Taba-what? That’s what I was thinking as my super fit girlfriend, A, told me about a new type of routine to add to my fitness arsenal. I had asked her to help me spice up my Fall routine because I knew she would have a great idea. The workout she told me to try is the Tabata workout. Created by Izumi Tabata, the Tabata protocol is based upon supra-aerobic cardio.
The workout goes something like this:
- 5 minutes of warm-up
- 8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest
- 2 minutes cool-down
Short, huh? Short and intense! The key is to really go all out on the 20 second intervals. You’ll be praying for the clock to move faster.
I did my first Tabata workout yesterday. I was definitely skeptical because I am a long cardio session type of girl. I did a Tabata workout that, coincidentally enough, was in my latest issue of Oxygen magazine. I did it three times and burned 150 calories (according to my very accurate heart rate monitor). That’s 150 calories in under 15 minutes of hard work. I’ll take it!
Oh yeah, I also found a cool app for .99 to time my intervals so I wouldn’t be distracted trying to keep track of time. The Tabata protocol will definitely be my new go-to workout when I’m in a time crunch. Thanks A!
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