Tabata interval training could be credited with kicking off the recent craze towards HIIT – high intensity interval training. This protocol was initiated by the Japanese performance researcher Izumi Tabata in 1996 and 1997 (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, October 1996, Vol 26 and also March 1997, Vol 27).
The basic findings of his research was that in 4 minutes of work, you could get more cardiovascular benefits, and more fat loss, than in 60 minutes of steady state cardio (e.g. jogging). That’s right: 4 minutes vs 60 minutes.
How is this possible?
By doing super high intensity interval training. HIIT.
There are many summary articles available on the web if you don’t want to go back to the original research. Here’s a summary (but this article is about a variation…):
His exact protocol was to stationary bike at your all-out fastest, 100% pace, for 20 seconds. Then rest for 10 seconds. Then go all out for 20 seconds. Repeat, etc. until you’ve done 4 minutes total. That’s it. It’s so simple. But…
Most people can’t do this.
When I say 100%, I mean 100%. Not “hard running/biking”. I mean all out, like a bear is chasing you. Many people puke during this kind of training.
Because of this intensity, most people fall into two categories after they decide to try it:
a) they end up not really doing 100% in the intervals; they do like 80%, which destroys the whole purpose b) they give up
I’m no different. I don’t do Tabata because it’s too hard. I’m not afraid to admit it.
But I have an alternate that I think you will like even better…
The Inverted Tabata
Before I describe this (and it’s pretty easy to describe), I want to say that it’s quite possible that I’m not the only one to come up with this. I’ve been doing it since last year and decided to give it a name.
Maybe someone else has prescribed this before, but I did some web searches for “inverse Tabata” and “inverted Tabata” and even some “Tabata variations” and couldn’t find anything. [If you find something, please share it here so I can give credit.] Anyway, it is my belief that this is the first time “inverted Tabata” is being documented and you get to read it as part of the worldfitnessnetwork.com community! Ok, enough grandstanding.
It’s so simple, I was surprised nobody else talks about it.
Here’s all Inverted Tabata is:
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Continue reading about Introducing Inverted Tabata – Interval Training
I want to share a great technique for you to throw in to your routine. This is not for beginners, but is great for when you hit a plateau or are getting bored with your existing routine.
(By the way, this is the kind of thing I’ll be answering questions about on Thursday’s free teleseminar - sign up at http://www.askdatabase.com/campaigns/?af=49557 . Even if you don’t want to ask a question, you’ll need to enter your email address so I can send you the dial in info.)
But before I share today’s tips, we need a little background.
Workout Volume
It’s becoming in vogue now for fitness experts, especially strength coaches, to recommend lower volume workouts. Lower volume means fewer total number of reps per muscle group.
For example, a high volume workout for chest would be 4 or 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps of flat bench, followed by 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps each of incline bench, and then 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps of flyes. So the total # of reps could be anywhere from 80 to 156 reps! And Arnold, who advocated this kind of volume, would even do some muscle groups 3 days a week!
Nowadays people are generally seeing big strength gains and lean mass built in much lower volume routines – say, 4-6 total sets of 4-6 reps each, or 24 to 36 total reps per muscle group – once a week!
Which is better depends a bit on your goals, your personal ability to recover, your lifestyle, your diet, and a number of other factors.
But why not combine these…
What Are Drop Sets?
Continue reading about Drop Sets-Strip Sets – Going Down The Dumbbell Rack
The other day my ipod shuffle wasn’t working so I did my run in “silence”. The good news is that it didn’t affect my motivation or speed or anything. The bad news is that I figured out I’m a pretty weird guy…
You see, without my audio, my brain simply started thinking (I hear that’s what brain’s do when left to themselves).
And…
oh my God…
I’m insane.
I kept thinking the same things over and over. Literally. It wasn’t a “worry thought” either – just a random thought about how my office is set up. So I kept repeating the same phrases over and over. “What if I moved my desk to the south side…. What (more…)
Continue reading about What Do You Think About When You Run? – 11 Thinking Types
I’ve talked about the equipment at 24Hr Fitness, and some tips to getting a great workout while traveling and going to an unfamiliar gym.
But let me take a minute to talk about the people I saw there. I’m about to go pretty harsh. I’ll try to keep my ranting to a minimum, and there’s actually a happy ending to this…
The Average Gym-Goer
First off 75% of the people there were barely exercising more than the equivalent of walking from their kitchen to their TV room. Most of them just did machines. And they barely put any effort into it. Just going through the motions.
Same thing with the cardio machines. Most of the people were just walking. Walking. I’m not anti-walking. But I don’t know why anyone would go to a gym to walk. It’s so much more fulfilling to walk outside.
Nobody (except for one guy, which I’ll talk about more) had a workout journal. I must have seen 100 people in my 3 days there on machines and freeweights and only one guy (other than me) was serious enough to have a training log.
Continue reading about My 24Hr Fitness Experience – Part 2 of 2
I know you are trying to improve your physique this Summer. Build muscle…. Lose fat…. And you certainly can find lots of great information on the internet for free. Or can you? =================
FREE vs. SPECIFIC
================= Now, as the owner and operator of WorldFitnessNetwork.com, I offer a ton of free info to help you build lean muscle mass, especially for men over 35. There are other strong sites out there too of course. They (usually) offer great advice in (more…)
- Photo from 24hrfitness.com
I just got back from a business trip. As you might know yourself, getting your workouts in while on the road is a challenge.
Assuming time isn’t too tight, working in a run is usually pretty easy.
But weight training is more of a challenge.
(In fact, this trip gave me many ideas I’ll want to share with you over the next several weeks. For today I want to give you some tips to consider if you are out of town and need to go to an unfamiliar gym.)
Bodyweight exercises are a great option if you are still a beginner for weight training, or if you are just going for fat loss, or if you really have no time.
But I really wanted some metal.
Continue reading about My 24Hr-Fitness Experience – Part 1 of 2
Hi everyone – I’m putting the finishing touches on the World Fitness Network guide to specific exercises and I need your help. I’m stuck on what to call it… I’m really excited about it – It’s over 150 pages with descriptions and photos of how to do the most important weight lifting exercises. (more…)
If you’ve been into fitness for any length of time, you no doubt know how important nutrition is. “You can’t out-train a bad diet” the saying goes. Eating the right foods, in the right amounts (and at the right times) goes farther than your workout. And a bad diet will ruin whatever great training you’ve been doing.
I’d venture to say that for the vast majority of people not achieving their goals, it’s not their workout that’s the problem — it’s their diet!
A Brief – and I Mean BRIEF – Overview of a Bodybuilder’s Diet
This article isn’t about “diet” in the larger sense. I mean, entire books are written on that. But before I get to my main point, here are some of the basics of a good weight trainer’s diet. Scratch that. These are good concepts for ANYBODY, but these are critical for bodybuilders. (Please note: there are a bazillion different diets out there, including some that violate these rules, so we don’t need a ton of comments on all the (more…)
Continue reading about Don’t Call It A Cheat Meal If It’s Part Of Your Plan
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