Would you be excited if I said that there was a way to burn off the same amount of fat that you would lose in one hour of cardio, but in only 4 minutes? Sounds easy, but there is a slight catch. You have to exercise harder and more intensely than you ever have before. Are you up for it? Then I’d like to introduce you to the Tabata protocol.
This process was developed by Izumi Tabata, who investigated the effects of strenuous exercise for the Japanese National Institute of Fitness and Sports. The coach of the Japanese speed skating team developed a high intensity interval training routine, and Izumi Tabata evaluated its effectiveness. The athletic routine consisted of 20 seconds of maximum sprinting, followed by a 10 second rest period. The trainer had the athletes repeat this set 6-8 times for a period consisting of 4 minutes.
You're probably thinking that this sounds ridiculously easy, but once you try your first set of all out sprinting for 20 seconds with almost no recovery time in between, you'll find you're short of breath almost right away. It’s not uncommon to feel nauseous after completing this routine. These were world-class Olympic athletes in this case as well, not just some average skaters. 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. Those last 2-4 intervals still represent my maximal effort; it’s just that I’m too tired to give the same maximal effort as the first 2-4 intervals.
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. However, you can see fat burning results with this 4 minute routine. The short high intensity intervals result in a significant “after burn effect” in which your body continues burning calories for hours after you complete the workout. 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. In 20 seconds you just need to do as many reps as you can safely do. Then rest for just 10 seconds, and begin the next set. Go light if you’re using weights because this requires a grueling effort.
While the actual Tabata protocol only takes 4 minutes, you should incorporate a warm up and cool down period. I usually warm up for 4 - 5 minutes. I will also usually cool down for about 1-2 minutes before drinking some water and catching my breath. All together, it takes about 10 minutes each time. Since I usually allocate a little longer than 10 minutes for a workout, I like to add some steady state cardio afterward. The Tabata protocol will lower your glycogen levels and help unlock the fatty acids. You can continue to burn off those fatty acids using the steady state cardio, allowing your body to take advantage of those low glycogen levels and increase your overall fat burning. 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.
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