Why is the fitness world obsessed with Tabata training?

Image: iStock.

If there’s a fitness enthusiast in your life, you’ve probably heard the word “Tabata” come out of their mouth in recent months and wondered what on earth they were on about.

Although it sounds like something you’d find on a nibbles platter next to the hummus and tzatziki, Tabata is a popular training technique with muscle-working and fat-burning powers that are widely praised. The best part? You don’t need any fancy equipment or even a gym membership to incorporate it into your own routine.

What is Tabata training?

The Tabata technique, named after Japanese scientist Izumi Tabata, is a form of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) that’s characterised by its specific timing structure.

“Tabata is essentially 20 seconds of high-intensity work, followed by 10 seconds of recovery. The original approach is to do the same exercise eight times, for four minutes: 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, eight rounds of it,” explains Blake Worrall-Thompson, personal trainer and founder of Wellbeing By Blake.

Part of the reason the technique has become so popular is its adaptability; Tabata can be applied to almost any kind of workout.

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"You can apply boxing to Tabata training, you can apply it body weight training or running... it can be used with any exercise, whether it's aerobic training or cardiovascular conditioning or resistance training," says Natasha Vasilevski, accredited Personal Trainer with Fernwood Fitness.

So for instance, a Tabata approach to running would be sprinting as hard and fast as you can for 20 seconds, then resting for 10, and multiplying this process by eight rounds. Or, you could choose a variety of body-weight exercises — lunges, pushups, squats, planks — and cycle through four-minute rounds of each one. (Post continues after gallery.)

What are the benefits?

Worrall-Thompson says the intensity of a Tabata workout has fat-burning benefits that can last as long as 40 hours after the workout is over.

"The problem for most people is that when they do a 20 or 30 minute workout, it's not at a high enough intensity to create that fat burning after burn ... [Tabata] is a super effective method because of the intensity at which it's done," he explains.

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The technique also allows you to work at your maximum heart rate while also giving yourself adequate time to rest. "[You're] able to sustain those really quick, short bursts of all-out training before getting that rest in," says Vasilevski.

As you might have guessed, it's also an incredibly time-efficient way to exercise — a Tabata routine, involving four different exercises, can take as little as 16 minutes. Those 16 minutes will be hard and probably very sweaty, but you'll be done and dusted in no time.

Try Tabata if...

Tabata is a fairly democratic approach to fitness — you don't need any special skills or equipment or even coordination to make it work. That said, it's especially appealing if:

You have a short attention span

"If you're the type of person who gets bored easily with exercise, give it a crack. You don't have to think, you don't have to count repetitions or anything like that, you just get it done," Vasilevski says. Sounds good, no?

You're time-poor

No time? No problem. With Tabata, you can achieve in 30 minutes (or less) what other exercises are achieving in a much longer time.

"The typical gym member will go in, they'll take their time and they'll do a bit on the leg press and then do their little circuit and they're there for an hour. Because [with Tabata] you are working so quickly and getting very little rest, you're hitting that maximum intensity in a substantially smaller amount of time," Vasilevski says.

You can't get to the gym - or you don't have a membership

This might be the biggest win of all: you don't even need to leave the house to do a Tabata workout.

"A lot of people will put in things like push-ups, planks, jumping lunges — those types of body-weight exercises you can do at home, and you can do them in the Tabata style. It's super easy to structure because you're already set up with the time of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off," Worrall-Thompson says.

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Vasilevski says she often prescribes a Tabata workout to clients who are going on holiday and want to maintain their fitness. " Just by choosing four or five exercises, and four minutes for each exercise, there's your workout done and dusted at home, outside, in a park at your own convenience." (Post continues after gallery.)

Important precautions

As with any form of exercise, don't recklessly throw yourself into a full-on Tabata workout — with high intensity comes a high chance of injury. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Seek advice from experts

"If you have never worked with this kind of intensity before, I would definitely recommend you spend some time with a qualified personal trainer or an allied health professional before you start building workouts on your own because you are working with your heart rate," Vasilevski advises.

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For the same reason, it's important to seek medical advice if you have any diagnosed cardiovascular diseases. Similarly, if you're recovering from any serious injuries, Vasilevski recommends avoiding high-intensity exercise like Tabata until you've been through treatment or rehabilitation.

Warm up properly

To avoid sustaining any injuries from your hard and fast workout, Vasilevski says a "really adequate" warm up is essential — and not only before you get started. "I think people are under the assumption that they only have to stretch after a workout. I would definitely recommend it before, during and after," she says.

Build your intensity gradually

Worrall-Thompson says if you're embarking on a high-intensity Tabata workout, you'd ideally have a basic level of core, leg and upper-body strength to work off. This isn't always going to be the case, so ease your way in.

"You shouldn't go from zero to hero overnight. If you try to go too hard at first you might find yourself a bit sore and sorry for a week ... [it's better] if you can start to monitor your own intensity and keep yourself honest and accountable and build on that," he adds.

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Pay close attention to your exertion. For instance, if you're working at a level where you can hold a conversation, slowly build it up so you start feeling out of breath, then eventually unable to converse comfortably. Ultimately, Worrall-Thompson says you'll be "looking at the clock after three minutes and wondering how much longer to go."

Have you tried Tabata? Did you enjoy it?