Different, stars, different workout, but often Tabata!

Check this one:

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/finding-your-own-star-power-20111015-1lps3.html

Lack Of Time Is No Excuse Not To Exercise | Athletes And Celebrities Get Fit In 4 Minutes With Tabata Training

Another article showing that Tabata training is well known and used in Hollywood:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-buer/lack-of-time-is-no-excuse_b_462528.html?ref=celebrity-body

Henry Cavill: "Immortal" Superman also used Tabata training!

It sounds like the Tabata training became a "must do" for Hollywood actors who needs to look muscular but lean for their roles. What do you think?


TeenHollywood: Can you talk about bulking up for this film?
Henry: It was a martial arts base training and tabata training (high repetition circuit training) which tends to be hard repetitions of body weight exercises with 25 repetitions of say press ups, followed by eight deep breaths, followed by 25 ab exercises, followed by something else and was one round. And then you have to do four rounds of that. Your recovery is eight breaths. It was [going for] a very lean as opposed to a bulky ripped, physique. Very low on carbs. A lot of meat and fish but no starchy carbs.


Full article here:

http://www.teenhollywood.com/2011/11/07/henry-cavill-immortal-superman


More about his Tabata training:

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/abs-workout/henry-cavill-workout-circuit

Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth’s Thor workout uses Tabata training!

In this article, you can understand better how to incorporate the Tabata training into your regimen. This is interesting to see that Tabata training is used in a second phase (after phase 1 or bulking / building mass muscles) to get lean, keep strong muscles.

Official Chris Hemsworth Thor workout

Circuit one - Tabata 
(20sec on/10sec off): - Double kettlebell squats - four rounds
- Eight rounds of snatches - eight rounds

Check the eBook on Google Docs!

You can read the complete eBook "How to Perform the Tabata Training" following this link:

DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK FOR FREE

Conclusion, how to perform the TABATA Training

5)    Conclusion

To perform the Tabata training:

1.    Pick-up an exercise (sprint, cycling, hills, treadmills, thruster, front squat, burpees)

2.    Warm-up for 5mn  at low intensity, with some accelerations at the end

3.    Perform the Tabata : 8 bouts of 20s of efforts, with 10s rest intervals

4.    Use a watch, smart phone with apps, MP3, or a partner to respect the protocol

5.    Cool down for 5mn (total rest for 1mn or 2mn until you catch your breath and 2-3mn low intensity exercise).

That’s it!

Include 2 to 3 sessions per week, according to your regular training. For endurance sport, like triathlon, you can select running, cycling or swimming as it will also strengthen your usual routine. For martial arts and MMA, front squat or thruster are good choices, along punching ball or jumping rope. For fitness and lose control, any exercise practiced regularly will help you to burn calories.

How to schedule TABATA training?

d.    How to schedule

This is important to know how to schedule your sessions of Tabata training and to adjust the periodicity with your actual training plan and objectives.

                                          i.    During preparation period

Using Tabata training to prepare the season makes sense. If you apply the 5 sessions a week, and you can gain 14% of VO2Max and 28% of anaerobic capacity like the sample people during the initial protocol, it’s a whooping result. However it’s probably very hard to be able to stick to the plan. Most of the positive results were gained during the first 4 weeks; therefore it might be sufficient, especially if you complete the protocol with classic training.

In my case, for Triathlon preparation, I try to perform at least Tabata training at least once in a week, either by running, cycling or sometimes thruster.

Choice of exercise matters. As we seen, if you are into martial arts or combat sports, using punching ball or jump rope is something already incorporated in your training regimen. If you are a triathlete, running, cycling and swimming are usual. The advantage of doing Tabata with weights, like front squat or thruster, can bring double benefit: working your muscles at a high intensity and cardio strength.

                                         ii.    Savy time

If you plan 5mn of warming-up, 4mn for Tabata work out and 5mn of cooling down, it’s only 15mn and it’s more efficient than one hour of endurance training at 70% of VO2max (as per initial Tabata study). Therefore, it’s a perfect sessions to include in your schedule, at lunch time of after work, when time is scarce. Some people recommend to train in the morning, when still fasting, and burn more fat, but it will require a very high level of motivation to push you hard enough to reach the intensity required (remember, 170% of VO2Max?).

4) How to incorporate Tabata protocol in your training regimen? c. Fitness & lose weight

c.    Fitness & lose weight

If your goal is to lose weight (fat), to gain muscles, to be athletic, to have a better shape, to feel more energetic, Tabata training is a good option. The results are amazing and it’s a time saver. The most appropriate exercise, if you can access to a gym, will be treadmill, cycling, thruster, jumping box*, front squat. If you train at home, running outside or on hills, burpees, thruster with water bottle will be a good choice.

*use 2 or 3 steppers, and perform jump, then go back to the floor, and start again. Be careful about stability and having proper sport shoes to amortize the choc on the floor. Excellent exercise, combining strength cardio and plyometric, but stay careful about your knees.

If you can access to a CrossFit club, you will see that Tabata is a very popular regimen in their schedule. Lots of feed-back on tips on their website & forums: www.crossfit.com or more specifically www.crossfitendurance.com

In term of lose fat, a lot of studies tend to demonstrate that HIIT training is more efficient than regular, low intensity endurance exercises:

-Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8028502

http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/2011/03/exercise-less-for-a-healthier-heart/

-High-intensity intermittent exercise and fat loss.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21113312

Another very good training in HIIT, different from Tabata (10 x 4mn cycling at 90% VO2max):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17170203

A 8s/12s for 20mn description and also confirming again than HIIT is better than aerobic:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2991639/?tool=pubmed

Losing fat means losing weight, therefore for running specifically, you can benefit from Tabata training to combine the improvement of VO2max and losing weight:

(source:http://www.runnersworld.com , http://ow.ly/8kE4y )

Be aware that genetics could be involved, whether you are respondent or not t this kind of HIIT training! Check this link from BBC : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17177251

4) How to incorporate Tabata protocol in your training regimen? b. Endurance sports

b.    Endurance sports

                                          i.    Running

As we mentioned earlier, sprinting is one of the best exercise for Tabata. It might seem a paradox but sprinting will help you to improve your endurance. Tabata can be used as a time saver, and also to exercise different muscles fibers than the typical endurance sessions.

Tabata will not replace steady endurance training for marathon for instance. It’s however an exercise you can include in your preparation schedule.

As stated by Dr. Pat O’Shea:

“Coaches and athletes need to understand however, that short-term intense interval training has very limited application to long-distance events such as marathon running and the Tour de France. Long distance endurance athletes need efficient "fat burning" bodies. Their muscles must be trained to utilize energy from free fatty acid oxidation while conserving the limited stores of glycogen which are necessary for nerve and brain function. (Nerves and the brain derive energy only from glycogen - not fat.)” .

Some others think differently: “In the old days, before sports nutrition was taken seriously, athletes used to train to burn fats for energy. Compared to carbohydrate, our body's fat reserves are vast. Training the body to burn fats for energy is time consuming, as it involves lots of long, slow distance training. If you are short of time you must look for a different solution”. (Source: http://www.metasport.com/cycling-for-busy-people.php)

                                         ii.    Triathlon

Triathlon is an endurance sport, but Tabata can be beneficial.

Check this link: http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Go-for-Broke-with-Tabata-Intervals.htm

“MacKenzie trains a number of triathletes and incorporates stationary-bike and treadmill Tabata sessions into the program of all who are willing to endure the suffering these workouts entail. An ultra-runner himself, MacKenzie credits his own twice-weekly Tabata sessions with enabling him to improve his performance on a training schedule averaging only 6.5 hours per week, and he says his triathlete clients have reported similar benefits.”

More about MacKenzie and CrossFit Endurance: http://www.crossfitendurance.com/about-2/

Another testimony from Lisa Barnes (USAT Level 1 coach and an Ironman athlete):

http://lavamagazine.com/training/tabata-training-for-triathletes/#axzz1evbGXEXr

However in her article, I don’t see the “Iron Man” training with biceps curls and triceps extension soliciting enough muscles to reach the Tabata intensity.

In short, Tabata for triathlon can be highly beneficial, as a time saver, and practicing swimming, cycling or running.

It’s no use to try the Tabata training before or after a long classic endurance session; you will need a couple of hours to recover and to benefit from the method.

About swimming, it’s pretty difficult to manage exactly the 20s work /10 s rest, but you can try something approaching. For instance, if you can cover the 25m of lap pool in 18s (free style), taking only 10s rest before heading back should be sufficient. The last bouts will be probably done at a pace over the initial 20s, because of the exhaustion. Be careful; don’t be alone in the swim pool if you try such a high intensity. Safety first. May be the butterfly swim is a good option, especially if your technique is not perfect, you will spend a lot of energy and you will have a chance to reach the intensity required by Tabata training (remember, 170% of VO2max?).

4) How to incorporate Tabata protocol in your training regimen? a. Martial arts

4)    How to incorporate Tabata protocol in your training regimen

a.    Martial arts

                                          i.    Taekwondo: mondolyo

Taekwondo is very famous for its kicks, spinning, jumping etc. It was called “flying karate” before becoming more popular than Karate itself.  The “Mondolyo Tchagi” is one of the best techniques for applying Tabata principles. To avoid vertigo, I strongly advised to change the direction of the spin at each kick, and adding a “step” to switch your legs. If a partner can handle the target for you, it’s a perfect choice because he will help you to monitor the time and to count the number of kicks you can execute. Be careful to warm up and to stretch enough before performing the kick.  You need to have a certain level to master this kick and to fully benefit of the Tabata training. From my point of view (as a black belt 4^th degree), I would advise to be at least red belt, or to have some experience in competition.

Other alternatives might include pit tchagi right/left without stop and as fast possible, with a partner or a sandbag or equivalent.  You can try also tuio duit dora tchagi (jumped horse kick).

                                         ii.    Bear with barbell for MMA

For MMA (Mixed Martials Arts), it is interesting to combine cardio and strength training. A “combo” with a barbell, like the “bear” might be a good choice. (http://www.thefitblog.net/2010/05/the-bear-complex-possibly-the-best-full-body-exercise.html).

                                        iii.    Punching bag kicks+punches

For contact sport, such a Thai Boxing, Full contact, French Savate etc… a work out with punching bag with provide an intense Tabata workout, especially with combination of punches and kicks.

                                       iv.    Jump rope

This is an excellent exercise, required a limited space and involving lower and upper body muscles. To reach the 170% of VO2Max, you will probably need to jump with two feet at the same time, either with a very high speed or jumping high, or make a “double under” (the rope passes twice under your feet). A loaded handgrip might help to make the exercise harder as well.