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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Do you keep a fitness journal?

Are you serious about your fitness goals? If you are and are maintaining some kind of journaling then keep it up! If not, what are you thinking? Seriously, let me ask you this. Within your occupation if you have an important deadline for a specific task you would formulate a plan of action and track progress wouldn’t you? Because if you didn’t you’d probably be in a world of hurt from your superiors and you can say goodbye to that possible promotion.

Over the years I’ve noticed that 8 maybe 9 out of 10 people maintain a fitness journal successfully. I’ll admit it’s hard, but when it comes to your health and fitness it’s going to be your secret weapon to finally achieving your goals. Most of my clients respond with, “How can a fitness journal be my secret weapon?” Here are my reasons,

* Accountability
* Tracking and monitoring nutrition and how certain foods make you feel
* Tracking milestones such as measurements, weight lost, muscle gained, etc.
* Monitoring workouts that actually deliver results
* Monitoring recovery

As you take notes and monitor everything you will find that you will reach your goals in an efficient manner, which translates into achieving results without having to spend too much time on your fitness regimen. No matter what the goal you should never be without a fitness journal. Here are five tips to doing it right.

1. KEEP IT PORTABLE & SIMPLE – I keep a small spiral notepad in my gym bag at all times. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy like the ones you buy at the bookstores. Stick with a simple notepad and don’t try to overanalyze it.

2. RECORD EVERYTHING – I like to record all of my nutrition on the left or front side of the sheet, and my workouts on the right or back side of the sheet. I also record how I felt after each workout, and sometimes on specific sets that just seemed harder that day. Tracking the details allows you to monitor the need to change your routine, stress and the possibility of overtraining, or undertraining (which is the unfortunate reality of most gym goers, not enough intensity).

3. PSYCHE YOURSELF UP – It’s always good practice to look at your accomplishments from the previous week to decide how much more you’re going to try to do this week. Maybe it’s increasing your weights by 5-10lbs or using the same weight as last week, but doing more reps. Just as long as it still fits within the overall goal of the program.

4. YOUR WORKOUT ENCYCLOPEDIA – Using previous journals as workout encyclopedia’s in order to study which workouts produced certain results is key in maintaining a “fitness lifestyle”. The human body typically adapts within 3-4 weeks to most workout routines (some more, some less) so referencing previous journals, and then planning out which workouts to use over then next 3-6 months is a great way to accomplish new goals.

5. KEEP IT GOING – If you’re serious about achieving your fitness goals then this should be easy. Especially, when six months from now you read it and notice how much you’ve improved. Keeping it going won’t seem like such a hassle anymore.

So again I ask, “Do you keep a workout journal?”

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

- Rommel

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Do you keep a fitness journal?

Are you serious about your fitness goals? If you are and are
maintaining some kind of journaling then keep it up! If not, what are
you thinking? Seriously, let me ask you this. Within your occupation if
you have an important deadline for a specific task you would formulate
a plan of action and track progress wouldn’t you? Because if you didn’t
you’d probably be in a world of hurt from your superiors and you can
say goodbye to that possible promotion.

Over the years I’ve noticed that 8 maybe 9 out of 10 people maintain a
fitness journal successfully. I’ll admit it’s hard, but when it comes
to your health and fitness it’s going to be your secret weapon to
finally achieving your goals. Most of my clients respond with, “How can
a fitness journal be my secret weapon?” Here are my reasons,

* Accountability
* Tracking and monitoring nutrition and how certain foods make you feel
* Tracking milestones such as measurements, weight lost, muscle gained, etc.
* Monitoring workouts that actually deliver results
* Monitoring recovery

As you take notes and monitor everything you will find that you will
reach your goals in an efficient manner, which translates into
achieving results without having to spend too much time on your fitness
regimen. No matter what the goal you should never be without a fitness
journal. Here are five tips to doing it right.

1. KEEP IT PORTABLE & SIMPLE – I keep a small spiral
notepad in my gym bag at all times. It doesn’t have to be anything
fancy like the ones you buy at the bookstores. Stick with a simple
notepad and don’t try to overanalyze it.

2. RECORD EVERYTHING – I like to record all of my nutrition
on the left or front side of the sheet, and my workouts on the right or
back side of the sheet. I also record how I felt after each workout,
and sometimes on specific sets that just seemed harder that day.
Tracking the details allows you to monitor the need to change your
routine, stress and the possibility of overtraining, or undertraining
(which is the unfortunate reality of most gym goers, not enough
intensity).

3. PSYCHE YOURSELF UP – It’s always good practice to look
at your accomplishments from the previous week to decide how much more
you’re going to try to do this week. Maybe it’s increasing your weights
by 5-10lbs or using the same weight as last week, but doing more reps.
Just as long as it still fits within the overall goal of the program.

4. YOUR WORKOUT ENCYCLOPEDIA – Using previous journals as
workout encyclopedia’s in order to study which workouts produced
certain results is key in maintaining a “fitness lifestyle”. The human
body typically adapts within 3-4 weeks to most workout routines (some
more, some less) so referencing previous journals, and then planning
out which workouts to use over then next 3-6 months is a great way to
accomplish new goals.

5. KEEP IT GOING – If you’re serious about achieving your
fitness goals then this should be easy. Especially, when six months
from now you read it and notice how much you’ve improved. Keeping it
going won’t seem like such a hassle anymore.

So again I ask, “Do you keep a workout journal?”

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

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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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