20-Minute Total Body Tabata

Tabata workouts are an incredible way to burn fat fast. If you don’t have a lot of time to squeeze in a workout and you’ve got some energy in the reserves, try this 20-minute total body tabata workout.

Tabata Training 101

What is Tabata Training?

Originally created by Dr. Izumi Tabata, tabata is a high-intensity interval workout that burns fat and brings measurable results with 4-minute workout intervals.

20 seconds of high-intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of recovery, performed for 8 round. This, in a nutshell of a sentence, is tabata. The key: intensity.

To work effectively you have to push yourself (hard), through the 20 second work periods. Does that mean you have to sprint as hard as Usain Bolt? No. Sprint as hard as you go.

What are the Benefits?

Studies have shown some pretty amazing results from tabata training.

You’ll burn fat. High intensity interval training promises that you are putting major effort into each round, so you’ll torch some calories while workout out. Better? Because you’re only resting for 10 seconds, which isn’t enough time to fully in between exercises, your body will have to recover after your workout is finished – which means you’ll be torching calories even after you are done working out.

You’ll rev your metabolism. See above for exhibit a on why your resting metabolism will burn hotter all day long.

You’ll save time. 4-minutes rounds. Enough said.

What Exercises Should You Do?

Traditionally, tabata training was done with sprints. And while cardio certainly lends itself to tabata (what better way to go all out then sprint through some cardio sets), the list doesn’t end there.

Here are some of my favorite exercises to train tabata style:

• Rowing machine
• Sprints
• Spin bike
• Kettlebell swings
• Burpees
• Dumbbell Thrusters
• Push Ups
• Squat Pops
• Plyo Lunges

Tabata Training Tips

Download a free interval timing app. I use IntervalTimer which is free and has a straight-forward interface and lets you set up multiple intervals. There are plenty of options out there.

Go hard. I mean hard. You should be breathing heavily at the end of your sets. But remember…hard is relative to you. If you are a seasoned athlete, sprints and heavy kettlebell thrusters might be exactly what you need. If you’re just getting started, a better set of exercises might include fast walking and body weight squats.

Warm up and cool down. 4 minutes sounds quick but it’s still plenty of time (and hard-core effort), that you could get hurt. Always warm up ahead of time to loosen up and elevate your heart rate. And always cool down with some light cardio and stretching.

Want to get more out of your tabata training? For the best results, you can’t just focus on calories out. What you put in your body is just as important. Here are 7 Nutrition Tips for Strength Training that you can use whether you’re new to fitness or a seasoned vet.