How to Burn Fat Faster and Easier with Tabata Training

Want to get slim in four minutes? Check out Tabata training and see how this form of HIIT training can deliver amazing results in record time.

Burning body fat is primarily achieved through cardio. You can jog, walk or cycle. You can use elliptical machines. You can take aerobic or Zumba classes. Or, you can take it to a whole new level with Tabata training.

Tabata training is a form of high-intensity interval training that was founded by Dr. Izumi Tabata. Dr. Tabata, a Japanese scientist, studied the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on oxygen consumption and anaerobic capacity.

He discovered that HIIT improved maximum oxygen consumption by 14% and anaerobic capacity by 28%. This discovery led to the very popular form of training called Tabata, that helps athletes of all types burn body fat without sacrificing lean mass.

Tabata training is a form of HIIT that lasts around 4 minutes and alternates between cycles of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of lower intensity exercise. There is no limit to the variety of exercises that can be performed with Tabata. You can do bodyweight exercises, use barbells, dumbbells, or just do cardio exercises.

Many people who do Tabata routines also listen to Tabata music. This music is specifically designed to go alone with your HIIT routine. It tells you when you should increase the intensity or decrease the intensity of the exercise.

Since the intervals are very short, this is a big advantage over using a stopwatch. Instead of having to look at your stopwatch all the time to know when you need to change the intensity, the music tells you. Listed below are some examples of Tabata workouts that will get your heart pumping and get the fat burning.

Tabata Bodyweight Exercises

One example of a Tabata workout involves doing four bodyweight exercises. These exercises are push-ups, bodyweight squats, pull-ups, and lunges.

Each exercise is done for 20 seconds and then a rest period is taken for 10 seconds and then you proceed to the next exercise.

So, you would perform push-ups for 20 seconds, rest, perform bodyweight squats, rest, do pull-ups, rest and then do lunges. This would be one cycle and then you would do it all over again and then the workout would be finished.

Tabata Barbell Exercises

If you want to blast your leg muscles you can do that with this Tabata barbell circuit. This circuit includes barbell lunges, back squats, Romanian deadlifts and shoulder presses.

This barbell workout will be fast, so make sure you have all the equipment setup before you being your session. If you’re going to do very short intervals, it’s a good idea to decrease the weight to prevent injury and help you be able to recover faster so you can get to the next part of the circuit.

The beauty of Tabata lies in its diversity. Bodyweight exercises are appropriate, but you can also use dumbbells in your workout. One Tabata workout with dumbbells could include bicep curls, tricep press, shoulder presses and flyes.

The time period remains the same with you alternating between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. You would complete 2 full cycles with the dumbbells and then call it a day.

Cardio Tabata Workouts

Doing cardio Tabata workouts puts a little more excitement into your cardio workout. Sprinting is one of the best forms of cardio to burn fat and build muscles in your legs.

This workout would start with you running as fast as you can for 20 seconds and then resting for 10 seconds. Unlike the bodyweight and dumbbell exercises, there is no cycle for you to complete so you would continue sprinting for 8 repetitions.

Although 4 minutes may not seem like a long period of time, you will be sweating and gasping for air after you complete this workout.

Jumping rope is another great way to do Tabata. Jumping rope helps your coordination, strengthens your feet and ankles and is just plain fun. While jumping rope for an hour may leave you completely exhausted, a 4-minute Tabata session will leave you invigorated and full of energy.

Lose Weight Faster with Tabata

Tabata training has taken the world by storm. People have embraced this form of training wholeheartedly due to the speed with which it can be completed and the variety of exercises that can be performed.

Bodyweight exercises, barbells, dumbbells and cardio exercises are just a very small sample of the types of exercises that can be done with Tabata. Tabata training can be done anywhere at anywhere. This is what makes Tabata training the fat burning workout that HIITs the spot.