tabata is cardio. Then the next would be just abs. Then strengthening the legs, then arms, perhaps another cardio. The certified Tabata instructor for the Hospital's Fitness Center does a fantastic job of the variations! And yes.. Oh... My.. GOSH yes by the end you will collapse. It is the hardest class I've seen. I've seen very fit people fall off by the end of one of the cycles. It's also greatly encouraged that if you participate in these classes regularly (they are 3 days a week) to please not attend any other HIIT classes.

Sorry it's not Tabata. Tabata is 100% ALL OUT EFFORT. If you can sustain that for 45 minutes, then it's not Tabata. You may be tired at the end of the class, but chances are it was an 85% to 90% effort.
Here's a challenge. Warm up for a run. Then sprint as fast as you can for 20 seconds like your life depended on it. 10 seconds off and then sprint again as fast as you can for 20 seconds like your life depended on it.10 seconds off. Bet you can't do that for 45 minutes. Not a run a sprint. That means you're racing for time.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I did a super fun/killer boxing tabata with a heavy bag! Loved it!

I FINISH my group classes with Tabata. When they are all laying on the floor, gasping for air and basically gassed, then I have a feeling they did it right. If they're still walking around after it and just breathing heavy, then they did HIIT.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff, is there a tabata routine I can do at home, or is this something you really need to have a lot of room for? I do have a heavy bag and I am considering adding Tabata to my fitness workouts. ALso how many days a week do you suggest?

When pressed for time, Tabata burpees is the answer.

I always get Tabata burpees when I eat too much sushi. And Tabata farties too.

Four minutes of that and EVERYONE is gasping for air.

It might be a good idea if the Tabata-style workouts are called that rather than Tabatas

JoanneMoniz
The Skinny on Obesity Group