Summer is approaching fast and beach body season is not going to wait for you to get in shape. If you have taken the winter off of working out or have neglected the fat loss portion of your workout in favor of heavy lifting (nothing wrong with that by the way), it’s time for some Tabata training! Doing more work in less time does wonders for fat loss.
One of the least talked about training methods is workout intensity, which is the amount of work you do in a given time frame. The greater your intensity, the greater your caloric expenditure. The best way to increase workout density is to decrease rest periods like you do in HIIT and Tabata training. The longer you drag out your workout, the less likely you can keep up the intensity. An easy way to do this is set a time limit of say 20-30 minutes, and try to get as much of your workout done in that time frame. Each time you do that workout, try and beat your previous time. So if you are trying to lose body fat, get out of the mindset that you have to work out for hours and hours. The harder you work in less time will equate to a higher metabolism, and a much more effective weight loss program. Keep it short and sweet, yet intense.
Why Use Tabata Training to Get Shredded?
The Tabata study was the groundbreaking research that encouraged people to start moving harder and faster to lose fat and increase conditioning.
In short, the Tabata study showed that by doing 8 rounds of 20 seconds of hard work and 10 seconds of rest, you could increase fat burning and conditioning more efficiently and effectively than steady-state type cardio.
Tabata Style Workouts
For a recap on Tabata intervals, it’s a high-intensity interval training protocol originally created by Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata. Each Tabata interval consists of 20 seconds of high intensity (as hard as you can go) exercise followed by a 10-second rest. This is repeated for 8 rounds, totaling 4 minutes time. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to increase your total work capacity and workout intensity in a short amount of time. I prefer strength-based exercises such as goblet squats, kettlebell swings, push-ups, TRX rows, farmers walk and ball slams and cardiovascular machines like the Ski Ergometer, Concept 2 Rower, and Air Bike (Assault bike preferred).
One Tabata workout can do some damage but to get summer shredded, you need a little more. I like to use 3 different exercises for 3 different Tabata workouts. Balance the workout with 1 upper-body, 1 lower-body, and 1 explosive movement. For the cardio machines, you can rotate between the three.
Tabata Workout #1
Perform each exercise for 20 seconds as hard as possible and then rest 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence for 8 total rounds. Rest 2-4 minutes as needed between exercises.
Goblet Squats 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Rest 2-4 minutes
TRX Row 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Rest 2-4 minutes
Ball Slams 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Perform each exercise for 20 seconds as hard as possible and then rest 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence for 8 total rounds. Rest 2-4 minutes as needed between exercises.
Kettlebell Swings 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Rest 2-4 minutes
Push-ups 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Rest 2-4 minutes
Farmers Carry 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Another way you can utilize Tabata intervals is with cardiovascular machines. The treadmill and stair mill will be tough to do this with so, I prefer the Concept 2 Rower, Ski Ergometer and Assault Air Bike.
Perform each exercise for 20 seconds as hard as possible and then rest 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence for 8 total rounds. Rest 2-4 minutes as needed between exercises.
Ski Ergometer 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Rest 2-4 minutes
Assault Air Bike 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Rest 2-4 minutes
Concept 2 Rower 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for 8 rounds
Time For Tabata
This type of training is simple and effective. You don’t have to think much just set the timer, pick your movement of choice and go. Just make sure to keep form and stay safe.
Justin Grinnell is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, as well as a Certified Personal Trainer,and a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer. He is also the Owner of State of Fitness in East Lansing, Michigan. State of Fitness opened up just four years ago and is already one of the leading training facilities in the Midwest. State of Fitness has over 450 members who train every day under his leadership. In addition to being a facility owner, Justin has his own blog at www.grinnelltraining.com (link below), and has been a featured writer for over 6 years in the magazine Healthy & Fit and is a writer for Muscle & Fitness.
ab Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, et al. (1996). “Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max”. Med Sci Sports Exerc28 (10): 1327–30. doi:10.1097/00005768-199610000-00018. PMID 8897392.
