Tabata Protocol - The Efficient Approach to Interval Training

Numerous people have never even heard of this workout. The Tabata Protocol is hardly new, but often overlooked. There are many people that would benefit from this type of workout, if only they knew more about it. If you have heard of turbulence training, then this will kind of give you an idea of what this workout is like. So without further delay, let's talk about this fantastic cardio routine.

The Tabata Protocol, Explained Simply

The Tabata Protocol is an interval routine developed by the head coach of the Japanese Speed Skating team. It is named after Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., who was the former researcher at Japan's National Institute of Fitness and Sports. He took the coach's interval routine and conducted a study on its effectiveness. The results were outstanding to say the least. Fat loss workouts were meant to take at least 20-30 minutes. This routine proved that idea obsolete.

Why the Tabata is Different and More Time Efficient Than Other Routines.

Have you ever tried an interval routine that only involves 6-8 hard 20-second intervals, alternated with 10 seconds of rest in between? Yes, that’s all that this workout routine takes. The entire event takes about 3-4 minutes, but adding on five minutes of warm-up and five for cool down takes a grand total of about 13 minutes.

How Can You Burn Body Fat In Such a Short Time?

It’s been shown that this particular pattern of short, intense intervals can increase your metabolic rate significantly for hours after you finish. Long after you finish working out, you’re still burning calories. This kind of interval training is very effective for burning fat while keeping muscle tissue healthy.

This Interval Training Routine is NOT Easy!

Don't fool yourself into thinking that the Tabata Protocol is easy. Done properly…it is a tough 3 to 4 minutes. It was reported that many of the athletes had to stop at 6 intervals their first few times through the workout. Besides torching body fat, this routine dramatically improves both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity…making you a better athlete.

Practically Anything Goes With the Tabata Protocol Workout.

The choices are nearly limitless for this method of cardio workout. Try an exercise bike, an elliptical trainer, or a track. Pretty much the only poor choice is a treadmill, only because it takes too long for the treadmill to adjust to different speeds and these intervals are so short. Anything that allows you to reach an intense level of exertion quickly will work perfectly.

What’s Your Sport? Want to Get Better At It?

A Boxer, you could hit the heavy bag for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. A basketball player could jump and try to touch the rim numerous times for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. A swimmer could do a crawl stroke, butterfly stroke, etc…You get the picture. This is actually a good, high-level method to increase athletic performance in many sports.

How You Can Fit This In With Your Regular Routine

This isn't the type of training that you will want to do every day or even every other day. Intense interval training like this is effective, but can really tax your system. If you workout this hard every day you will be so worn out it will be easy to skip working out altogether. Don't make this mistake! Aim for 2-3 days per week to see maximum results.