As summer rolls through, you might be thinking about taking your fitness journey up a level. If so, remember the answer is not crazy diet fads like the HCG diet. Balance is key, which means eating a healthy diet while not restricting your calorie intake, and getting 30-minutes of exercise each day. Luckily, there is a trend that meets the 30-minute goal, while increasing your fitness level. Even better, it can be done at home.
The Tabata Regime
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts have been popular in the fitness community since 2014 after the Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends ranked interval training as the number one fitness trend. What many don’t realize, however, is that there are different types of HIIT workouts. For instance, Tabata is one, which uses short exercises to strengthen cardiovascular endurance.
Tabata burns more calories during your workout and trains all of your energy systems, which regular cardio workouts do not do. Many professional athletes, including soccer players, use the regime. However, it is one that individuals can do at home, regardless of their profession, as Tabata requires only your body weight and lasts roughly 30 minutes.
Tabata: Past And Present
Tabata, which uses a 20/10 format (20 seconds of exercise, 10 seconds of rest), was discovered in 1996 by Dr Izumi Tabata, a professor at Ritsumeikan University of Japan. While it has been around for years, the workout has resurged in the modern fitness community. The transition into the digital age played a part in this.
For example, London, UK-based personal trainer Bradley Simmonds, who started posting Tabata circuits and voicing its benefits on Instagram from his home, introduced this lesser-known form of HIIT to new generations. Simmonds is a former Queens Park Rangers soccer player who has trained Premier League and England stars, including Jamie Redknapp. Redknapp was part of the 1996 England Euros squad, a team that saw great success, which the current England squad is trying to replicate at Euro 2020, where they have outright betting odds of +500. With all the misinformation on health and fitness, individuals should be using a reliable source; Simmonds is one because of his past and current involvement in professional sports.
Tabata Broken Down
Tabata uses a 20/10 format, which means because the interval time (10 seconds) isn’t enough to allow you to recover fully, you burn more calories and build up your endurance more. For instance, a Bradley Simmonds Tabata video can burn between 300 to 500 calories in 30 minutes. Tabata works the anaerobic energy system and the aerobic energy system. The anaerobic energy system is responsible for short-intensity exercises like sprints, while the aerobic system is responsible for activities like slow running. Tabata can also strengthen our muscles because it works the entire body, not just one area.
While many have done some interval training, Tabata is still relatively unknown to many demographics, despite its benefits. Personal trainers with experience working with professional athletes like Bradley Simmonds are among those putting Tabata back on the fitness map since it burns more calories, strengthens muscles, and can be done in under 30 minutes from your living room.