In a blog post a couple weeks ago, I had talked about how I didn't have much time to exercise so I did my own HIIT workout. The same thing happened today, so I decided to give Tabata a try.
What's Tabata, you ask? Click here for a great article explaining it in depth (and a couple really helpful videos). Basically, it's a form of HIIT that has really caught on lately, and after trying it, I can see why. It's easy to fit in a Tabata workout (well, easy as far as the amount of time required, NOT as far as the work!), and you still feel like you accomplished something even though you didn't spend a ton of time.
In Tabata, you are doing a 4-minute cardio round, alternating 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for 8 total sets. You can do as many or as few of the 4-minute rounds as you want or have time for, and you rest for 4 minutes in between each one. I guarantee you, even if you just have time for one, if you work at your highest intensity, you will improve your fitness level! After my first round, I was definitely breathless and sweaty.
In researching, I've found a couple different ways of doing it. Some people stick with one exercise for all 8 sets within the 4 minutes; some people pick 2 or 4 different exercises and switch with each 20 second interval. I chose the first method, meaning I did the same exercise for each round, then switched after my 4 minutes of rest. I really don't think it matters, unless you pick something so intense that you can't possibly do it for 8 20-second bursts in a row.
Today, I did 5 rounds of Tabata intervals:
*Round 1: plyometric lunges
*Round 2: jumping jacks, holding the ends of the big rope and slamming them down
with each jack
*Round 3: ski/tuck jumps side to side
*Round 4: hover planks (every other set, I'd lift the opposite arm and leg off the ground)
*Round 5: kick-backs on my hands and knees with a tube around my feet (glute exercise)
The beauty of Tabata is that you can do it with literally any exercise, whether it is pure cardio or uses weights. Some other ones I want to try are squat jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, sprints on the treadmill, box jumps, jump rope, kettle bell swings, Jacobs Ladder...the list could go on forever.
Another perk to Tabata is that the clock is your boss - you don't have to push yourself to do 1,000 reps; you just have to make it for 20 seconds! I downloaded a free app called IntervalTimer, and it was perfect. An alarm went off for every interval change, and I could still listen to my music while the app was running.
One more bonus: although I did 5 rounds in a row today, this could be a great way to incorporate short bursts of fitness into my work day without getting super sweaty or having to set aside a big chunk of time. My best friend is a police officer. She spends a lot of time cruising around in her patrol car, and with her 12+ hour shifts, she can't always fit in a long workout. I recommended this to her, and she was able to do a couple Tabata intervals a few times throughout her work day. Those of you with desk jobs, you could probably do this a couple times per day if you have a space available. My fellow teachers, this would be a great way to get your students up and moving without taking a ton of time.
My biggest advice would be to make sure your form doesn't suffer. I read somewhere that your goal should be to increase the number of reps you do for each 20-second interval, but I think having proper form and an engaged core is probably more important than that. I found that interval sets 4, 5, and 6 were the most difficult: my body was tired, my lungs were burning, and my mental dedication was waning.
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