5 Reasons You Should Tabata

I was first introduced to Tabata many years ago during a computrainer class. I was pumping away on my mom bike, trying to keep up with the triathletes on their fancy bikes, when a strange image projected on the screen. "Tabata", my friend Sandy said, in an ominous tone. What the what?

Twenty seconds all out, 10 seconds rest. Repeat for a total of 8. With that, I learned to love and hate Tabata. There have been many Tabata workouts since. Do you Tabata? Should you? What will Tabata do for you?

This past week, the weather was dreary, drizzly, and cold. While I'm no wimp when it comes to running in the rain, thanks to rheumatoid arthritis, my hands do not like it at all. Funny thing, since they aren't doing any work! Anyhoo, I took one of my runs to the treadmill, but instead of steady-state running which is so boring, I tried a treadmill workout that I found on YouTube. The hour-long workout had hills, sprints, and Tabata. I put up the white towel of surrender halfway through the video. As if Tabata alone wasn't enough.

Cocoa consoling me after that Tabata sequence on the treadmill

Tabata also showed up the next day at bootcamp. What were the chances? But I actually do like Tabata, so I was excited about it. The workout was comprised of kettlebell swings, wall balls, situps, push-ups, and lunges with a one-minute rest between movements. Because each Tabata is 4 minutes long, we did 20 minutes of work. I don't have to tell you how hard this was or how sore I was the next day. Talk about getting the most bang for your buck!

top-->bottom: KB swings, Wall Balls, Sit-Ups, Push-Ups, Lunges

So what is Tabata? 

• Tabata is an advanced HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout. Tabata originated in Japan by Dr Izunmi Tabata in the 1990s to train Olympic speed skaters. With Tabata, you work all out for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds x 8 cycles (4 minutes). If you're doing it right, you have to rest at the end of the cycle! Ideally, a Tabata workout lasts for 20 minutes. You can do just about any moves for a Tabata workout. 

Why should you Tabata? 

• Burns Fat: Current research supports short, intense bursts of exercise as a better way to burn fat by increasing your anaerobic capacity. Plus you continue to burn calories long after the workout is done!
• Saves time: A Tabata workout lasts no more than 20 minutes. Everyone can set aside 20 minutes to do a Tabata workout! 
• Increases aerobic capacity: Basically, this means that Tabata can help improve endurance as well as oxygenation.
• Preserves muscle tissue: the workout is short and sweet, so you won't be using muscle tissue for fuel. There is some thought that because Tabata is so intense, you actually build muscle during the workout. 
• It's fun! I like pushing myself and knowing that each interval is 20 seconds long allows me to go all out. It's such an empowering feeling!

How do you do Tabata?

• You can download a Tabata timer from the App Store or the Google play store. There are a number of apps available. Find one that you like. 
• Pick 5 exercises that you want to do. The sky is the limit. The workout we did at bootcamp is just one example. You can also do Tabata on a stationary bike, treadmill, rower, or any other piece of equipment. 
• Be prepared to sweat. Grab a towel and some water!

Do you Tabata? What exercises have you done? How was your week? Are you moving your workouts indoors?

Tabata is a fat burning, time saving, all around good time workout! Do you Tabata? /via @oldrunningmom #runchat #running #tabata #crosstraining

I'm linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Roundup.