Are you traveling this summer? You don’t have to put your exercise routine on hold just because you’re away from home. Certified personal trainer George Ma of Lifestyle Fitness Training shows us this quick Tabata workout that you can do in your hotel room or wherever you’re staying. No gym required.
Tabata Workout
What’s Tabata?
Tabata is high-intensity interval training (HIIT) discovered by Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. They discovered that short bursts of exercise performed at a high level of intensity have greater impact on aerobic (cardiovascular) and anaerobic (muscle) systems to decrease fat and increase muscle strength.
Each Tabata workout lasts four minutes and consists of:
- Work out hard for 20 seconds
- Rest for 10 seconds
- Complete eight rounds
What’s the difference between Tabata and other HIIT workouts?
Tabata is completed in four-minute increments at higher intensity than other HIIT exercises. Also, Tabata’s rest periods are shorter – only 10 seconds. Other HIIT workouts can have rest periods up to two minutes.
What are the benefits of a Tabata workout?
It’s an effective workout that doesn’t require spending hours lifting weights in the gym or doing low-intensity cardio. With regular low-intensity cardio, your body stops burning calories right after the workout. With Tabata, your body kicks into an “afterburn” period when you can burn as many as 400 calories in the 24 hours after your workout.
How often should I do Tabata?
Doing Tabata just twice a week with no other exercise can improve your endurance, reduce fat, and create lean muscle. Ma wouldn’t recommend doing the routines more than four times a week and for more than 20 minutes each session. And don’t do Tabata on consecutive days because your body needs time to recover.
Is Tabata safe for nonathletes?
Tabata is fine if you maintain a safe training heart rate. Wear an exercise tracker to monitor your heart rate. Also, customize your movements around any injuries you may have. Listen to your body. Keep pushing but not if you’re in pain. And talk to your doctor if you are concerned about starting a new exercise program.
