Time. We all want more of it. And it’s often the
biggest barrier I hear preventing people from
starting an exercise program. So I’ll assume you
could use more too. And today I have a
super speedy workout for you.

Here at Fitness Together, our workouts are 45
minutes. When I first started as a part time
trainer at Fitness Together I thought it was so
cool to train my clients in 45 minutes. I was
use to training hour, even hour and a half
sessions. And my own workouts lasted that long or
longer too!

So you can imagine how refreshing it is for our clients
to be so efficient. And I thought, “Heck, if I’m training
my clients in 45 minutes, I should be able to do
the same.” And so now ALL of my workouts are
efficient. And effective.

But today I want to share a workout I learned
about a year ago. And it’s not 45 minutes. It’s
not 30 minutes. It’s not even 15 minutes!
It’s a mere 4 minutes. (A little longer when you
add in a warm up and cool down which I would
suggest you do.)

It’s called the Tabata Protocol. It comes from
Izumi Tabata, P.h.D., a former researcher at
Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports
in Kanoya. Dr. Tabata worked with Olympic speed
skaters and tested an interval training with six
to seven 20 second sprints followed by 10 second
rest periods.

What’s cool about this is that athletes improved
both their aerobic capacity (needed for distance
and duration) and anaerobic capacity (needed for
sprinting at maximal effort). So the Tabata
workout is rare in that it can benefit both
endurance and sprint athletes.

Tabata protocol can be done with almost any type
of exercise. So here’s the plan for your quickest
workout…EVER!

Beginner
Tabata Squats
20 seconds of body weight squats followed by 10
seconds rest. Repeat for a total of 2 minutes.
Tabata Pushups
20 seconds of pushups followed by 10 seconds rest.
Repeat for a total of 2 minutes.

Intermediate
Same workout but go for 3 minutes on each exercise

Advanced
Same workout but go for 4 minutes on each exercise

Obviously the more advanced you are the longer it
will take. But start slow. And make sure to check
with your physician before you start any exercise
program.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There’s a little game
you can play with this workout. During your first
20 seconds, count how many squats/pushups you do.
Whatever that number is becomes your goal for each
20 second interval.

For example, let’s say I do 16 squats in 20
seconds. For each following 20 second interval I
now have to do 16 squats. If I finish early I get
more rest time. If I don’t finish the 16, I have
to do it over. It’s best to have someone time you
or a clock where it’s easily visible.

Now go get in a quick workout!

Tim

P.S. BTW, this is not a silver bullet to exercising.
I wouldn’t suggest only doing 4 minute workouts as your
health and fitness program. This is simply a great way
to get in a workout when you’re absolutely crunched
for time. If you would like to sit down and find out what
should be included in your program click here.

P.P.S  Our Bring on Spring ‘Four Weeks to Freedom’ Bootcamp
for Women starts one week from today, Monday, 3/16. There
are still spots remaining but you must hurry. Register here.

P.P.P.S I’m lovin this weather aren’t you?!

Posted under Fitness Tips