TABATA Workout: The New fitness Craze

High Intensity Interval Training a.k.a. HIIT is becoming famous nowadays. It doesn’t need a lot of time to do this workout. All you need is 15-20 minutes of your time and it’ll guarantee you to get in shape for a fast-approaching event. Research shows that a 15-20 minutes HIIT can burn more calories than 45 minutes to 1 hour jogging and according to a post by Charlotte Hilton Andersen; a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training. A type of HIIT that is becoming a fitness craze is called the Tabata Workout.

“Tabata Training can be done with a number of different exercises. The idea is to use an exercise that gets the whole body involved, or at least the major muscle groups. Tabata Training can be done with barbells, dumbells, kettlebells or just bodyweight exercises. 

A study by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata, who founded Tabata training, found that high intensity training improved VO2 max (or your maximal oxygen consumption)  by about 14%, while anaerobic capacity improved by 28%. These effects will help you shed those extra pounds of fat, while also building lean muscle. 

If you want to add tabata to your weight workout, simply pick four barbell exercises that you can easily transition between. Perform the first exercise for as many reps as you can in 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, then perform the second exercise as fast as possible for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds, and repeat this process for the remaining exercises.” - 4 Minute Fat-Burning High-Intensity Workout by Mehmet Edip

Barbell Tabata Workout:

1. Reverse Lunges
2. Shoulder Press
3. Romanian Deadlifts
4. Back Squats

Once you've completed all four exercises you're only half way done, because you'll only be two minutes into the Tabata. Go back to the first exercise and repeat the entire complex again without ever dropping the bar.

Here's a sample of a four-exercise dumbbell Tabata complex:

Dumbbell Tabata Workout:

1. Bicep Curls
2. Incline Flyes
3. Arnold Shoulder Press
4. Side Lateral Raise

* 20 seconds on each exercise with a 10 second rest in between x 2 sets

And for a fast, cardio shred try this workout:

Cardio Tabata Workout:

Sprinting – sprint for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds x 8 times
Jump rope – jump for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds x 8 times 

Who says you need a couple of hours to workout? Try this and you'll be in shape in no time.

By: Ralph Reizon A. Santisteban