What is Tabata?

Ta bah wha?

Tabata. Also called Tabata Protocol or Tabata Sequence.

No, it's not the latest health food I've stumbled upon. It's a high-intensity interval training workout that takes four minutes. Yup, you read that right FOUR minutes. Don't tell me you don't have four minutes for exercise (eight if you need to warm up).

During a Tabata workout, you exercise at your highest intensity for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat without pause for eight rounds, a total of four minutes.

Who thought up this madness? Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. In 1996 Dr. Tabata published a study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise that provided evidence of the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity interval training. After just six weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity in his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen. The conclusion was that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

The beauty of Tabata is that you can do it with virtually any exercise: sprinting, squats, push ups, pull ups, jumping jacks, burpees. Zach and I did our first Tabata workout Sunday afternoon with double under jump rope, and we both liked it so much that we're going to incorporate it into our weekend workouts.

It's easy to talk yourself into doing this workout because it's just four minutes, but it's intense. I was surprised at how quickly my brain went on auto-pilot. But the great thing is that high-intensity interval training revs up your metabolism so that you are burning calories long after your four minutes of fun are over. 

One thing I recommend if you want to try Tabata is to download the GymBoss app on your iPhone or iPad (or set up another timing device that beeps). To get the most out of this workout, you don't want to be fiddling with a stopwatch or clock watching. It's best just to GO until you hear the beep.

Now, listen, if you haven't been exercising regularly, don't jump off the couch and bust out a Tabata workout. Check with your doctor before starting a workout regimen, and all that jazz. But if you're in decent shape and want to try something new, I'd definitely give Tabata a shot. It's great when you're pressed for time but still want to get in some quick, effective cardio.

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