Like so many people out there, I’m sure you’re looking for a change. Do you want to put your old clothes back on or maybe buy new clothes that look great? Are you so sick and tired of being overweight that you not only want… but NEED a change?
In fact, there is a way that doesn’t take hours and hours and hours a week and you can truly achieve the fitness utopia of being able to burn fat and build lean muscle at the same time… and that’s a Tabata Fat Burning workout! And they only take about four minutes!
So here is the basic strategy of Tabata workouts!
You’re going to do twenty seconds, yes, you read that right, just twenty seconds, of very, very, very intense aerobic exercise. No messing around here, I really mean intense. Intense enough that you are definitely huffing and puffing! But the good part… after those 20 seconds you’ll stop and do absolutely nothing for a full ten seconds!
You are then going to repeat the exercise, again at high intensity, for another 20 seconds. On the other hand, you have ten seconds to feel like a normal, everyday human being again. Finish the 10 second rest period and you’ll once again be doing that max intensity work for twenty more seconds. So you guessed it… when the timer goes off, you catch your breath… for another ten.
Now you basically repeat at this pace, until you’ve done 8 full rounds of twenty second bursts of radically intense fat burning exercise!
Generation of the anaerobic state
Previously, fitness experts recommended the “fat burn zone,” which essentially translates to 1 hour of steady cardio, such as on a treadmill or stationary bike.
This process of moderate, consistent cardio has become old news as science has shown that bouts of intense work followed by short periods of rest is what facilitates what is known as an anaerobic state, and this exact state is the This allows you to burn the most amount of fat.
Anaerobic essentially means “without oxygen,” where you’ll be panting, so much so that you feel like you can’t catch your breath. It has now been scientifically proven to be the ideal zone for burning fat, increasing stamina and stamina and also training muscle strength. In the anaerobic state, the body begins to use carbohydrates for energy instead of fat.
This is called High Intensity Interval Training, commonly known as HIIT, and Tabata is one of the best known and most widely used protocols for creating this anaerobic state. Kettlebell training can do it too, but a Tabata fat burning workout really takes it a bit further and features some of the most gut-wrenching and engaging moves with the shortest workout time that yields maximum fat loss, a extreme increase in metabolism and consequent calories. burning for hours after the workout is over. And that my friends is what you want!
COPD and metabolism
The technique of interspersing short recovery periods with maximum effort allows the body to exceed its identified threshold, initiating a chemical response and a neuroendocrine reaction.
Raising the metabolic rate is the key to burning body fat! Contrary to what many people focus on, the goal is not so much calories or fat burned during the workout, but what is continuously burned post-workout.
And the only way to use carbs for energy during training is with intense intervals that raise your resting metabolic rate. During very intense bursts your heart rate skyrockets and as you fight and gasp for air you will normally react by taking in more oxygen at rest periods and this extra oxygen is what will increase your metabolic rate. This process is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).
How to Choose the Right Moves for Your Tabata Fat Burn Workout
Like any exercise, it will depend on your personal physical condition and what you are comfortable with. The type of exercise you do for a Tabata session should be one that you are very used to and very good at.
However, if you are not good at any exercise, don’t worry. You can teach yourself anything. What you will need to do is do a few test sessions of Tabata at a more usual level, getting used to the way it works.
Correct technique and form are crucial in all types of bodyweight exercises. If you start out trying to go fast, or go for too much intensity outside of your fitness level, you’ll lose shape and the exercise will be of little value. Check that ego at the door!
burping
A good exercise to use with your Tabata fat burning workout is burpees. Although it’s a tough workout, burpees will give you a great full-body workout with no equipment!
1. Begin by standing tall and upright, with your hands stretched above your head.
2. Next, squat down, hands down on the floor, and then come up on a plank.
3. Go all the way down, like the bottom side of a push up; push yourself up, then explode back up to a squat, and finally come back to a standing position.
4. Then a quick jump up and you’re ready to go again.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of burpees before, or if it’s been several years since you’ve done them, start by doing four or five of them slowly, again focusing on maintaining good form. Tomorrow do ten, and the day after tomorrow fifteen.
When you feel confident with the rhythm of this exercise and can do it fairly fluently, you’re ready to incorporate it into an intense Tabata workout.
There are many other moves that can possibly be done, some of which are simpler and some of which are more complete. Even jumping jacks and simple crunches can work on Tabata when performed for fast, continuous reps for the full 20 seconds. The key is to swell!
The perfect time for the Tabata Fat Burn workout…
You will need a stopwatch or some way to determine the intervals. There are also loads of free Tabata apps on your smartphone these days.
When the counter starts, start doing burpees like your life depends on it, if you did less than the maximum number.
Seconds up twenty seconds, stop. Rest for ten seconds, then go to your fastest, most intense speed again for another twenty seconds.
Once you have completed eight twenty second sessions, you will have completed your Tabata Fat Burn workout!