Tabata Training
tim_fitbuilt4life
Posts: 301 Member
Tabata interval training is the single most effective type of high intensity interval training, its also the most intense by far, and surprisingly its the shortest in duration, it only last for four minutes... but those four minutes produce remarkable effects.
Lose Fat, Get Fit in four minutes
Tabata training was discovered by Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.
Dr. Tabata discovered that this kind of interval training produces much better results than aerobic training. This included building as much muscular endurance as forty five minutes of normal cardio training. In fact in the study the subjects increased their anaerobic capacity by over a quarter as well a substantial increase in their aerobic fitness. Something to keep in mind was that the the subjects were as fit as race horses before they started the trial, so the improvements were remarkable.
This makes it an very versatile program, you can use tabata for weight loss as well most improving performance in most aerobic and anaerobic sport.
The Tabata Workout
The full Tabata program is four minutes long, it will probably feel like the longest four minutes of your life.
If you are going to try it I would recommend going light with the weights until you find your range, theres a good chance you will underestimate this workout and be begging people around you to help you off the floor.
Tabata intervals follow this structure:
Push hard for 20 seconds
Rest for 10 seconds.
Repeat this eight times.
The secret to making this effective is in your sprint interval. You have to go all out, so do as many reps as you can in the 20 seconds, put it down for 10, then pick it up again and go hell for leather for another 20 seconds.
I would suggest getting some sort of tabata timer like a watch where you can see exactly where you are in the workout, you don't want to have to think too much, all of your concentration will be on the exercise. You can also try using an mp3 interval workout like these to add structure to your workout.
Choosing Exercises
You can do Tabata exercise with sprints, but it is far more adaptable than other forms of interval training. You can use exercises such as the front squat or push press if you are in the gym. Kettle bells work exceptionally well. Basically anything that you can put a large load on your biggest muscle groups. Be sure to use your large muscle groups otherwise you will get very little of the benefit.
(Note - make sure you are doing a front squat and not a standard squat, you will want to put the bar down!)
This is not a daily workout, if you can do this every day you are doing it wrong. Some people try it once a week but most end up doing tabata once or twice a month. None the less, it produces remarkable results for those brave enough to use it.
Are you keen to discuss Tabata Training?
If you would like to discuss Tabata Training or have questions or comments please feel free to add them here
Lose Fat, Get Fit in four minutes
Tabata training was discovered by Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.
Dr. Tabata discovered that this kind of interval training produces much better results than aerobic training. This included building as much muscular endurance as forty five minutes of normal cardio training. In fact in the study the subjects increased their anaerobic capacity by over a quarter as well a substantial increase in their aerobic fitness. Something to keep in mind was that the the subjects were as fit as race horses before they started the trial, so the improvements were remarkable.
This makes it an very versatile program, you can use tabata for weight loss as well most improving performance in most aerobic and anaerobic sport.
The Tabata Workout
The full Tabata program is four minutes long, it will probably feel like the longest four minutes of your life.
If you are going to try it I would recommend going light with the weights until you find your range, theres a good chance you will underestimate this workout and be begging people around you to help you off the floor.
Tabata intervals follow this structure:
Push hard for 20 seconds
Rest for 10 seconds.
Repeat this eight times.
The secret to making this effective is in your sprint interval. You have to go all out, so do as many reps as you can in the 20 seconds, put it down for 10, then pick it up again and go hell for leather for another 20 seconds.
I would suggest getting some sort of tabata timer like a watch where you can see exactly where you are in the workout, you don't want to have to think too much, all of your concentration will be on the exercise. You can also try using an mp3 interval workout like these to add structure to your workout.
Choosing Exercises
You can do Tabata exercise with sprints, but it is far more adaptable than other forms of interval training. You can use exercises such as the front squat or push press if you are in the gym. Kettle bells work exceptionally well. Basically anything that you can put a large load on your biggest muscle groups. Be sure to use your large muscle groups otherwise you will get very little of the benefit.
(Note - make sure you are doing a front squat and not a standard squat, you will want to put the bar down!)
This is not a daily workout, if you can do this every day you are doing it wrong. Some people try it once a week but most end up doing tabata once or twice a month. None the less, it produces remarkable results for those brave enough to use it.
Are you keen to discuss Tabata Training?
If you would like to discuss Tabata Training or have questions or comments please feel free to add them here
0
Replies
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Sounds like a majorly intense HIIT workout.
I don't doubt that it works...
But my mind simply WANTS to workout for longer periods of time. I think it would be difficult for me to train my mind to think that 4 minutes a day would be all I need. I could certainly incorporate them into what I am currently doing, though. I bet if you added one of those to Yoga X day and Stretch X (or rest) day of P90X then you could speed up weight loss and cardio gains for sure. I just don't know if my psyche would allow me to REPLACE a workout with just 4 minutes. It's why I don't do 10 Minute Trainer without stacking them to be at least 30 minutes, lol.
How many calories do you burn doing it? I like to reach those high burns like 600-800 calories to allow me to eat some more, but I don't see how 4 minutes who do that.
But it does sound like something I would try to see what it does for me.0 -
So bascially you pick a workout that would work your entire body and only do it for 4 minutes?? What are some examples of excersises that actually work your entire body all at once?? It sounds like alot of fun.0
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Pushups, Squat Thrust, Moutian Climbers are just three of many that I can think of off the top of my head. Have fun!
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I think the same way. I would include it with my normal routine to aide in the muscle confusion. It's not how many calories you burn in 4 minutes the the after burn during the day. Here is another one.
M100
Moutian Climbers
Squat Thrust and Jump
Squat twice and Jump
Back to back shoot for one hundred reps in 2 minutes. Can you say WOW!0 -
Love tabatas!
You can download mp3's that have the little beeps in the music as well so you don't have to watch a clock.
Thrusters with 2 db's are killer. Leave your ego at the door and go light or you will not make it!
Re overall calories burnt: I would do these at the end of a strength training session or end of a steady state cardio session. I wouldn't replace a whole workout with one tabata session.
Depending on exercise selection, you can do more than one at a time too. You WILL need a good rest in between
Also, key point to note is that it isn't just going for 20sec and resting for 10, but striving to beat your last amount of reps. BS hard!0 -
I throw Tabata in after a light run - weight routine. I do Tabata on a spin bike and it is a killer.
I do spin classes a few times a week (and have done for 4 years now), and regardless of how hard I push my heart rate wont reach the max. In the Tabata I am over the max in the first 20 second work. Maybe it is mental but I have noticed a huge difference in my cardio fitness thanks to tabata. I have also noticed my recovery times getting smaller and smaller.
Test it for yourself. Throw some cycle Tabata routines on the end of a light work out. After you have completed your sets of Tabata cool down on the bike for 2 mins then record your heart rate. Continue this and watch your recovery times improve.
Tabata has not replaced my cardio workouts, but I do feel it is responsible for a noticeable difference in my cardio fitness.0 -
Agree with catseyehardcast!
It is brutal, but I love it. Usually try to do it with a jump rope, and now that the weather is nice, my husband and I will try it when we go cycyling outside, or sprints.0 -
Is this something like crossfit ?0
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Addman... It is like HIIT http://www.tabataprotocol.com/ probably describes it best. They mention fat burning, but the real difference I see is in Cardio training. I found it as the exercise to bring you to the point of being sick...and yet I am addicted to it. WTF?0
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Addman... It is like HIIT http://www.tabataprotocol.com/ probably describes it best. They mention fat burning, but the real difference I see is in Cardio training. I found it as the exercise to bring you to the point of being sick...and yet I am addicted to it. WTF?
Thanks catseye , I'll look into , just to vary my training0 -
The actual tabata protocol precludes doing weightlifting exercises during a tabata workout. It is designed to maximize EPOC, which will greatly increase your body's calorie consumption throughout the course of the entire day, as opposed to actual calories burned during the activity. So while you may only burn ~100 kcal during those 4 minutes, your BMR will climb over time. I don't recommend doing it any more often than every other day, and with the possible exception of kb swings, I don't personally believe that many weight-oriented exercises are appropriate to the workout. I'd stick with exercises involving either full-body movement or the large leg muscles primarily: speed skips, burpees, speed squats, mountain climbers, etc. If done properly, those four minutes should obliterate you. You will rapidly lose any interest in doing 56 more minutes of cardio. Due to the high intensity nature of the workout, you will also see rapid results in your athletic performance, since that's how most sports work
@addman: most WoD's for Crossfit operate on a similar philosophy to Tabata (unsustainable activity in high-intensity bursts, designed to increase athleticism rather than simple "endurance" or "strength"). It's more of a holistic approach to fitness. Personally, I find Xfit to be a bit too much for me, especially as many of their WoD's require esoteric equipment setups that I don't have access to, and they take longer than I often have to spend in a given day, due to my work schedule. If you are looking for peak athletic results, however, it seems to be the unquestioned king of workout regimens these days. There's a reason that Special Forces units use it as their PT program of choice in a lot of areas.0 -
Here's a great free online tabata timer : www.tabatatimer.com
There are also a lot of free tabata apps for iPhone, Blackberry and android, just google for them.
Enjoy!0 -
May I ask how you are tracking this on myfitnesspal? I did not see any options for tracking.0
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circuit training general0
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Someone asked for an example Tabata workout:
After overhead squatting, we did Tabata X 4
(20 seconds on, 10 seconds off - 8 rounds of this for EACH of the following):
-Air Squats
-Jumping Air Squats
-Lunges
-Jumping Lunges
We rested for about 60-90 seconds between each exercise. (When I record this, I write down my lowest number I got on any round).
As someone else asked about, I don't do this to replace a workout or solely do Tabata. Sort of an "in addition to", and after lifting.
(Please feel free to correct me if this isn't officially what Tabata is!)0 -
that's it for sure.
I agree that tabata's are a really good finisher to a workout. I will often do my strength stuff & then finish with some tabata kb swings or something.
Alternatively, bb complexes are great for conditioning also.0 -
I loooove Tabata my spin/bootcamp instructor uses them a lot and it's awesome0
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So bascially you pick a workout that would work your entire body and only do it for 4 minutes?? What are some examples of excersises that actually work your entire body all at once?? It sounds like alot of fun.
my favorite tabata is 20 seconds burpees, 10 seconds off, 20 seconds mountain climbers, 10 seconds off, 20 seconds push ups, 10 seconds off, 20 seconds jumping jacks. repeat.0 -
I do Tabata sequences on my rowing machine 3-4x a week. I love that I can get a full workout in limited time (11 min - 5 min warmup, 8 x 20s/10s, 2 min cool down). Of course, I feel like puking afterward, and it takes a good 20 min for your heart rate to return to normal... so it actually takes longer than the 11 min if you include your recovery time!!
The original study had participants do Tabata sequences 4x a week, and a longer, more moderately paced workout the 5th day.0 -
I see a few problems with Tabata training as is commonly described.
Firstly, in the actual study Tabata did, he was pushing his athletes to excruciating levels of work. Most of the tabata workouts I see mentioned on sites like this are just short HIIT workouts. I'm not denying they're tough! But I can't see how you can mimic the levels of exertion Tabata achieved in his study with kettlebells and the like.
Also, Tabata's study, if I remember correctly, focussed on improvements in cardiovascular fitness, not calorie burning or fat loss. It may well be a great protocol for improving fitness/performance but it may not be the best approach for many here, who just want to burn off fat or build muscle.
Thirdly, the whole EPOC idea is getting more scrutinised at the moment - I saw one study recently that showed that EPOC following HIIT (not Tabata, I know, but still...) was only 14% of what you actually used in the workout - not impressive if you're only burning 150 calories because you're only working out for 10 minutes.
Finally, I have seen other studies that show that Tabata's big improvements in fitness seem to plateau after a few weeks. I've also seen criticism of the study itself (EDIT - see link below) in that Tabata's control group did more traditional low intensity cardio, yet so did his Tabata group for one day a week, thus it's hard to say if the improvements came from Tabata or from that day of cardio.
I'm not denying it's a tough workout or that it has a place in people's routines (especially if they enjoy it), I'm just a bit wary of fads.
EDIT: Actually, just remembered a good article by Lyle Macdonald - he puts it a lot better than me (damn - wish I'd remembered it before I typed all the above! Oh well....)
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/effects-of-moderate-intensity-endurance-and-high-intensity-intermittent-training-on-anaerobic-capacity-and-vo2-max.html0 -
As I say, not criticising it, just pointing out that people may actually want to try it first before dropping more "traditional" workouts that may actually be working for them.0
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I see a few problems with Tabata training as is commonly described.
Firstly, in the actual study Tabata did, he was pushing his athletes to excruciating levels of work. Most of the tabata workouts I see mentioned on sites like this are just short HIIT workouts. I'm not denying they're tough! But I can't see how you can mimic the levels of exertion Tabata achieved in his study with kettlebells and the like.
Also, Tabata's study, if I remember correctly, focussed on improvements in cardiovascular fitness, not calorie burning or fat loss. It may well be a great protocol for improving fitness/performance but it may not be the best approach for many here, who just want to burn off fat or build muscle.
Thirdly, the whole EPOC idea is getting more scrutinised at the moment - I saw one study recently that showed that EPOC following HIIT (not Tabata, I know, but still...) was only 14% of what you actually used in the workout - not impressive if you're only burning 150 calories because you're only working out for 10 minutes.
Finally, I have seen other studies that show that Tabata's big improvements in fitness seem to plateau after a few weeks. I've also seen criticism of the study itself (EDIT - see link below) in that Tabata's control group did more traditional low intensity cardio, yet so did his Tabata group for one day a week, thus it's hard to say if the improvements came from Tabata or from that day of cardio.
I'm not denying it's a tough workout or that it has a place in people's routines (especially if they enjoy it), I'm just a bit wary of fads.
EDIT: Actually, just remembered a good article by Lyle Macdonald - he puts it a lot better than me (damn - wish I'd remembered it before I typed all the above! Oh well....)
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/effects-of-moderate-intensity-endurance-and-high-intensity-intermittent-training-on-anaerobic-capacity-and-vo2-max.html
Calling most of these workouts "tabata" is like calling Velveeta "cheese". The only "true" Tabata protocol requires working out on a stationary bike at a watt level that represents 170% of your VO2 max. You can't replicate that effort doing a circuit workout.
Ultimately, it doesn't really make any difference what it is called--whatever name you give them, these are just normal high intensity aerobic or circuit interval training sessions. High- or higher-intensity training can enhance many workout routines--the workload intensity can be scaled to match the ability of most people.
There is nothing magic or unique about the "tabata" protocol or the interval ratio used in the studies--even for tabata's athletes. The efficacy of doing short, all-out intervals was established at least 40 years before Tabata's studies.
If you like these workouts, then by all means continue--there's nothing wrong with them. Just don't get caught up in trying to follow a "tabata-inspired" protocol. Most people do not need to work like that to get the benefits of HIIT. There is plenty of research out there that shows significant benefits from working at the 80%-90% effort, which is more than enough for the average exerciser.0 -
bump0
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Tabata consists of 4 minute intervals, not 4 minutes total. You can do as many intervals of different exercises as you like. Standard 1hr classes, means about 8-15 intervals depending on your warm up and time between intervals. It's tough and very effective as cardio, strength training, and just feeling like a badass!
Happy Tabata-ing 0 -
Tabata consists of 4 minute intervals, not 4 minutes total. You can do as many intervals of different exercises as you like. Standard 1hr classes, means about 8-15 intervals depending on your warm up and time between intervals. It's tough and very effective as cardio, strength training, and just feeling like a badass!
Happy Tabata-ing
That's wrong. As explained above.0 -
OK, From everything I read, what most people consider Tabata really is not cause of the near possibility of pushing yourself to 100% max.
With that said and understood, if you follow what most people call Tabata and really push yourself to do your best in your intervals how successful is it?
I am considering doing a night time version of this a couple of times a week and continue my morning routine as is.
Thoughts?0 -
Disagree. True Tabata is 4 minutes...........and done. If you can last an hour, then you're doing HIIT. Tabata requires ALL OUT EFFORT. That means 100% during the interval. You CAN'T go 100% for an hour.Tabata consists of 4 minute intervals, not 4 minutes total. You can do as many intervals of different exercises as you like. Standard 1hr classes, means about 8-15 intervals depending on your warm up and time between intervals. It's tough and very effective as cardio, strength training, and just feeling like a badass!
Happy Tabata-ing
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Tabata Protocol was designed to increase VO2 MAX. You are correct.I see a few problems with Tabata training as is commonly described.
Firstly, in the actual study Tabata did, he was pushing his athletes to excruciating levels of work. Most of the tabata workouts I see mentioned on sites like this are just short HIIT workouts. I'm not denying they're tough! But I can't see how you can mimic the levels of exertion Tabata achieved in his study with kettlebells and the like.
Also, Tabata's study, if I remember correctly, focussed on improvements in cardiovascular fitness, not calorie burning or fat loss. It may well be a great protocol for improving fitness/performance but it may not be the best approach for many here, who just want to burn off fat or build muscle.
Thirdly, the whole EPOC idea is getting more scrutinised at the moment - I saw one study recently that showed that EPOC following HIIT (not Tabata, I know, but still...) was only 14% of what you actually used in the workout - not impressive if you're only burning 150 calories because you're only working out for 10 minutes.
Finally, I have seen other studies that show that Tabata's big improvements in fitness seem to plateau after a few weeks. I've also seen criticism of the study itself (EDIT - see link below) in that Tabata's control group did more traditional low intensity cardio, yet so did his Tabata group for one day a week, thus it's hard to say if the improvements came from Tabata or from that day of cardio.
I'm not denying it's a tough workout or that it has a place in people's routines (especially if they enjoy it), I'm just a bit wary of fads.
EDIT: Actually, just remembered a good article by Lyle Macdonald - he puts it a lot better than me (damn - wish I'd remembered it before I typed all the above! Oh well....)
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/effects-of-moderate-intensity-endurance-and-high-intensity-intermittent-training-on-anaerobic-capacity-and-vo2-max.html
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
OK, From everything I read, what most people consider Tabata really is not cause of the near possibility of pushing yourself to 100% max.
With that said and understood, if you follow what most people call Tabata and really push yourself to do your best in your intervals how successful is it?
I am considering doing a night time version of this a couple of times a week and continue my morning routine as is.
Thoughts?
If you can sleep after that, then go for it. I get crazy rush of endorphins & can't sleep for a while. Don't forget, it takes a lot out of your recovery. Similar drain to a heavy weights session IMO.0 -
For what its worth I have done "tabata" type workouts many times in the last year. They are awesome in that they work you really hard. It is one of the tools you can use. It seems to work well.0
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