Tabata is a popular workout plan that is characterized by its short duration (it is only 4 minutes) and high efficiency. It is an ideal solution for all busy people who do not have time for a standard one-hour workout. What is worth knowing about it?
Tabata was created in 1996 by a Japanese doctor – Dr Izumi Tabata, who conducted a study to check the benefits of interval training for athletes. He divided the volunteers into 2 groups. One group exercised in the traditional way, while the other group tested the new type of training. The results showed that the group that trained for 1800 minutes had significantly worse aerobic and anaerobic capacity tests than the group that trained for only 120 minutes.
Tabata is a 4 minute workout that consists of 2 types of exercise: aerobic and anaerobic. The first of them are moderate and during them the muscles are not overloaded. Exercises of the second type take the form of intense interval training, during which anaerobic endurance is developed. The process of burning without oxygen takes place in the muscles.
Tabata is designed to improve anaerobic and aerobic capacity and to accelerate the process of burning fat tissue. How exactly does this training look like? First we perform as many repetitions of a given exercise as possible for 20 seconds. Then we rest for 10 seconds. The set of exercises is repeated 8 times.
Tabata is an ideal solution for all those who care about improving the general efficiency of the body and burning excess body fat. This type of training can be successfully done by beginner athletes. Its great advantage is that calories are burned even after its completion. This is due to the fact that we are dealing with an increased level of metabolism. Tabata is not suitable for overweight people, because during such training a large number of jumps is performed, which may strain the joints. Special caution should also be exercised by people with high blood pressure and diseases of the cardio-respiratory system.
Tabata is a physical activity whose effects can be seen after just a few workouts. At the beginning it is not recommended to do exercises with high frequency and intensity. It is much better to do the exercises that are calmer. The optimal frequency to start with is 1-2 workouts consisting of 5-6 rounds with 30-second breaks in between. After 2 weeks, the rate of fatty acid breakdown should increase by about 30%. Then you can start doing 2-3 workouts per week. Tabata trained regularly is a guarantee of fast and effective reduction of body fat and weight loss. It also contributes to the improvement of fitness and endurance. It is best to start tabata training with a 5-minute warm-up, which may include running on the spot or jumping jacks. Then we choose an exercise (it can be bellies, squats, push-ups or jumping jacks), start the stopwatch and exercise for 20 seconds with the highest possible intensity. Rest for 10 seconds. Repeat the exercises for 4 minutes, doing a total of 8 repetitions. Tabata is such a universal workout that it can be successfully performed both at home and in the garden, park or gym. In the Internet you can find many sets of exercises of this type.
