FITNESS: what is tabata training?

I have always been a firm believer that the key to staying motivated when it comes to working out is to switch things up. For me personally, I go through certain phases where I’ll either run a lot, do tons of yoga, stick to HIIT workout at home (hello #jenselterchallenge – follow along on snapchat) or, as of recently, do Tabata. What is Tabata Training you ask? It is something I discovered thanks to a chat with personal trainer Svjetlana who was with us during the fitness week in Mallorca, Spain. Simply said, Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that features exercises in 4-minute blocks that are made up of 8 rounds with 20 seconds all-out exercise followed by 10 seconds rest. Easy enough right?
The best part is that you can basically use any form of exercise to do Tabata. You like to run? Then do 20-second sprints with 10 seconds of rest. You prefer to workout without any extra equipment at home? No problem, take it to the mat and to burpees, jump squats, sit-ups or whatever gets you sweating. The key is to really give it your all during those 20 seconds.

„Whatever exercise you use, Tabata training will raise your metabolism and heart rate immediately. Since you are performing these exercises at a very high intensity, your body will have to work much harder to keep it up. This will cause your heart to pump fast and your metabolism to jump, which you want if you are planning on losing fat. Your metabolism will stay at that high not only during the workout, but after the workout as well. This means that your body will be burning fat for hours after.“ (source)

To make things a bit easier, there actually is a Soundcloud mix (you guys know how much I love those!) to go along with the 4-minute Tabata training that does all the work for you in terms of setting the time. No timer needed! The music is intense, just like the workout, and counts down each interval. This comes in extra handy since 20 seconds don’t really leave you enough time to play around with a stopwatch! Simply start working out when the lady tells you to and stop when it is time. Amazing, right?

Here are some exercises to try for your Tabata workout: mountain climbers, burpees, sit-ups, push-ups, jump squats, jumping lunges, sprints, …

So, have any of you heard of Tabata before? Have you ever tried it? I am going to get moving right now and am aiming for 20 minutes (4 rounds + 1 minute of rest between) right now! The perfect way to get that metabolism going before breakfast and today’s BBQ. Happy Sunday!

UPDATE: this is the exact workout I just finished in about 35 minutes. A mix of the #jenselterchallenge and Tabata training.

WARM-UP:

• 30 Jumping Jacks or 10 Burpees
• Squats 12 Reps (don’t forget to squeeze the booty when you come up)
• 15 Walking Lunges (you could add weights too)
• High Knees Jogging on Spot 20 Reps

DO TWICE!

PART A:

• Set clock for 1 minute.
• Do as many Pushups as possible
• Set clock for 1 minute.
• Do as many Air Squats as possible

REPEAT ALL ONE MORE TIME

PART B:  Core + Legs Tabata Workout (20 seconds of exercise – 10 seconds of rest)

• Plank (flat backs, no butts in the air or sagging down)
• Jumping Squats
• Plank
• Bicycle Sit- ups
• Plank
• Jumping Jacks or Tuck Jumps
• Plank
• Leg-Lifts

DO 4 ROUNDS OF TABATA. STRETCH.

Want more on the topic of health & fitness? Then be sure to check out these posts!

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What is Tabata training?