Cross Training Workout: 4 Amazing Benefits of Tabata Training

Not everyone has time at their disposal, and this means for optimal results, you have to work within your limited time to get the most out of it. This is where Tabata training comes in. It is a 4-minute Crossfit workout that will most certainly keep your heart racing and have you out of breath. It is short on time but tough on fat.

Compared to all traditional physical CrossFit exercises, Tabata delivers greater health benefits. The training style of Tabata is unique in that it accommodates virtually any exercise in and out of the gym, from weightlifting to sprinting. This training style was developed by Izumi Tabata, a Japanese professor way back in 1996 and was targeted at the Japanese Olympic speed skating team. The 4-minute long Tabata session involves:

• Intense training for 20 seconds
• A rest period of 10 seconds
• A total of 8 rounds or sessions

Digging deeper into the benefits of Tabata training, you will realize lots of benefits that you can reap from your sessions. Amongst these benefits include:

Fat Burning

Tabata training raises your heart rate and metabolism within a short time. Because of the high level of intensity, your body system tends to work harder so as to keep up with the pace. Both during and after this CrossFit workout, your metabolism will stay high which means your body will burn fat even when you are doing nothing. Within the first round of Tabata training, your body is literally plunged into the fat burning zone, and this is sustained for hours even after the exercise.

Muscle Tissue Protection

Tabata training doesn’t place huge demands on your hard-earned muscles. Compared to long durations of cardio, the Tabata method which comprises high-intensity interval training stresses your muscle and causes signals to be sent to your body that more muscle is needed. The result of this is, a favorable lean body mass to fat ratio.

Requires Little Time

Irrespective of how busy you are, you only need 4 to 8 minutes for this Crossfit workout. You don’t have to go to the CrossFit gym to reap the benefits because all you need is your own bodyweight or home equipment such as dumbbells and bands.

Enhancement of Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacities

The anaerobic capacity refers to the maximum amount of energy your body can produce in the absence of oxygen while the aerobic capacity refers to the maximum oxygen uptake. Both of these capacities are increased during Tabata training.

Recent studies show that participants who underwent Tabata training experienced enhanced aerobic capacity exceeding 14% while their anaerobic capacities increased by a whopping 28%. The outcome of this is more energy and stamina as well as a high degree of resistance to continuous effort and strain.

Looking at the above amazing benefits of Tabata training, it is worth giving it a try. To start with, you can go for a warmup lasting between 5 to 10 minutes. Some of the Tabata training routines to try out include sprinting and ropes Tabata, dumbbell Tabata, and bodyweight Tabata.