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Happy Friday! It’s Tabata Time!
I feel that often Tabata style workouts are overused. And people string like 20 exercise together using the intervals and overdo it.
HOWEVER, occasionally, I think Tabata can be integrated into your training routine.
For instance, yesterday I added in a Tabata style workout to force failure and burnout.
It was a short quick workout, but boy was it a doozey. Not every workout has to be an hour to get results.
Actually as I’ve said before, often shorter workouts get you way better results than spending hours in the gym.
If you are interested in a full-body burn out Tabata Workout, try the one below!
Tabata Time Workout
Set a timer for 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Complete 8 rounds of those intervals on each exercise before moving on. Rest 1-2 minutes between exercises.
Make sure to complete as many reps in the 20 second intervals as possible. You do not get as much benefit from this workout if you rest during the work intervals. It is better to keep regress the move than to rest. It is all about doing as many repetitions as possible in the time allotted even if all you can do at the end is push ups standing against the wall.
The point is to reach failure and keep going!
EXERCISES:
20 seconds Push Ups
10 seconds Rest
1-2 minutes Rest
20 seconds Jump Squats
10 seconds Rest
1-2 minutes Rest
20 seconds Alternating Overhead Dumbbell Presses
10 seconds Rest
1-2 minutes Rest
20 seconds Rowing
10 seconds Rest
1-2 minutes Rest
20 seconds Balance Crunches
10 seconds Rest
Walk around and roll out and cool down.
As you fatigue, regress each movement so that you can keep moving the entire time. If you stop moving during the 20 second work intervals, you aren’t going to get as much out of the workout!
Let’s Make a Bet – 20 minutes vs. 1 hour
What do you want to bet that a 20 minute workout can be better than an hour workout?
I’d bet just about anything.
Circuit training - killing two birds with one stone....Candy also made a good point - this is what we look like when we are working out.
It kills me to see people in the gym who think they need to slave away for hours to get results. It kills me to hear people say that they don’t have enough time to workout.
It kills me that people WASTE THEIR TIME doing long, drawn out workouts when they could get better results in 20 minutes.
And I’m not saying you should never workout for an hour…I’m just saying that you don’t need to!
Why spend 30 minutes on the treadmill and then 30 minutes doing some slow isolated muscle group weight workout when you could accomplish the same thing (and more!) in only 20 minutes?
Don’t waste your time! Try circuit training! It will help you get great results in less time.
When I say circuit training, most people think of quick circuits and light weight…barbie weights actually. But that isn’t what a true circuit is.
A true circuit is one in which you use challenging weights while taking minimal breaks between exercises. A great circuit also alternates the body parts worked so that you can keep moving from exercise to exercise without having to take any rest.
And the other benefits of circuit training besides saving you time:
- You improve your cardiorespiratory system WHILE you build muscle. With traditional weight training workouts, you take super long rests between sets, which allows your heart rate to recover. But with circuit training and less rest, your heart rate remains elevated throughout the entire workout, helping you reap cardiovascular benefits without going on the treadmill for 30 minutes after your weight training circuit.
- You burn more calories AND fat in less time! Now who wouldn’t want to do that!?! More work is performed in less time equaling a greater calorie expenditure. A 185-lb. exerciser performing a 30-minute weight training routine expends 133 calories. To compare to circuit training, the same 185-lb. person performing a 30-minute circuit training session burns 355 calories. These statistics show that circuit training burns more than double the amount of calories than a standard weight training workout.
- You also burn more calories for longer! Circuit training triggers a response in your body that accelerates metabolism for up to 48 hours. You burn more calories after your workout because of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, which is affected by exercise intensity. Since circuit training is more intense compared than the typical weight lifting workout, circuit training will help you burn more fat after you workout!
- You build muscle! Most people think that circuit training equals light weights which equal no strength gains. But the lack of rest actually increases the amount of testosterone released, which helps build muscle. Also, because circuit training workouts are shorter you avoid cortisol releasing, which it does typically during lengthy cardio sessions. Cortisol can actually start to breakdown muscle tissues!
Hopefully, now you are thinking to yourself…Why don’t I do any circuit training? If you are looking for a great circuit, try one of the workouts of the week!
Man Bicep 