Tabata Training is a type of high intensity interval training (HIIT) that originated with Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. High intensity exercise cannot be sustained for a long time, so as intensity increases time goes down.
Tabata and his team conducted research on two groups of athletes.
- The first group trained at a moderate intensity level five days a week for a total of six weeks; each workout lasted one hour
- The second group trained at a high-intensity level, four days a week for six weeks; each workout lasted four minutes
The results; Group 1 increased their aerobic system (cardiovascular), but showed little or no results for their anaerobic system (muscle). Group 2 showed a larger increase in their aerobic system than Group 1, and also increased their anaerobic system by 28 percent.
They concluded that high intensity training has a bigger impact on both aerobic and anaerobic systems, as well as being a much more time efficient form of training.
The Tabata Protocol
The original study conducted used a stationary bike with 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at an intensity of about 170% of VO2 max). The structure of the program is as follows:
- Workout hard for 20 seconds (absolute maximum effort)
- Rest for 10 seconds
- Repeat 8 times = total 4 minutes
|
Total 4 minutes |
|
| 20 seconds work | 10 seconds rest |
| 1. Work | 1. Rest |
| 2. Work | 2. Rest |
| 3. Work | 3. Rest |
| 4. Work | 4. Rest |
| 5. Work | 5. Rest |
| 6. Work | 6. Rest |
| 7. Work | 7. Rest |
| 8. Work | 8. Rest |
Instead of just using a stationary bike you can get creative, using the same principle with time and effort, but using full body exercises to create a superset (two exercises paired up) or even a full circuit of different exercises within your tabata – you might chose to cycle through 4 exercises twice, or you might choose 8 exercises and just go once through each exercise. Because it’s relatively difficult to achieve such a high level of intensity as in the original study, you might choose to perform several 4 minute ‘tabatas’ in order to boost your results. Some exercises that work well in this format include plyometrics (squat jumps, lunge jumps, plyometric pushups medicine ball slams), full body cardio exercises (like star jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, skipping), boxing drills, or high intensity weight training (olympic lifts, wood chops, kettlebell swings)