TABATA Your Brains Out

5:30am CrossFitters Squating for their lives

Tabata Workout is an Intense and Effective Exercise Routine

If you're short on time but you still want a decent workout routine, a Tabata workout might be for you. Short but very hard and extremely intense is what Tabata is all about. The Tabata protocol works so well because it maximizes oxygen consumption with short bursts of focused exercises.

The Tabata Workout was invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. The basic principle is this: A Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Eight intervals of one exercise must be completed before moving on to the next. Sound easy? Not! But remember, Dr. Tabata and his group emphasize the fact that "High-intensity exercise cannot be prescribed for individuals at risk for health problems or for obese people who are not used to exercise".

1) For twenty seconds, do as many repetitions as possible.

2) Rest for ten seconds

3) Repeat seven more times!

One of the hardest aspects of doing a tabata workout is staying focused for the whole four minutes. It only takes 6 to 8 very hard 20 second intervals with 10 second rest periods to substantially improve both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Dr. Tabata's group did a study to prove this idea. They also found that short-term intense interval training is highly effective in lowering the ratio of lean body mass to fat without compromising your muscle size.

This cardio interval training method is an intense and quick workout routine but very effective.The entire exercise lasts only about 4 minutes if you do it correctly. The rest period can be complete rest or a less intense pace. It is a great way to get a very intense workout in a very short period of time. I'm sure you'll feel like twenty seconds has never felt so long, 10 seconds never so short and four minutes never so painful!

The popularity of exercising with Tabata as your core routine philosophy is increasing. The Tabata protocol has been used by major members of the Japanese Speed Skating team for several years. The two best exercises for the Tabata protocaol are the front squats and the thruster. Whichever exercise you choose, it should use a large number of muscles to get maximum benefit.

Tabata exercises are excellent for cyclists, athletes who skate, Olympic competitors and just the regular person looking to lose some fat. The Tabata method is so simple, yet so extremely difficult that most people can't stick with it. If you've got the determination to stick it out, Tabata exercises can really help to shape your body.

The best two Tabata exercises are front squats and the thruster. The front squat is just what is sounds like, you squat down and stand back up. Don't lock your knees, keep good posture and do as many as you can in the 20 second intervals. If you want to raise the bar, get a slightly heavy object to hold while you are doing the front squats.

The tabata thruster is a little different. Here's how you do them- Get two weights and hold them at shoulder height. Squat down while keeping the weights level with the shoulders. As you lift your body upwards, press the weights to the overhead lockout position. You can either press them as you rise up or use your momentum to help push the bells over your head. Make it easier on yourself by selecting light weights. This is a hard Tabata style exercise and you're going to feel it. In fact, no matter what exercise you choose to do Tabata-Style, your body is going to scream pain for days. You've never tried a harder, more intense and physically challenging exercise program in your life!

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