Honestly, I had not heard of Tabata until week before last at my body balance class. When my instructor announced that we would be doing something call the Tabata, I was expecting some sort of a Mexican or maybe Latin American inspired dance cardio session.
Well, Tabata, Tango and Tequila all seem to have a similar ring to it. Well it was nothing close to them but an intense, high calorie burning and a concise circuit kind of workout.
Tabata was founded in Japan by Dr. Izumi Tabata in 1996. Dr. Tabata believed that high intensive training done within a short span of time would yield better results than exercising at a low intensity for a long period.
A 4 minute Tabata style of workout can be equivalent to 45 minute workout if done properly.
The basic Tabata concept is to do an exercise for 20 seconds then take 10 seconds of rest and then repeat the same process for a total of 8 times. The class I did was built on this concept incorporating a circuit comprising 2 strength and 2 cardio exercises. This was to be completed in 20 minutes. By the end of 20 minutes I had my heart rate and was sweating as much as I do in 60 minute intense spin class.
Benefits of Tabata
- Burns of pounds and excess body weight
- Improves both aerobic and anaerobic endurance
- Improves your muscular endurance
- Makes you fit and strong
- Requires extremely little time for an effective output.
Type of Exercises
Tabata exercises can be done with sprints or even on bikes however it is more adoptable with other interval trainings like squats, pushups, jumping jacks, lunges etc. Kettle bells, weights and stability balls work very well with it. The point is to use large muscle groups to get maximum benefits. I would suggest you ask your instructor to guide you to such exercises.
If you short pressed for time a simple 4 minute Tabata routine done 3 times a week can also do a fair deal for you. If you can spare 20 minutes you are sure to see phenomenal results pretty soon. Just ensure you do the exercise correctly and not just somehow go through the 20 seconds. Also work at getting maximum reps in that 20 seconds and each time try and beat the previous round. Keep a clock in front of you to monitor the time and have some peppy music playing in the background. Tabata clocks and MP3s are available online.
Lastly and most importantly, even if you are doing a 4 minute Tabata routine ensure you spend atleast 3-4 minutes warming up and also spend 2-3 minutes to cool down at the end of it. Remember it is an extremely intensity workout thus warm ups and cool downs are an integral part.
Article by Shalini Ray
Shalini has written 20 articles.
Shalini is a fitness enthusiast and has been practising Pilates, doing spinning, yoga and various kinds of aerobics. She researches and reads extensively about health, nutrition and wellness. Shalini loves playing tennis,swimming and trying all sorts of sports..
