You may have noticed while stumbling through my site the section for Tabata... I am assuming this if for no other reason than this article is under that tab! And you may be wondering what is this Tabata you speak of? So here I come to save the day, or at least explain and break it down for you.

Tabata is one of my favourite styles of workouts and I'm sure as you begin to follow my site and see results for yourself it will soon become yours too. It's great for busy people, whether you spend all day in the office or chasing around toddlers but still want results and to push yourself to new limits.

The original Tabata Protocol requires the following:

5 minutes of warm-up

8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest

2 minutes cool-down

So in theory you can have a workout in less than 20 minutes. Who isn't keen for that?!

The catch of course is how much you give... like with anything in life if you want half arsed results only give a half arsed effort, but the Tabata protocol works on maximum results for maximum effort. You only work intensely for 20 seconds but you work to the brink in that 20 seconds.

So how does it work?

Your body has 2 fuel systems, so to speak. There is Aerobic and Anaerobic.

Now, the Aerobic system uses oxygen to burn fuel, and the Anaerobic system doesn't. But one does not replace the other! What happens is you start out by burning fuel with your Aerobic energy system, and once you go past the point where there is enough oxygen in your system to provide Aerobic energy to your muscles, your Anaerobic system kicks in. Think of this as your SUPRA-AEROBIC zone.

To get there, you need to get your heart rate up past what is typically referred to as the 'Target Heart Rate Zone' using common aerobics lingo.

You may have seen people out running working with this principal, the interval training can be applied to running by sprinting hard out for 20 secs, the resting for 10. (This can work on a treadmill as well)

I find the best way to do these workouts is with a Gymboss timer which I managed to find here and was stoked with how easy it was to get to NZ (not always an easy job!). It means I can set my own interval times and sets and reps. A tool I would not be without.

Each "Tabata interval" is 4 minutes long (20 secs of intense work, 10 secs rest x8) so in a typical workout you might work several parts of your body, each taking 4 minutes, or one Tabata interval. As an example you might do 4 exercises, say Jump rope, squats, press ups and pull ups, each one would take 4 minutes and your total workout would be 16 minutes (plus warm up and cool down).

The crucial point of the Tabata protocol is, as I have already said, the effort you put in. If in the 20 secs you know you can do 3 press ups and you do 1 cos it's easier then you will not receive the results you would from going past your limit.

Also it's important to mention that Tabata is a great way of increasing Vo2 max (the max amount of oxygen your lungs can take in), which is crucial in increasing your fitness and your endurance. It's not all about burning fat!