Tabata-Style 4-Minute Workouts

I have created some awesome 4-Minute workouts utilizing the Tabata protocol method and placed them on my Xpress Workouts website. For those of you who do not know I have created a website that compliments our personal training services by offering quick and effective workouts you can do in 30-minutes or less. All the workouts have moving animation demonstrations so you can see exactly how the exercises are to be performed.

Now, back to the Tabata-Protocol workouts. These workouts are really intense due to the very short rest intervals. Originally, the Tabata Protocol was created for cardiovascular training, not resistance training. However, there is no reason not to incorporate this style into your resistance exercise routines. You can click HERE to see the category at the Xpress Workouts website.

A Little Background on the Tabata Protocol:

The Tabata Protocol--named after Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., a former researcher at Japan's National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya--is an interval routine developed by the head coach of the Japanese speed-skating team. (It's called a protocol because Tabata and his team took the speed-skating coach's workout and studied it to quantify just how effective it really was.) The workout consists of six to seven 20-second full-speed sprints interspersed with rest periods of 10 seconds.

In Tabata's study, the researchers found that guys who used the routine five days a week for six weeks improved their maximum aerobic capacity (a measure of your body's ability to consume oxygen--the more oxygen you can take in, the longer and harder you'll be able to run) by 14%. What's more, it also improved anaerobic capacity (which measures your speed endurance, or the duration you're able to sprint at full effort) by 28%. So the Tabata Protocol is the rare workout that benefits both endurance athletes and sprinters--hard to accomplish. Consider: A study of traditional aerobic training--running at 70% of aerobic capacity for 60 minutes--for the same number of weeks showed an improvement in aerobic capacity of 9.5% and no effect on anaerobic capacity.

So again, what I have done is utilized the Tabata principles into creating a series of workouts that challenge you with 20 seconds of resistance exercise with only a 10-second rest period. The exercises I picked are only multi-joint, large muscle group oriented so you expend the most amount of energy and calorie-burning in the shortest amount of time (4-minutes).

Robert Garza, CPT, RTS
Beyond Fitness Performance Centers, Inc.

Tabata Bodyweight Workout

The Bodyweight Tabata workout is where you perform a multi-joint exercise for as many reps as you can in 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and then do the next exercise in the circuit.

It'll take you 4-minutes to complete two circuits. You may then try and go on to do more circuits (up to 8 sets max) based on your fitness level and conditioning.

Robert Garza, CPT, RTS

Exercise
Standard Pushup 1. Lie face down on the floor with hands palm down, fingers pointing straight ahead, and aligned at the nipple line. 2. Place hands slightly wider than shoulder width, and feet should be at hip width with toes on floor. 3. Start position: Extend the elbows and raise the body off the floor. 4. Lower your entire body (legs, hips, trunk, and head) 4-8 inches from the floor. 5. Return to the start position by extending at the elbows and pushing the body up. 6. Remember to keep the head and trunk stabilized in a neutral position by isometrically contracting the abdominal and back muscles. Never fully lock out the elbows at the start position and avoid hyperextension of the low back. Trainer's comments: Do as many pushups as you can in 20 seconds time, rest 10 seconds and then do the next exercise in the circuit.	Reps Weight/ Resistance Time Many as you can Bodyweight 20 seconds
Bodyweight Squats 1. Start by placing feet shoulder width apart and holding your arms out in front of you. 2. Proceed to squat down like you are going to sit in a chair. Your upper body will lean forward slightly and your hips will shift backwards while going down. 3. Remember to keep your knees from going out in front of your toes while squatting. 4. Repeat according to your required repetitions. If you want to make the exercise more challenging hold your arms at your sides or behind your head. Trainer's comments: Do as many squats as you can in 20 seconds time, rest 10 seconds and then do the next exercise in the circuit.	Reps Weight/ Resistance Time Many as you can Bodyweight 20 seconds
Modified Pullup 1) Adjust bar at waist height on power rack. Lie on back and position body under bar so that bar is directly over chest region. 2) Start position: Grasp bar with overhand grip (palms facing forward) and shoulder width apart. Elbows should be facing forward with the backside of body off the floor Only the heels are together in contact with ground. 3) Pull body up towards bar until bar touches chest. 4) Return to start position. Trainer's comments: Do as many pull-ups as you can in 20 seconds time, rest 10 seconds and then do the next exercise in the circuit.	Reps Weight/ Resistance Time Many as you can Bodyweight 20 seconds
Jumping Jacks Start with your legs side by side and your arms by your side. In one motion jump and spread your legs out to the side while your arms raise out and up over your head. Land in this position and then return to the starting position and repeat. Trainer's comments: Do as many jumping jacks as you can in 20 seconds time. Rest 20 seconds and then repeat this circuit for 4 minutes total time.	Reps Weight/ Resistance Time Many as you can Bodyweight 20 seconds