FITNESS & BEAUTY · JUNE 2018
INTRODUCING TABATA…
A NEW EXPLOSIVE AND
EFFICIENT WORKOUT
Countless fitness trends have come and
gone over the years. Each one promises
to help you slim down, tone up, and
achieve your fitness goals. Everyone
has a different goal in mind when they
commit to a fitness plan, and with hard
work and dedication most exercise
programs will produce results.
But what happens if you can’t carve out
60 minutes a day to get your sweat on
or you find it hard to stick to a specific
fitness plan? Whether you need a quick
burn or want to shake up your routine,
Tabata training will deliver.
HISTORY OF TABATA
Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval
training, more commonly known as
HIIT. It was invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata
in 1996. Tabata, along with a team of
researchers from the National Institute
of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, was hired
by the head coach of the Japanese speed
skating team to assess the efficacy of
their workout program.
BENEFITS OF TABATA
Improved Stamina: Tabata improves your
aerobic and anaerobic threshold. Your
aerobic capacity is measurement of your
maximum oxygen uptake during exercise.
Your body requires more oxygen when you
work out. The rate at which your muscles and
tissue are able to absorb oxygen is known as
your VO2 max. Most people have a VO2 max
between 30 and 60ml/kg/min. The higher
your VO2 max, the more potential you have
for aerobic you have for aerobic endurance.
As you do Tabata training, your VO2 max will
improve, along with your stamina.
Increased Metabolic Rate and Fat Loss:
High-intensity interval training increases
our metabolic rate by almost 15 times the
basal metabolic rate. Your basal metabolic
rate is the amount of energy your body
uses naturally at rest. Not only are you
burning an average of 15 calories a minute,
but the increased demand Tabata puts
on your body will increase your BMR and
torch fat for hours after your workout.
Muscle Tissue Retention. If
you want to improve your
cardiovascular fitness but are
concerned about losing hard-
earned muscle, Tabata training
is for you.
No Time Constraints
HOW TO
DO TABATA
Tabata is a 4-minute workout
that consists of eight timed
intervals. Each interval is
broken down into 20 seconds
of all-out exercised followed
by 10 seconds of rest. Tabata
training is going to mentally
and physically push you to
your limit. If you’re doing this
workout correctly, you should
feel completely exhausted and
find it nearly impossible to
finish the final interval.
During his research, Tabata divided the
athletes into two groups and gave each
group a different workout plan. Group
A worked out with moderate intensity
for 60 minutes, five days a week. Group
B worked out a high-intensity level four
day a week for only 4 minutes and 20
seconds. Both groups were monitored
over a six-week period. At the end of
the study, they compared the VO2
max of the athletes in both groups and
discovered the high-intensity training
performed by Group B had a greater
impact on both their aerobic and
anaerobic systems. It was concluded
that working out in four-minute high-
intensity intervals was more beneficial
than working out for 60 minutes at a
moderate pace.
By Ashley Aucoin
26 HEALTHY MAGAZINE