For today's session, we're going to do some Tabata Training.
What is Tabata Training, you ask? It's a form of high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, which alternates periods of work and rest. HIIT is also the most effective form of cardio for increasing fitness and improving body composition – in other words, it helps you gain muscle and lose fat, making you look "lean", "ripped", "shredded", "insert-appealing-adjective-here".
Here's how it works: Perform as many reps of an exercise as you can for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat for a total of 8 rounds, or 4 minutes. 20 seconds sounds easy, but if you're pushing yourself hard enough, you'll find it's quite a challenge.
Tabata exercises
- Jumping lunges
- Push ups
- Bicycle crunches
Complete 8 20-second rounds of jumping lunges, then rest for 1 minute before moving on to the push ups.
If you need to modify or change an exercise, feel free to do so. Just make sure to substitute it with another exercise that works similar body parts.
To help with the timing, use an app that allows you to customise rest/work times. For reference, I use Seconds.
How did you go? I found the push ups excruciating, even after I was forced to drop to my knees!
Tabata and HIIT for the win!