Fit to be tried: Tabata training
Monday May 03 2010
HERE'S the promise: lose fat and get fit -- in four minutes. Sounds good -- who could argue with a claim like that? Particularly the four-minutes part of this exercise technique, called Tabata training.
But this Japanese-designed programme is really tough, as I discover after the first set of lifting.
I start with a light set of weights (2.5kg as opposed to my normal 10kg), raising from a squat position past the chest and above the shoulders, as fast as possible. Believe me, it's a challenge.
The Tabata technique is becoming popular for those wanting to burn fat. How it works is you pump out as many repetitions of a movement as you can in 20 seconds. A composite exercise that works the whole body is best, such as my squat and shoulder raise combo.
Then you take a 10-second rest. Repeat this eight times, and by the end you're gasping, and your starting reps soon get knocked down, in my case from 10 movements to seven.
It's simple, but it's not easy. Tabata exercises can be done on cardio (heart pumping) exercise equipment, or just by running or fast walking sprints, as well as with weights.
"It only lasts for four minutes, but those four minutes produce remarkable effects," is the promise of the people behind this training programme, originally created by Dr Izumi Tabata and a team from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.
If you want an additional measure of progress, add a heart-rate monitor and watch the beats zoom up and down during your four-minute workout. It's a good motivator for someone like me, who tends to plod along in their comfort zone (well, what's wrong with being comfortable?).
Dr Tabata says this kind of interval training burns more fat than aerobics, and it works for weight training and faster-paced exercises as well.
His research attracts a lot of supporters, and was one of the first scientific studies showing that anaerobic exercise (without panting oxygen) can contribute to aerobic fitness.
In a nutshell, whatever movement you choose, the formula is to push hard for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat eight times, and there's your four minutes.
This interval-style training is becoming more popular and trainers believe you get a more efficient workout in less time.
"Tabata workouts build as much muscular endurance as 45 minutes of normal cardio training," says the Tabata instruction programme.
Trainer Colm O'Reilly, from Crossfit Ireland, agrees.
"Dr Tabata's original research got a lot of attention because it was one of the first studies to show a benefit to aerobic fitness coming from anaerobic training," says O'Reilly, a martial-arts expert.
"Done correctly, the 20 seconds of exercise can feel like an eternity, and the 10 seconds rest seems like the shortest break imaginable," says O'Reilly.
"Just remember, if you can breathe afterwards you're doing it wrong," says the trainer.
Good choices for a beginner include the rowing machine, or for those of you doing fitness at home, try for a squat, or burpies, where you go into a push-up position, jump your feet in and then stand up and do a tuck jump.
After a couple of weeks, the interval training really pays off, and my running improves. There's also some weight loss and toning.
It's enough to leave you breathless.
- Amanda Phelan
Irish Independent
