Try It This Off-Season: Tabata-Style Workouts
If you're looking for something new to try this winter, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than Tabata training.
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Whether you’re looking to sneak in a time-efficient workout or simply want to shake up your routine during the off-season, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than Tabata training. Similar to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), the original Tabata Protocol was developed for Olympic speed skaters and put to the test by Japanese sports scientist Izumi Tabata. These workouts are all about getting the most bang for your buck. Bust your butt for a few minutes at top-level effort and the research shows you’ll burn a ton of fat, and improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness too.
Start with a 10-minute warm-up before going into this tabata-style workout. With each move, do as many as you can in 20 seconds, take a 10-second break, then move on to the next exercise. Once you’ve completed all five exercises, take a 1-minute break and repeat the entire sequence three more times. (Similar workouts can also be done while running or riding a spin bike.)
Photos: Oliver Baker
