Mix/Match Tabata Cycle!
- Aug 6, 2019
- 2 min read
Interval training is a great way to plan effective workouts, especially if you are short on time.
Technically, The Tabata Protocol can be performed with any exercise. You can choose bicycle sprints, or mix and match with up to 8 different exercises. I suggest choosing exercises with compound movements to incorporate multiple muscle groups into the workout. This will help to keep the heart rate up for the entire cycle as well.
Choose Any Exercise
1 Interval = 20 Seconds Full Intensity / 10 Seconds Rest
8 Intervals = 1 Cycle
8 Cycles = 1 Tabata
Tabata is a form of HIIT or High Interval Intensity Training, a popular buzzword in the fitness community for its association with rapid fat loss. The idea is the these short, high intensity exercise cycles increase heart rate multiple times throughout a single workout, raising one's lactate threshold and burning fat. I have to say I have experienced this, and I sometimes find that I feel stronger and leaner after a single Tabata workout.
I love this format because its easy to follow and modify for any fitness level- and its boosts results like no other interval training method!
See below for my Full Body Tabata Cycle. Choose 1 exercise for each interval, Alternate 2, or rotate through all 8 exercises during a single interval for full body strength and cardiovascular training.
1. Speed Skaters
2. Half Burpees
3. Rear Lunges
4. Steam Engines
5. Spiderman Planks
6. Lateral Lunge to Knee Drive (R/L)
7. Diamond Pushups
8. Starfish Abs
This Tabata Cycle requires no equipment, aside from a mat. However, you may modify the movements with light dumbbells to add slight resistance and increase speed. Both options, performed to the Tabata Protocol of 20 Seconds Maximum Effort/ 10 Second Rest will increase heart rate and helps signal the body to burn lactic acid more efficiently.
The entire workout- all 8 cycles- should take 32-34 minutes depending on how long you take for your recovery between cycles. I set my tabata clock or interval timer app to no more than 10 seconds between cycles. If that seems short, don't worry! The high intensity of the intervals, followed by the short rest leads to increased endurance and stronger skeletal muscle fiber in the shortest amount of time. Hey- its Science!
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