Tabata Intervals
February 25, 2009 by nopstar
I was originally introduced to Tabata intervals a few years ago by Dii Mak who found them through the Ross Training manuals. It was only a few months ago I started adding them into my training.
The Tabata protocol was developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata from the Japanese National Institute of Fitness and Sport. His research found that certain interval training could increase your anaerobic output by 28% and you’re Max VO2 by 14% in about 6 weeks. (From Think Combat) The beauty of it is that the entire session lasts only 4 min. The same studies have shown these 4 min are the equivalent of an hour of normal cardio.
Sounds suspiciously like a late night infomercial right? Wait until you try it.
So what’s the interval?
1.) 20 sec. of all out work (seriously)
2.) 10 sec. of rest
3.) repeat for a total of 8 sets.
You can do pretty much anything you want… I would recommend body weight exercises or bag drills. (You could injure yourself if your form goes using weights)
I’ve been mixing it up on the bags with
- Hands only, Kicks only, Knees only, and everything.
- You could alternate between all out work on the bag with burpees… etc.
- MuayThaiBoy aka Marc Alpin has put together a really good post on sample tabata drills you can do for Muay Thai.
I found this clip of this Kid doing punch out tabata drills. Kid is in shape…
It doesn’t sound like a lot but trust me…it’s ridiculously painful. I’m doing these on my off days (the days I’m not doing MT). I bought a gym boss timer from ebay, for like $20, it isn’t necessary but if you’re going to incorporate Tabata’s into your regime then this timer will make life so much easier.
In the pic you can see I’ve got 2 intervals to run for 8 sets. The key thing is that you can set the timer to beep or vibrate. It’s pretty loud so and works well when you’re surrounded by Nak Muay’s kicking pads, Oiy!
Thanks for the link back :)
I did a tabata session when teaching class the other day and people struggled with the 20 seconds non-stop. For newbies or those struggling – Ross Enamait (Fitness Guru!) said that the work/interval theory is applicable whether you do it for 20/10 or 15/15 or or 15/10 or 10/10…
20/10 is optimal, but you should be able to work at 100% for these whole 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds before working again at maximum capacity for 20 seconds. If you can’t do that yet, just drop it down to 15/15 or 10/10 for a few weeks and build it up! :)
Marc
Nop, the original study on Tababata was 4 x 4, lasting 16 minutes ;-)
You switch the exercise when you reach 4 minutes and then back to the original exercise at 8 minutes and ten switch to the new one again at 12 minutes.
I am sure I remember you did an article on an example called ‘Sweet 16′ for example a few years back… This is pretty much perfect for boxing and the modified ‘Sweet 16′, which Sean Wright wrote up is perfect for Muaythai :D
I first came across the concept of Interval training and tabata intervals at ross training. In that he has given some examples too like it for speed, it for power. In his conditioning dvd he has given a wide varitey of interval training and we infact can form our own set of exercises for a interval. It is really effective. I usually follow the running interval which involves spriniting for 30 secs and jogging for 10 secs, repeat it 8 times. Also in bagwork too which invoves continous punching for 30 secs and 10 sec rest. We can customize the training according to our needs. I was struggling with my poor conditioning when i started muay thai first but now i have improved it to a good extent and interval training has helped me do it. Evryone should include it in their training regimen.
I’ve done a lot of HIIT but I’ve never done Tabatta intervals before. I’ve read about them for some time – it’s time to give ‘em a try. Thanks for the heads up on the Gymboss timer – I’ve been wanting something to help with intervals b/c constantly looking up at the clock/watch etc is a pain.
Tabata principles are quite popular in Crossfit routines as well for elite-end athletes; I am def. going to consider bag training with a Tabata approach
I really like Ross’s Tabata.
It’s a very quick exercise and effective as it can be.
I do Tabata almost every day before the afternoon meal. Usually I combine push-ups, sit-ups and squats, where each take has at least 20 repetitions. I feel more powerful and It keeps me in better mood during the day.
TexMT: If you have a laptop or workout at home near your computer, you could use this online timer without having to buy the Gymboss, although the Gymboss is definitely more portable.
http://www.speedbagforum.com/timer.html
milktoast-
Nice find
You can do tabatas with pretty much a lot of different exercises. However the initial test was for 20 on, 10 sec rest. However, you can play with this and change the times. I have done 30 seconds on and 15 seconds rest. Or instead of 8 sets, try 10. The thing is, try to go all out in the “active ” time with sacrificing much technique- punches, kicks, squats, push ups, pull ups (this might not be so easy, as the last few sets are brutal).
I’ll get my Tabata on tonight and see if I can last the full four minutes at 20/10..
Got my gymboss and did my first tabata session yesterday – sprints 20 on 10 off, 8 sets. Wow. That was a beating! My chest burned something fierce for about an hour afterward. Good stuff. Thanks for the internet counter too.
I’m going to try some other exercises next time. Those sprints were a beating!
You can find a Tabata Timer for your iPhone or iPod Touch at http://www.katr.com/iphone.php#tabata. It has visual as well as auditory cues so that you can watch or listen for your activity and rest periods. If you are listening to music on your device, the sound cues will overlay your music.
I have recently bumped into Ross’s Tabata interval training on the net. This is a good confirmation fro me that it works and is widely used by fighters.thanks for the info!