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Tabata or Not Tabata?

May 24, 2013 By LazyGirlFitness 14 Comments

As anyone who has done a few sessions with me will tell you, Tabata is one of my favourite methods of training. I love it for many reasons, but if I had to whittle it down to just three I’d say 1) It’s time-efficient 2) It’s simple and 3) you can do it anywhere.

Breakown of Tabata training (source: http://activeroots.blogspot.com.au)

Breakown of Tabata training (source: http://activeroots.blogspot.com.au)

For the uninitiated, Tabata is a popular form of HIIT (high intensity interval training). HIIT training demands (as the name suggests) periods of high intensity exercise followed by a recovery period. Now HIIT is not to be confused with regular interval training, whereby higher intensity exercise (i.e running) is interspersed with lower intensity exercise (i.e walking). Oh no. With HIIT training your bouts of high intensity exercise should leave you weak at the knees – and I mean that both figuratively and literally. Which brings me back around to Tabata training.

Tabata training was born back in the 90’s by Professor Izumi Tabata. It involves 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest and this cycle is repeated eight times for a total of four minutes. Working with two groups of college athletes – half focusing on moderate intensity endurance training and half on this new high intensity intermittent form of training – Professor Izumi discovered that while the moderate intensity group only showed improvements in aerobic capacity, the high intensity training group significantly improved both their aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

So what does this mean for you? Well, besides total exhaustion and a strong desire to vomit, it means BIG calorie burn. The most effective way to use Tabata in its original state is to choose a compound exercise (like a burpee or a squat press) and go hard. But something like that is not for the faint of heart or for someone who is new to exercise – remember, with Tabata you are working at MAXIMUM capacity. An easier (and I use the term ‘easier’ loosely) way would be to choose an upper and a lower body exercise (i.e squat jumps and push ups) and alternate between the two of them throughout the four minute set.

(source: http://tabatatraining.org)

(source: http://tabatatraining.org)

One of the great things about Tabata is that your body will recover quickly between sets, so (if I’m feeling particularly vindictive towards a group) I’ve been known to dedicate an entire session to Tabata, with two minutes rest between each set. I also like to use it myself, either as part of a larger session, or if I’m at home on a weekend and feeling a bit sluggish. Four minutes later I’m back on top of the world!

Some of my other favourite exercises to throw into a Tabata workout: high knees, squat jumps, lunge jumps, fast feet, kettlebell swings and boxing. I’ll also combine a push with a pull (i.e a push up and pull up) or finish off with a Tabata ab circuit.

So that’s Tabata training for you. In short, it’s 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, keep it going for 4 minutes. There are plenty of Tabata apps on the app store, so download one and you’ll be on your way. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

The app I use. It comes up #1 when you search 'Tabata'

The app I use. It comes up #1 when you search ‘Tabata’

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Workouts Tagged With: Endurance training, Fitness, Health, High intensity training, High-intensity interval training, HIIT, Interval training, personal training, Physical exercise, Tabata, VO2 max

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Comments

  1. jackarthursmith says

    May 24, 2013 at 8:51 am

    You have a fabulous way with words. Almost makes me want to try this. Almost…

    Reply
    • LazyGirlFitness says

      May 25, 2013 at 11:34 am

      Only almost? I’ll have to try harder next time!

      Reply
      • jackarthursmith says

        May 25, 2013 at 2:01 pm

        You’ll need a whip

        Reply
  2. Joanna Murphy says

    May 25, 2013 at 12:07 am

    Ahhh this makes much more sense. I was wondering what Michelle Bridges was going on about in her work out dvd. Kid you not, thought she was saying ciabatta training. And I kept thinking, there is NO way doing ciabatta is as enjoyable as eating ciabatta.

    Reply
    • LazyGirlFitness says

      May 25, 2013 at 11:36 am

      Ha – love it! I really cannot imagine ciabatta training being nearly as effective as Tabata training…

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Interval Training | Lazy Girl Fitness says:
    June 10, 2013 at 7:35 pm

    […] Before we go any further though, let me quickly explain the difference between the two. Interval training is defined simply as periods of low to high intervals interspersed with rest periods whereas HIIT is a specific form of interval training consisting of short periods of intense anaerobic activity alternated with less intense recovery periods. Or to put it into real terms, we’re talking a 30-minute treadmill session with two minute intervals of jogging followed by two minute intervals of walking versus a 20-minute on-the-verge-of-throwing-up workout featuring high intensity four-minute Tabata training drills. […]

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    June 16, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    […] Tabata squats/squat jumps* (Don’t know what Tabata is? Check this out) […]

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    July 21, 2013 at 8:49 pm

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    July 25, 2013 at 9:39 pm

    […] are that busy), remember it’s quality over quantity when it comes to training. Read this post on Tabata training to discover just how much good you can do in only four […]

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  8. Tabata Living Room Workout – lazy girl fitness says:
    March 2, 2014 at 9:04 pm

    […] I find the Tabata training method an excellent one if you’re lacking in the self-motivation department. For anyone unfamiliar with Tabata, basically it’s a form of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), involving 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds rest, and this cycle is repeated eight times for a total of four minutes. Sometimes I’ll choose two exercises and run a Double Tabata, where you cycle through two exercise eight times each (i.e squat jump followed by push up followed by squat jump etc.) for a total of eight minutes. You can read more about Tabata here. […]

    Reply
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