What’s all the hype about Tabata workouts? Well, have you ever done tabata? If so, remember that high you get after….almost the high you get after a run? Your heart rate still feels higher than your norm for a while after you ended the workout? Why is that?

Just like HIIT workouts, something called EPOC occurs from the high intensity intervals combined with intervals of rest. EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) is the amount of oxygen our body consumes following a bout of exercise that is in excess of the pre-exercise oxygen consumption baseline level. What this means is our body uses more oxygen after exercise than before exercise and we expend more calories during our recovery period. The body has to restore itself to its resting state. This recovery process requires energy, which is why we see an increase in calories expended post-exercise compared to pre-exercise.
With that said, Tabata is a High Intensity Interval Training format that was created in the 1990”s by Izumi Tabata, a Japanese Physiologist. The format consists of intervals of 20-second periods of maximum effort followed by 10-seconds of rest, repeated eight times for the ultimate four-minute workout. Any exercise can be used in this format. I teach Tabata as a class and alternate between weighted exercises and cardio. I take 5 exercises at the 20/10 x8 which gives us an intense, but quick 20 minute workout.
Tabata is one of the only fitness formats to have research that supports its claims of each benefit. Through his research, Dr. Tabata and his team found that tabata can improve sugar metabolism in diabetics, boosts fat loss and improves athletic performance significantly. In addition to these benefits, it is intense and quick. So, if you don’t have much time for a workout, definitely do a Tabata workout. Your body will burn fat throughout the day due to the recovery process of this format.
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