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Results in less than 5 minutes: The Tabata Method

Posted July 14, 2007 at 02:00 PM by Stephen Antel

Section: His Fitness, Cardio Training, Strength Training, His Health, Physical Health

It looks easy on paper:  20 seconds of exercise, followed by 10 seconds rest, for 4 minutes total.  A workout that claims to melt fat, increase your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, can be done with little or no equipment, and can be done in less than 5 minutes?  It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  Well, such a ‘program’ does exist, and it’s called the Tabata method.

The Tabata method is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata.  Dr. Tabata conducted several studies to determine the effectiveness of high intensity interval training on sports conditioning.  He compared standard HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) using 30 seconds of intense exercise with 2 minutes rest to a protocol that had shorter bouts of exercise and rest periods with 20 seconds of intense exercise with 10 seconds rest.  What his findings revealed was that standard HIIT, while effective at increasing aerobic capacity (sessions of exercise over 3 minutes), did little to increase anaerobic capacity (intense exercise of less than 3 minutes).  The Tabata method, as it was later named, showed marked increases in both aerobic and anaerobic capacities. 

What this means is you’ll be able to perform at a higher intensity for a longer period of time.  Whether you’re looking to increase your sprint speed, swim 1500 meters faster, or trim off some of that stubborn fat collecting around your midsection, adding the Tabata method into your current routine will help get you there faster.

When choosing exercises to perform, you want to choose moves that will give you the most bang for your buck.  You want to use large muscle groups, multiple muscle groups, or full body moves.  If you try a Tabata protocol with isolation exercises like curls or leg extensions, you’ll have a hard time keeping up the intensity for the whole workout, and won’t achieve the metabolic and hormonal responses that you’re looking for.

Some of the better exercises to choose from are:

• Front squats – when racking the weight for your 10 second rest periods, just set the bar on the supports and stay put.  Don’t lose your grip or step away from the bar.  Those 10 seconds will go by pretty quickly, and you don’t want to waste any time getting the bar back into position. 


• Thrusters – take 2 dumbbells and hold them at shoulder height.  The first movement is a squat.  As you rise from the bottom squat position, press the dumbbells over head then return to the starting position.


• Burpees – remember doing squat thrusts when you were younger?  A burpee is basically a squat thrust with 2 distinct differences.  The first difference is after the thrust extension, you do a pushup before pulling your legs back in.  The second difference is instead of just standing up to complete the rep, you jump as high as possible.ul>

  These are just a few of your options.  You can also jump rope, flip tires, run sprints, flip tires… the possibilities really are endless.  When it comes to the rest periods, you can actually stop and rest, or you can decrease the intensity of the exercise.  The main thing is to make sure that you keep the intensity high during the exercise phase.  As you progress and your aerobic/anaerobic capacities increase, you can increase the weight you use (if you’re using external loading) or you can shoot for more reps per interval.

  Since the Tabata method can be intense and pretty taxing, you won’t want to do this type of workout all the time.  Once or twice a month is enough give you the benefits you’re looking for.  And there are certain things to take into account if you’re considering this type of workout.

  • If your conditioning isn’t the up to par, Tabata isn’t for you.  Use some standard HIIT or complexes to get your conditioning up first. 
  • If you’re obese or very overweight, Tabata isn’t for you either.  Supersetting exercises and standard cardio is a good place to start if you fall into this category.ul>

    So if you’re pressed for time, looking for something a little different, and think you’re up to it, give the Tabata method a try.  I’m sure you’ll love it and hate it at the same time!

    Happy lifting! 
    
    For resources and more information:
    [Tabata I, Irisawa K, Kouzaki M, Nishimura K, Ogita F, Miyachi M. Metabolic profile of high intensity intermittent exercises. Mar, 1997]
    [Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, Hirai Y, Ogita F, Miyachi M, Yamamoto K. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2 max.  Oct, 1996]
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    Tags: 5 minute workout, aerobic threshold, anabolic threshold, high intensity interval training, hiit, hormonal responses, interval training, isolation exercise, leg curls, leg extensions, metabolic, sports conditioning, tabata method, tabata protocol, workout

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