Created by Izumi Tabata, the Tabata Protocol is simply the best supra-aerobic cardio workout every discovered.”The rate of increase in V02max is one of the highest ever reported.” – Izumi Tabata, Japan.
“Fat burn is greater when exercise intensity is high.” – Metabolism. With only 8 minutes (give or take) every 3 days, you can turn your body into a fat-burning super-engine.
The Tabata protocol is a high-intensity training regimen that produces remarkable results. A Tabata workout (also called a Tabata sequence) is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes. In a group context, you can keep score by counting how many lifts/jumps/whatever you do in each of the 20 second rounds. The round with the smallest number is your score.
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.
