The funniest thing these days is spotting someone who is proudly rocking a mullet (it could even be braided!) paired with stone washed faded jeans. The chance of that person walking around all day and not secretly having their picture taken by some smart phone owner is slim to none. Now if this is you, and you are still stuck in the 80’s, I am not making fun of you. I am kindly letting you know that you may be on some website, Facebook wall or Twitter thread and be 100% unaware of it. Thank God that, with time, trends change.
Much like fashion and style, fitness crazes change as well.
Something new comes out and everyone wants a part of. Like a flip phone that is frowned upon in the company of iphones, we want what is in, what works best, what is in high demand, and we wanted it yesterday. We are American brats. But, proud brats at that!
This is what happened to me when I was introduced to Tabata Training. Dr. Isumi Tabata, the creator of the Tabata Protocol, designed this type of workout to gain benefits from the aerobic and anaerobic components of exercise all at once. The gist of this workout is picking an exercise such as pushups, sprints or jump squats and completing that exercise for 8 sets consisting of 20 seconds of all out work and 10 seconds of rest. Simple. Fast. Perfect.
The beauty of this workout is that you can be at any level of fitness and get a great workout. You could do several rounds of Tabata, and not limit it to just 8 sets. You could do Tabata with weight training, cardio, or high intensity moves.
If you are just starting out with this kind of workout, one time a week would be sufficient. If you are more advanced in your training, try this type of workout 2-3 times per week and see how you like it. There are great applications on smart phones that will literally keep “Tabata Time” for you, such as the “Tabata Timer.”
It's summer and we all want to enjoy the weather, so for some of us, this may mean shorter workouts in the gym. You can workout for shorter time with this type of workout, and not only is it short, it's effective. Get to the gym and go Tabata!!
*Kate is a Personal Trainer at Elevations Health Club.