Who says exercising has to be long and lasting? If you’re about to think this and you’re bored with your usual exercise routine, it might be time to spice up your training. Tabata workouts include intense and versatile exercises in a very short amount of time, like this super-convenient, eight-minute, no-equipment routine.
All you need is one of the best yoga mats To train. The exercise mat is useful for lessening the impact on your joints while performing jumping or lunging movements in this exercise and for your hands when you have to perform exercises such as push-ups. Read our guide on how to do a pushup correctly if this is a move you would like to master.
Coach, heather robertson (opens in a new tab) will guide you through the full Tabata session, demonstrating each move so you can nail the correct form. Good form not only prevents injury, it will also improve your training results by ensuring you focus on all the right areas.
To complete this eight-minute Tabata, you only have two different circuits to work through, but you’ll finish four rounds of each, doing twenty seconds followed by ten seconds of rest. Robertson notes, “Tabata is designed to perform repetitive exercises at maximum intensity, so go all out during those 20 seconds of work.”
Watch Robertson’s Eight-Minute Tabata Workout
Tabata workouts are not only extremely time efficient, but they’re also effective at burning fat and increasing things like your aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels and metabolism.
The intensity of training and short rest periods mean your heart rate stays elevated and this results in your body burning fat cells for energy. You’re getting a great cardio workout and toning your muscles while doing it.
A small study published in the Journal of sports science and medicine (opens in a new tab) found that Tabata exercise can burn more calories than normal steady-state exercise and can improve people’s cardiorespiratory endurance.
If you have a little more time and feel like working on strengthening your muscles while maintaining your fitness levels, you should consider adding some high intensity resistance training to your routine.
This is similar to HIIT and Tabata, and just as intense, but adds weight to the mix. Using some of the best adjustable dumbbells in your high intensity training will allow you to develop both cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance at the same time.
Whether you’re exercising with or without weights, you want to make sure you’re getting adequate amounts of protein in your diet. Protein helps muscles repair and grow, but it’s also good for speeding up your metabolism. You can get it in many foods, but you can supplement your diet using one of the The best protein powder for weight loss..