Tabata: The Longest Four Minutes of Your Life at He's Fit

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Tabata: The Longest Four Minutes of Your Life

Posted May 14, 2008 at 03:00 PM by Donnell Peavy

Section: His Fitness, Strength Training, Alt. Therapies, His Health, Physical Health

tabata From the standpoint of traditional exercise, four minutes really isn’t that long, whether jogging, lifting, doing jumping jacks, or what have you. However, tabata intervals can transform an ordinary four minutes into the longest, most grueling four minutes of your life.

Named after creator Dr. Izumi Tabata of the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, tabata intervals proved just how beneficial high intensity interval training could be. At the end of a 6 week period consisting of tabata intervals five days per week, subjects showed a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity and a 14% increase in VO2 max – from exercising only 20 minutes per week.

Here’s how it works. A tabata interval is basically an activity performed at maximum intensity (that is key in the effectiveness of the intervals) for twenty seconds, followed by ten seconds of rest. Repeat this cycle eight times, giving nothing less than 110% each time. By the end of the workout, you will feel like you trained much longer than four minutes. One of the great things about tabata intervals is diversity. You can do these with virtually any exercise of your choosing. You may also combine them into longer workouts. Try this sixteen minute routine:

Pushups
Squats or Burpees
Sit ups (yes, full sit ups, not crunches)
Inverted Row or Pull Ups

Same thing applies – twenty seconds of work, ten seconds of rest and four minutes per exercise. You work pushing muscles of the upper body, pulling muscles of the upper body, your abs and legs in less than twenty minutes. If you are looking for a refreshing change to your workout that provides the ultimate challenge, give tabata intervals a try and let me know what you think. You won’t be sorry at all.