Hakuna Matata Mr. Tabata (The Tabata Workout)

The Tabata style workout in a nutshell is doing any type of high repetition exercise with an interval of 20 seconds high intensity followed by a 10 second rest period and repeating 7 more times for a total of 8 sets in 4 minutes.

So you're doing as many reps of the exercise as possible in the 20 second slots. Just 4 minutes right? Piece of cake? Well get ready to have your cake smashed in your face! This type of workout is very intense and also very effective!

Named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, Tabata interval training was found to increase one's aerobic AND anaerobic capacity. What does that mean? Let's go over the terms:

Aerobic: With oxygen. Aerobic exercises include those that require high amounts of oxygen intake and consumption. This generally relates to endurance exercises such as distance running or cycling.

Anaerobic: Without oxygen. Anaerobic exercises involve the use of muscle energy at high intensity maintained over time (usually shorter periods). This generally relates to non-endurance exercises such as weight lifting or sprinting.

This high intensity interval training (HIIT) was studied on on the Japan speed-skating team and showed a 14% increase in aerobic capacity and a dramatic 28% increase in anaerobic capacity. The study was compared to more traditional moderate intensity endurance training, which only showed a 9.5% increase in aerobic capacity and no significant increase in anaerobic capacity.

Tabata interval training can be applied to almost all exercises. It is great for body-weight exercises such as push-ups, air squats, or crunches. So what are you waiting for! Tabata workouts are also a great way to lose fat too! And taking only 4 minutes per exercise, you can hammer out a few exercises in Tabata style and be done with your workout before you know it. This type of training provides high results with little time.

All together now... Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto, Hakuna Matata Mr. Tabata!