The Tabata Method

If you are tired of wasting endless hours running on a treadmill or any other type of boring cardiovascular training I would highly suggest the Tabata method.

The Tabata method is named after its creator, Dr. Tabata, for the purpose of training Japanese Olympic athletes.  This method of exercise not only burns fat and increases your VO2max, it also helps your body produce more growth hormone (essentially the hormone that makes you young).  The bodies production of growth hormone drops like a rock starting at 30, making this type of exercise that much more important.

Here is the real kicker; not only is the Tabata method better for you than traditional cardio training, it takes less time!  Tabata is all about intensity, not time.  Just do a 3-5 minute warm up and you are ready to go.

You can use any type of exercise for Tabata training you want really (sprinting, kettlebells, etc.).  As an example I am going to use sprinting.  For 20 seconds you are going to run a sprint, then follow that with 10 seconds of rest.  Repeat that 7 more times and you are finished with 1 Tabata round.  It may not sound like much, but trust me, 4 minutes of Tabata training is HARD.

You can do this type of training between 3-5 times a week depending on your goals and what you are training for (everyday Joe or a serious athlete).

Example of multiple rounds:
Round 1:
1. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
2. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
3. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
4. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
5. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
6. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
7. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
8. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest

End of round 1, take 1 minute break then start round 2.

*As a beginner you may not even be able to do the 8 sprints required for round 1.  That’s okay, just do what you can depending on your fitness level.  Start with just 2 sets of sprints, instead of 8 and build from there.  And again, instead of doing sprints you can substitute anything you want.  Do 20 seconds of push ups or squats or you can even mix them and alternate each of your 8 intervals.