240 seconds…

One minute. Sixty seconds. A short period of time right?!

Four minutes…well that’s just 4 one minute intervals! It takes longer than that to get an Americano at Mercury! (although worth every second of the wait!)

In terms of fabulous coffee, four minutes is an insignificant amount of time. However, when talking Tabata, it’s an eternity and then some!

The Tabata protocol is a high-intensity training method that has big gains in a short period of time. Tabata intervals consist of 20 seconds of maximum effort “work,” followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat continuously 8 times to make up a full 4 minutes. To score, you count how many squats/push ups/sit ups/distance/whatever your “work” is for each 20 second round. The round with the lowest number completed is your overall score.

This rest-to-work ratio is opposite to the traditional interval workout. In a typical interval program, the rest period is usually longer than the high-intensity work interval. In contrast, Tabata rests are half that (10 secs) of the work intervals (20 secs).

This method was named after Izumi Tabata, PhD, a former researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, who studied the workout after learning of it from the coach of the Japanese national speed-skating team. Dr. Tabata determined that this format challenges both the aerobic and the anaerobic system.

The aerobic system uses oxygen to perform work at low to moderately high intensities, while the anaerobic system performs high-intensity work for short periods of time without oxygen.

While usually applied to cardio or body-weight type exercises such as running, sit-ups, or push ups, Tabata can also be used for strength training. These follow the same format, a single full-body weightlifting exercise done in the 20 second interval followed by a 10 second rest period. Good picks are thrusters and front squats.

Still doubtful? Give it four minutes and lemme know!

Some survival tips for today’s Tabata Something Else:

Pull Ups…Tabata doesn’t excuse you from chin over the bar!

Push ups…just cuz it’s fast doesn’t mean the chest don’t have to hit the deck.

Sit Up…full up…and full down! Use your arms, you’ll be glad you did!

Squats…don’t be afraid of jazz hands!  Windshield wiper arms are your friends.

Need some inspiration…check out Crossfit’s leading ladies killin the Tabata Squats. This is the intensity to which you should strive for.

Workout

Tabata Something Else

Complete 8 Tabata intervals at each station:

• Pull-ups
• Push-ups
• Sit-ups
• Squats