How Short And Intense Workouts Changed Fitness For Everyone

Interesting article which demonstrates how the thinking about fitness and fat loss has shifted from endurance to intervals training..

The rise of high-intensity interval training — usually maximal-effort sprints mixed with lower-intensity rest periods, repeated for a number of sets — is in part thanks to Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese researcher whose mid-1990s work with Olympic speed-skaters resulted in the “20 seconds on, 10 seconds off” protocol that bears his name. I’ve written about Tabata Protocol for Greatist on numerous occasions; basically, exercisers work all-out for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, then repeat for eight total sets. The whole endeavor takes just 4 minutes and has been shown in multiple research trials to significantly boost endurance, even beyond steady state cardio totaling 30 minutes or more. Beyond the time factor, a big part of Tabata’s appeal is its flexibility. The protocol can be used running, swimming, biking, or while performing weighted or bodyweight resistance movements (push-ups are a personal favorite).

Personnally you know what I think of push-ups for Tabata lol

Full article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidtao/2013/04/05/how-short-and-intense-workouts-changed-fitness-for-everyone/