No time to exercise? Try this method, it is known as the Tabata method. Tabata is a form of interval training. Izumi Tabata from Japan did research on short duration high intensity training. He found that the group that exercised at a high intensity in a short time made significant gains in strength and aerobic capacity, where as the group that performed long duration moderate intensity exercise did not see any significant changes in strength or aerobic capacity. Tabata is not the only one to prove that high intensity and short duration workouts are best. Vince Gironda proved this method forty years before Tabata. But it has been labeled Tabata because of the research he did. Regardless of its origin, interval training is the best form of exercise for burning fat, building muscle, and improving aerobic capacity. Try this next time you are pressed for time or limited for space. Choose any four exercises (core exercises preferably) and perform the following.
4 minutes long (whole Tabata Session)
• 20 seconds of intense training
• 10 seconds of rest
• Total of 8 sessions or rounds
Daryl Conant, M.Ed.