Tabata is high intensity type of interval workout that was inspired by Dr. Izumi Tabata. He is a Japanese researcher who used this protocol in his study on athletes in 1996 (used to see if it would improve the performance of Olympic speed skaters).  His objective was to see if athletes would benefit from a 20/10 session repeated eight times. 20/10 means 20 seconds of all-out exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This adds up to four minutes total of a round of exercise. 

 

Tabata training is one of the most popular forms of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).  The differences between HIIT and Tabata are that rest and work periods. In Tabata the rest periods are shorter as compared to a HIIT workout. Tabata pushes the limit, remember it was designed for athletes to reach new heights in their fitness using a short workout.

Tabata: 8 sets of fast paced exercises.  Each exercise is performed for 20 seconds full on with a brief rest of 10 seconds.  Each round of an exercise is 4 minutes and 8 intervals.  Total time 20 minutes.

 

HIIT: Short bursts of cardio training using intense exercise followed with rest times for 20-40 minutes.  The work period can be time or reps based.

This is not a beginner type of a workout; so proceed with caution and based on your current fitness level. If you're new to high-intensity interval training, don't go directly to a full Tabata workout. Instead, try this method of 30 seconds of maximum effort followed by 90 seconds of recuperation. When repeated eight times, and including a four-minute warm-up, this workout takes about 20 minutes.

 

Tabata is typically done with a series of exercises. You can build your own Tabata workout by selecting one or two exercises per circuit. You can complete as many rounds as you can tolerate to begin using only one exercise or you can alternate between two exercises if you choose. Using only your body-weight for most of the exercises will get the job done, especially if you're a beginner.  The warm-up and cool down are very important to this type of training.

Here are some examples of a traditional HIIT workout and a Tabata workout.  There are so many variations of these types of workouts, you can mix and match cardio and strength training.  You can do an entirely treadmill based HIIT workout

HIIT – repetition based, rest 30-60 seconds before the next exercise

·         High knees (30 reps each side)

·         Wall sit (30 seconds)

·         Jumping jacks (60 reps)

·         Side Plank right side (30 seconds)

·         Squat jumps (50 seconds)

·         Side Plank left side (30 seconds)

·         Mountain climbers (45 reps)

·         Triceps dips (30 reps)

·         Heels taps (ab exercise 30 reps alternating sides)

·         Run in place or sprint (45 seconds)

·         Biceps curls (60 seconds)

Tabata – 20 seconds full on and 10 seconds rest, 8 bouts of each for a full workout

NOTE: Intermediate fitness levels start less bouts. Start with 4 bouts each exercise and work up to 8 bouts per exercise

·         Push-ups

·         Alternating leg lunges

·         Burpees

·         Shoulder Touch planks

·         Reverse lunges

·         Physioball crunches

·         Sumo squats

·         Jump rope