If you’re constantly saying ‘I don’t have time to exercise’ or would rather be sweating on the beach, not in a gym, then Tabata is for you. Tabata is incredibly effective, offering max calorie burn, fat burning and all the other “feel good” benefits that come with exercise. The best thing about it – it only takes 4 minutes!
What’s Tabata?
Tabata is a form of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) and it’s named after a Japanese Scientist Lzumi Tabata, who found that short vigorous workouts had a big impact on increasing fitness, losing weight and building muscle. Learn more about Tabata here.
Why Tabata?
Over the summer months, it can be hard to fit in and sustain exercise when you’re often out of routine and enjoying all the festivities that come with the season. In fact, one of the most common questions we get asked at this time of year is “How can I keep up my exercise habits whilst on holiday?”
We’re all about enjoying the holiday and embracing the festivities, but it doesn’t need to come at the expense of the healthy habits you’ve worked hard to develop during the year. Tabata training provides maximum results in a minimum amount of time… believe it or not, all you need is 4 minutes! No excuses, right?
Four minutes is all you need to burn fat, build muscle and improve fitness – no gym or equipment required. You can literally do Tabata training at home in your . Sound too good to be true? We’re going to share with you exactly how to do it!
What you need
The beauty about Tabata is that you don’t need a thing to do it. No fancy weights needed! If, however, you have dumbbells or a kettlebell, you can include them but you can get an excellent workout even without them.
How to do it
A 4 minute Tabata workout includes 8 rounds of any one exercise. Choose one of the exercises shown in the pictures below or do a few different ones. Do an exercise as hard as you can for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. 20 seconds fast running. The key is to really push yourself to the max!
Find out your body type with this
Quiz – are you Endomorph, Ectomorph, or Mesomorph?
EXERCISES FOR YOUR AT HOME TABATA WORKOUT
Mountain Climbers
- Start with a traditional plank — shoulders over hands and weight on your toes
- With your core engaged, bring your right knee forward under your chest, with the toes just off the ground
- Return to a basic plank, switch legs, bringing the left knee forward
- Keep switching legs and begin to pick up the pace until it feels a little like running in place in a plank position
- Continue fitting in as many reps as you can in 20 seconds
Alternating Lunges
- With your chest lifted, chin up and core engaged, take a big step forward with your right foot
- Sink straight down so your front right knee tracks over the top of your shoe and your back left knee points down toward the floor
- Slowly lift and step your right foot back to your left foot
- Repeat on the left side
- Continue fitting in as many reps as you can in 20 seconds
- For a more advanced option, try jumping lunges.
Alternating Supermans
- Start kneeling on all fours, knees under hips and hands placed beneath shoulders
- Extend your right leg out behind your body, kneeling on the left leg
- Slowly raise your right heel up to your buttocks and simultaneously extend your left arm in front of your body
- Lower both limbs back to touch the ground before repeating continuously for 20 seconds
- Be sure to keep your core engaged throughout
Sumo Squats
- Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out
- Engage your core muscles, push your hips back and squat down keeping your chest up
- Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes together as you stand back up
- Repeat the movement fitting in as many reps as you can in 20 seconds
- For a more advanced option try jump squats or sumo squats with a leg extension
Plank Shoulder Taps
- Start in a traditional high plank; shoulders over hands and weight on your toes, feet shoulder width apart. (You can also do this exercise on your knees for a beginner option)
- Embracing your core muscles and engaging your glutes so that your body is in a nice straight line, lift one hand up off the ground, moving it slowly to touch the opposite shoulder. Do your best to keep your hips square to the ground and do not rotate as you lift your hand to touch your shoulder. Slowly place your hand back down on the ground then repeat on the other side
- Repeat the movement fitting in as many reps as you can in 20 seconds
Keep a for Real Health NZ’s New Year Fresh Start 12-week challenge starting soon! Find out more by following @realhealthnewzealand on Facebook, @realhealthnz on Instagram or check out the website realhealthnz.co.nz