Get Your Best Cardio Results with the Tabata Protocol
A lot of people might be surprised to learn that there is a method that allows you to burn as much fat in 4 minutes as you would in an hour-long cardio workout. Sounds easy, but there is a slight catch. The solution is simple – exercise at a greater intensity than you’ve ever done in any cardio program before. Still with me? Then let’s explore this method, which is called the Tabata protocol.
A former researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports named Izumi Tabata is the namesake for this intense workout method. Tabata evaluated a high intensity interval training routine developed by the coach of the Japanese speed skating team. The program developed for the speed skaters centered on a maximum sprint effort that lasted 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of resting. This is repeated for 6-8 sets for a total of 4 minutes.
Now this may sound easy on paper, but once you sprint all out for 20 seconds and have almost no time to rest, you get winded very easily. In fact, many of the athletes reported feeling nauseous after this workout. The original plan was, of course, created for some of the top athletes in the world. Some of the world’s finest and most in-shape athletes are speed skaters, yet some of the Japanese speed skating team found they had to quit after just 6 intervals when they started this routine. I can perform 4-6 intervals at maximum velocity but see a slowdown for the last 2-4 intervals. While I still gave those last 2-4 intervals my maximum effort, the effort given in the first 2-4 intervals was more intense because I hadn’t grown tired yet at that point.
You can apply this routine to a workout on the elliptical machine or the treadmill, where many people believe it takes a minimum of 20 minutes to begin burning fat. What makes this 4 minute routine so effective then? It works by giving you what is called an “after burn effect”, which is when your body continues to burn calories, sometimes even for hours after your workout is complete, due to the intensive intervals in the routine. Your body is able to do this because all of the carbs get burned out during the workout, so all your body has left to burn afterward is fat. Another great result of the Tabata protocol is that it can increase not just your aerobic capacity, like the typical moderate intensity cardio program, but it also increases your anaerobic capacity.
The Tabata protocol can also be used with a wide range of exercises, so it can be adapted to location or personal tastes. I tend to only perform these high intensity intervals using cardio exercises, but you could easily use weights or bodyweight exercises. Do as many reps as you can in 20 seconds. Then just take that 10 second rest period and do it again. If you are using weights be sure to go light on the weight because this can really be intense.
While the actual Tabata protocol only takes 4 minutes, you should incorporate a warm up and cool down period. I start off by warming up for 4-5 minutes. After I finish the Tabata protocol, I take a 1 – 2 minute cool down, which lets me gather my second wind and get rehydrated. All together, it takes about 10 minutes each time. It is kind of hard to restrict myself to just a 10 minute workout, so I will usually add a bit of steady state cardio in following the Tabata protocol. Tabata reduces glycogen levels and releases fatty acids. If you follow with a steady cardio workout, you’ll find that the low glycogen level means that your body will be able to burn off those fatty acids more easily. This is how I have effectively used the Tabata protocol to be the best fat burning cardio workout I’ve ever experienced in my life.