Dr. Tabata, I Presume

This morning I did Tabata intervals. If you’ve never done a Tabata workout, you should do yourself a favor and try it out. There’s lots of info online about Dr. Izumi Tabata’s research, but the short of it is that Tabata intervals are one of the best, if not the best, means of quickly producing both aerobic and anaerobic adaptations.

It can be applied to many activities, but a simple formula for running espoused by the CFE guys is as follows: hop on the treadmill, set the incline to 12% and the speed to a little slower than your 5K pace. Twenty seconds of running, ten seconds of rest, for eight rounds. If it’s not all you can do to keep from falling off the treadmill on the eighth round (unlikely), you’re not doing it fast enough.

I try to do Tabatas every couple weeks or so, and I always get a little nervous beforehand because I know it’s going to hurt. Today was no exception. It’s amazing how intellectually you can know that you only have two twenty-second rounds left, but physically it may as well be another hour. The first time I did it I briefly fell asleep on the floor of the gym when I was stretching afterwards. It doesn’t seem like four minutes (really 3:50) could really do much for you, but I urge you to give it a shot. Whatever your training philosophy may be, I think you’ll agree that Tabata intervals will kick your ass.