Tabata: A Short and Not So Sweet Workout

Like anyone who reads obsessively pores over anything fitness related, I’ve read a lot about Tabata – 20-second bursts of high intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times.

The main benefit of Tabata – and interval training in general – is that it’s supposed to raise your metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories even at rest.

Other benefits are that it’s fast, simple and can be done literally anywhere. Simply pick a mix of intense cardio and strength moves and complete 8 20-second sets of each move with 10 seconds of rest in between each set.

Last Thursday, I did a Tabata class at Body Discipline. We did six different exercises – burpees, leg swings, push ups, plie squats, mountain climbers and oblique crunches.

A couple of things surprised me: 1) how fast the class went by and 2) how sore I was the next day. My hip flexors and lats in particular took a beating.

I rarely work out at home but next time I’m crunched for time and want to do a quick and effective at-home workout, I’ll definitely do Tabatas. There are tons of templates you can find online and most don’t require any equipment. You can also make it as easy or hard as you like based on which exercises you choose (spoiler alert: burpees are killer).

For those who like to keep things simple, don’t have access to a gym and/or don’t have a ton of time to devote to fitness, Tabatas are a great option.

Here’s what the rest of last week in fitness looked like:
Sunday  - Spin
Monday – BodyPump
Tuesday – Rest
Wednesday – BodyPump
Thursday – Tabata
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Body Blast (another new class I tried; review to follow)

I had a pretty good week at the gym but my diet was an absolute mess last week. This week, I’m actually cooking again (I barely touched my stove over the holidays) and cutting back on treats.

Here’s to a healthy(er) week!

Have you tried Tabata?