Roger Hall - Tabata Workout Handbook: Achieve Maximum Fitness With Over 100 High Intensity Interval Training Workout Plans

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Tabata Workout Handbook
Text copyright 2015 Roger Hall

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher.

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eBook ISBN: 978-1-57826-562-6
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-57826-561-9

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Designed to afford the body an efficient workoutwith maximum benefitsin a short amount of time, the tabata training method uses high intensity interval training to provide a full workout, building strength and improving cardio condition. Developed and tested by esteemed physiologist Dr. Izumi Tabata in Tokyo, tabata allows for practical, reliable results even under the tight time restrictions of the modern lifestyle. At four minutes per exercise, tabata workouts can easily be completed on a lunch break!

Training tabata style allows you to shed fat while maintaining current fitness levels and building more muscle. Whether used as your primary means of working out, or as a way to simply add some extra variety and intensity to your weekly routine, tabata style training is fast, efficient, flexible, and above allit works!

A tabata interval works as follows: Working at the maximum capacity that your body and technique allows for, exercise intensely for 20 seconds. Following this, rest for 10 seconds. Continue low-stress movement, making sure to control your breathing as you prepare to resume full-force motion. Repeat this cycle, focusing on one exercise at a time, for a total of eight intervals per exercise.

This style of training allows for tabatas integration with a wide variety of fitness programs. Applicable with or without body weights, free weights (or a combination of the two), squats, burpees, stationary and spin bikes, even sprinting are all potential avenues for tabata interval training. The primary focus is on maintaining ones top-level effort throughout the interval, and completing all eight intervals before allowing the body to fully relax.

The key to tabata training, particularly when integrating tabata into an existing workout routine, is to only use weights and movements that are appropriate (in other words, easy enough or difficult enough) for you. Remember that as you continue to work out, your body will begin to change as it improves; exercises that were once difficult will become easy! Be aware of this; as you begin to see progress, continue to advance your fitness goals, using options that are challenging to you.

Many of the workouts in this book can be completed with little to no equipment, and can be performed virtually anywhere. If you do have some basic equipment, integrating weights or resistance into your tabata workout can provide even more significant results.

That being said, tabata style training is an advanced method of working out, and may present some difficulty for the inexperienced. When working out, and especially when working out alone, it can be difficult to maintain the good form that would normally keep you safeparticularly when working out intensely. Before beginning your workout, spend about 10 minutes doing some joint mobility stretches. Practice the movements in your workout, completing between 510 repetitions of each, to familiarize yourself with the motions and create muscle memory for the movement as a whole.

The importance of form is paramountnot just in terms of safety, but in terms of your fitness results. When I train clients in my gym, I always encourage them to fight against the clock, not just for one more rep, but for one more rep with perfect form . This is more difficult to achieve, and will require you to rest more, but the best way to get strong is to complete all of your movements with excellent body mechanics. If it is a struggle for you, keep at it! In a few weeks, come back and try the same workout again; see how much progress you have made.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

One of the best ways to track your own progress is by scoring yourself. Write down the number of burpees, sit ups, or kettlebell swings you completed in your last 4 minute interval. Then, when you do the same workout again, check your new count against what you did the last time. This will let you know if you are progressing, and whether it is time to find a new variation of the movementone that is a bit more difficult, to ensure you continue to get stronger!

R esearch has shown that exercise focused on short, intense bursts of energy where the heart rate reaches about 90 percent of its maximum capacity, interspersed with short periods of rest, is significantly more effective at increasing overall fitness levels.

Tabata training is more effective at increasing both ones VO2 max (maximal aerobic capacity) and anaerobic capacity than other forms of interval training and distance training. It also raises your metabolism and allows you to burn more body fat, letting you get much more out of your workout, all in a substantially shorter time frame. And, because the movements are so intense and always change, tabata routines remain fun and engaging.

With each workout only taking 16 minutes to complete (plus a little warm up time) tabata workouts are convenient and easy to fit into your day. They can be done whenever or wherever you like, and the movements can even be modified to fit your time, place, and overall fitness and energy levels, letting you stay safe while you work to achieve your fitness goals.

SOME BENEFITS OF TABATA TRAINING INCLUDE:

Improved fitness level in a short amount of time

Increased aerobic and anaerobic capacity

More stamina

Increased lean muscle mass

Decreased body fat

Better cardiorespiratory capacity

Strength gains