Four minutes? What?! You’re probably thinking, “Great, here’s another fitness scam!” Nope, sorry to dissapoint you.

Enter the “Tabata Protocol”.

In the past few years this protocol has become extremely popular as a personal training and fitness bootcamp tool. Why? Simply, because it produces results in less time!

The Tabata Protocol is a simple interval routine proven to improve fitness levels and performance. The protocol is performed for a minimum of 4 minutes upwards of 16 minutes. Have I sparked your interest yet?

It is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, a former researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya. Tabata and his colleagues researched and studied just how effective Japan’s speed-skating coach’s workouts really were. What they discovered became a major breakthrough in the fitness field.

Here’s what they found:

Tabata Protocol (TP) vs Traditional Cardio (TC)

14% (TP) vs 9.5% (TC) improvement in aerobic capacity
28% (TP) vs 0% (TC) improvement in anaerobic capacity
The Tabata protocol proved not only to be more effective than traditional cardio, but to also be more effective than typical interval training.

The awesome part about these findings is that these results were experienced by elite athletes. Many studies perform their protocols on beginners so that they can show amazing results to prove it’s
effectiveness. Then follows the slick marketing that they’ve come across a superior fitness tool to produce the results you’ve been looking for. Hopefully, by now you should know that any beginner will
get results on any program. But, when a protocol produces results in elite athletes who have superior conditioning, well it’s hard not to listen.

Make sure to consider the source. You can view the abstract for the Tabata protocol here.

In my previous post I mentioned how to get started on a beginner Tabata workout. So let me give you two more ways to perform them with traditional weight training exercises.

To review, Tabata intervals consists of 20 seconds of high intensity work, followed by only 10 seconds of rest, and repeated for a total of 8 rounds. You can perform 2 more rounds to complete 16 minutes of total
work. A word of caution, start out with one round then see how you feel. If you do it right one round might be enough to send your breakfast out your mouth. He,he

Ok, so there are many ways to construct a Tabata workout, but I’ll only go over two of them.

Sample 1: use two non-competing exercises to perform 4 sets of each exercise

1) Squats: perform as many as you can in 20 seconds

Rest only 10 seconds

2) Pullups: perform as many as you can in 20 seconds

Rest only 10 seconds, then repeat until you complete 4 sets. Rest for
30-60 seconds then perform 1-2 more rounds if you think you can.

or

Sample 2: use four exercises that utilizes a push,pull,squat,twist/core

1) Squats: perform as many as you can in 20 seconds

Rest only 10 seconds

2) Bench/Chest Press: perform as many as you can in 20 seconds

Rest only 10 seconds

3) Dumbbell Rows: perform as many as you can in 20 seconds

Rest only 10 seconds

4) Band Woodchops/Twists: perform as many as you can in 20 seconds

Rest only 10 seconds, then repeat for one more set to complete 4
minutes. Rest for 30-60 seconds then perform 1-2 more rounds if you
think you can.

* For both samples I’ve discovered that a weight that you can normally perform 10 reps with is a good start. I also recommend performing your reps as fast as possible, WITH good form, so please use
common sense.

Give these a shot, do it right, then let me know how you feel tomorrow!

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Another Q & A session with a client produced another great blog
topic. The main theme addressed the ability to still gain muscle while
trying to lose bodyfat, and most of all can it be done while on a
calorie deficit. This is a complex question, and my answers might
surprise you. Here we go.

Q: If I am trying to lose weight by lifting weights and dieting, how
does that preserve my muscle if weight lifting breaks down my muscle
and then uses fuel (calories) to repair and increase my muscle mass?

A: Conventional wisdom suggests in order to lose weight you need a
calorie deficit from both nutrition and exercise. This is both true and
not true. A study presented in October 1993 by the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that subjects can gain quality muscle
mass while losing bodyfat (average weight loss was 35lbs in 90 days)
even on an 800 calorie diet! Anything below 1200 calories is thought to
be extremely detrimental to overall health, and especially to one’s
physique. Yet all the subjects experienced significant muscle gain.
There are other studies that suggest this, so it seems that what we
thought we knew about weight loss and muscle gain has now changed.

Yes, weight lifting breaks down muscle tissue and what you feed your
body during that day will determine how good of a recovery you will
get. Feed it the right nutrients/combinations of foods and you’ll get
optimal gains. If you don’t, well, that’s obvious. Calories are
important, but in my opinion it seems to be more about the “quality” of
nutrients.

Q: Can I still increase my strength while on a calorie deficit?

A: Just because you’re “dieting” or on a calorie deficit doesn’t mean
you can’t increase strength. Anyone can increase strength no matter how
many calories you intake, provided you’re utilizing the appropriate
protocols. Again, if you don’t get in the right nutrients then you
won’t recieve the benefits you’re looking for. However, from my
experience if it’s purely strength you’re looking for I’ve seen both on
myself and clients faster strength results while on an appropriate
calorie surplus.

But to put it simply there are two main question’s that must always be
addressed no matter what the fitness goal. First, is your nutrition
supportive and specific to that goal? Second, are your workout
protocols appropriate to provide the correct stimulus to facilitate
achieving that goal?

Have you taken a good look at those two factors in regards to your fitness goals? If not, good luck achieving your goals!

Next up, Q & A about the importance of tracking your progress.

Like/hate what you read? Have a reaction? Please share your thoughts below!

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