Who says working out has to be long and enduring? If you're on the verge of thinking this, and bored of your usual working out routine, it may be time for you to spice up your training. Tabata workouts pack intense and versatile exercises into a very short amount of time, like this super convenient eight-minute, no-equipment routine.
All you'll need is one of the best yoga mats to train on. The workout mat is useful for lessening the impact on your joints while you complete jumping or lunging movements in this workout and for your hands when have to perform exercises like push-ups. Read our guide on how to do a push-up properly if this is a move you'd like to master.
Fitness trainer, Heather Robertson will guide you through the full Tabata session, demonstrating each move so that you can nail the correct form. Good form not only prevents injury but will also enhance your workout results, ensuring you target all the right areas.
To complete this eight-minute Tabata, you only have two different circuits to work through but you will be finishing four rounds of each, doing twenty seconds on, followed by ten seconds rest. Robertson notes, "Tabata is meant to have repetitive exercises performed at maximum intensity so give it your all during those 20 seconds of work."
Watch Robertson's Eight-Minute Tabata workout
Tabata workouts are not only extremely time-efficient but they're also effective at burning fat and boosting things like your aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels and your metabolism.
The intensity of the workout and short rest periods means that your heart rate stays elevated and this results in your body consuming fat cells for energy. You are getting a great cardio session and toning your muscles while you go.
A small study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that Tabata exercise can burn more calories than normal steady-state exercise and it can improve people's cardiorespiratory endurance.
If you have a little more time and fancy working on strengthening your muscles while keeping up your fitness levels you should consider adding some high-intensity resistance training to your routine.
This is similar to HIIT and Tabata, and just as intense, but adds weight to the mix. Using some of the best adjustable dumbbells in your high-intensity training will allow you to build both cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance at the same time.
Whether you are exercising with weights or without you should make sure you consume adequate amounts of protein in your diet. Protein helps your muscles with repair and growth but it's also good for boosting your metabolism. You can source it in lots of foods but you can top your diet up using one of the best protein powders for weight loss.
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