Tabata Workout in Your Hotel Room?
I got a gem of a video for you today. This simple and highly effective workout from trainer Haskel Garmaise can be done in a hotel room or at home – no equipment needed (aside from a good Tabata timer).
What I love about this workout is that it incorporates 2 simple workout protocols – the descending ladder and tabata training protocol followed by a simple ab workout to end.
The “descending ladder” means you perform 10 reps of a particular exercise in the first set, followed by 9 reps, then 8 reps and so on until you work your way down to 1. In this video, the example is as follows:
Set 1: 10 pushups, 10 sit ups and 10 squats
Set 2: 9 pushups, 9 sit ups and 9 squats
Set 3: 8 pushups, 8 sit ups and 8 squats
Set 4: 7 pushups, 7 sit ups and 7 squats
Set 5: 6 pushups, 6 sit ups and 6 squats
Set 6: 5 pushups, 5 sit ups and 5 squats
Set 7: 4 pushups, 4 sit ups and 4 squats
Set 8: 3 pushups, 3 sit ups and 3 squats
Set 9: 2 pushups, 2 sit ups and 2 squats
Set 1: 1 pushups, 1 sit ups and 1 squats
Next, is on to Tabata Exercises. Starting with our all time favorite – burpees, then jump squats, mountain climbers and plyometric lunges. You can either do all these separately as individual Tabata sets each or do it as part of one Tabata circuit.
Finally, the workout is ended with a simple ab routine of standard Ab Crunches or Figure 4 crunches.
Although Haskel Garmaise presented this as a “hotel room” workout when travelling, I think it makes a great total body workout program you can adopt for 3-4 times during the week. It covers all the major muscle groups and is a great cardiovascular workout too.
Check it out here:
Modified Tabata Interval Training
If you think your regular Tabata routine is too easy – you can always modify it by adding more rounds and doing a second set right after the first.
Here’s an uncut video of Jason Yun doing two 12 round (instead of 8 ) Tabata interval sessions back to back with a 2 minute rest between sets.
In the first modified Tabata set (12 rounds), he’s doing Pushups, Squat jumps, Speed Rows and Monkey Jumps. So you will end up doing 3 rounds of each exercise.
The second set consists of Hindu Pushups, Super Lunges, Diamond Cutters, and Burps.
These are all body weight exercises and no equipment required aside from a good Tabata Timer. Check it out:
Upper Body Tabata Circuit Workout
This weeks Tabata workout video consist of alternating between medicine ball throws and elastic band rows.
This routine will test your upper body endurance. The medicine ball will train your triceps, deltoids as well as your hand eye coordination. The elastic band rows will work out your back muscles and biceps.
Enjoy!
11 TRX Exercises You Can Do – Tabata Style!
TRX is a type of training that uses suspended straps and your own body weight, to build strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, core and joint stability, all while preventing injuries. See the video to see how it works.
The folks at Flo Fitness put out a video demonstrating 11 TRX exercises you can do Tabata style!
- TRX Jump Squats
- TRX Ice Skaters
- TRX Hip Press
- TRX Row
- TRX Lunge with Hop
- TRX “T’s”
- TRX “I’s”
- TRX Atomic Pushups
- TRX Chest Fly
- TRX Oblique Crunch
- TRX Pike
Pick 1 or up to 4 of these exercises in your next Tabata workout.
Enjoy!
Tabata Pushups – 3 Buff Guys
Here’s a video example of 3 buff guys doing Tabata Pushups. This video is a great example of what I wrote about in my last post about how to approach your workouts. Do you go hard on every round right from the begining? Or do you pace yourself so that you get the maximum effort that is spaced out evenly over the 8 rounds?
You can see that these guys are pretty spent before the halfway mark.
I prefer recording my reps and trying to beat my personal best score. This involves holding back on some of the earlier rounds and making sure that my lowest rep is my actual score.
This makes sure that I perform the maximum number of Tabata pushups and helps me to keep my form instead of risking injury.
How about you? Do you go hard from the first round? Or do you track your scores too?
The Power of “Tabata Scoring” During Your Workouts
Without a personal trainer, most people do not get to push their training to an effective level. By using a Tabata protocol, your Tabata timer becomes your coach and trainer. That’s why this form of exercise is so effective.
But how do you know if your training is improving or if your workout intensity is consistent?
This is where Tabata “scoring” becomes useful. The Tabata score is simply the lowest number of repetitions during your Tabata workout. For example, if you’re doing Tabata pushups and your reps are as follows:
Round 1 | 20 Seconds | 20 Repetitions
Round 2 | 20 Seconds | 20 Repetitions
Round 3 | 20 Seconds | 18 Repetitions
Round 4 | 20 Seconds | 16 Repetitions
Round 5 | 20 Seconds | 18 Repetitions
Round 6 | 20 Seconds | 15 Repetitions
Round 7 | 20 Seconds | 14 Repetitions
Round 8 | 20 Seconds | 12 Repetitions
Your Tabata score in this case is 12.
What are the benefits of Tabata scoring?
Firstly, It gives you a benchmark score to try and achieve or exceed each time you workout. This ensures each workout is at a consistent intensity.
Second, you will develop a personal best score for each of your main exercises. This lets you know if you’re actually getting stronger or fitter over time.
Finally, by knowing your abilities, you learn to pace yourself so that you do not end up not being able to complete all 8 rounds of the Tabata routine.
Here’s a video showing some experienced athletes pacing their repetitions on a Tabata pushup routine.
A key strategy you will notice is to stop before the 20 seconds is up in the first few rounds once the target repetitions is hit. If you push yourself too much in the first few rounds, you may risk not having enough energy to complete the later rounds or having rounds with very low repetitions towards the end.
Tabata scoring works best with single Tabata routines. For example, they’re great for:
- Burpees
- Pushups
- Chin Ups
- Squats
So if you’re, not already doing so, start taking down your Tabata scores for a few key routines to benchmark your workouts.
Workout Inspiration: Confidence!
“Confidence”
By Patrick Cummings
I am a lifeguard on the ocean of potential.
I rescue success from the depths of fatigue,
breathe life back into lungs like arrows from muted tongues.
I am both singular and in unison.
I can be ignored like cloud cover, sold like medicine,
I can be spit out like oil spills & cleaned up like apologies.
I am a stray tornado at the bulkhead of your basement breath
& I am wondering if you will let me in.
You can tell them later how the radio of your mind came clear
like a car exiting a tunnel,
how standing back up felt like drowning in reverse
When the jackhammer in your chest settles,
tell them how you were pulled back into the boat of possibility,
how you took the oars and you found the shore,
how you listened to the voice inside when I whispered, “more, more, more,”
until I was quiet like satisfaction & still like pride.
Crossfit “Tabata This”!
“Tabata This” is the name of a classic Crossfit workout-of-the-day (WOD).
The 4 Tabata exercises and sequence of this workout is as follows:
- Tabata Row
- Rest 1 minute
- Tabata Squat
- Rest 1 minute
- Tabata Pull-up
- Rest 1 minute
- Tabata Push-up
- Rest 1 minute
- Tabata Sit-up
So to be clear:
You do 8 sets of 20 seconds on/10 seconds rest for rowing; then you rest one minute; then you do 8 sets of 20 seconds on/10 seconds off for squats; then you rest one minute, then you do 20 seconds on/ 10 seconds off for pull ups, etc.
The whole workout should take 24 minutes (4 minutes per Tabata interval per exercise, 1 minute of rest between exercise).
Now for clarification on the scoring:
The Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals. For rowing, the unit that is measured is “calories”. So for example – let’s say in your 8 rounds of pull ups, the lowest number was on your last round where you did 8, then your score for pull ups is 8.
Now let’s see how your scores stack up compared to these guys:
Special Note:
If you don’t have a rower, you can substitute that with sumo-dealift high pulls with 45 pounds for men and 30 pounds for women. Take the bar from mid shin to under your chin.
Are You As Fit as This 72-Year Old Lady?
Her name is Wanja Sjödin from Sweden. She started exercising at age 46 but only once a week. In the last 4-5 years she intensified her exercise regiment to 6 times a week.
Who says you have to slow down when you age?
A Super Simple New Year Workout Program That Works!
Photo Credit: angietorres
“New Year, New Life”!
At this time of the year, many people are busy contemplating their goals and resolutions for the new year. I’m willing to bet that getting into better health and fitness will be high on that list for most people. If its on your’s list of goals too then let me share with you a simple Tabata program that you will likely stick to in order to get you real results!
Firstly, here’s why a Tabata program is your best bet for a routine you will stick to:
- No equipment needed! Just a small Tabata timer that you should bring with you everywhere!
- Complete the entire workout in under 20-minutes (including warmup)
- Can be done anywhere! Even in a hotel room if you’re on the go!
Here’s the basic principle to make sure you get results!
- Keep it REAL simple. I meant really SIMPLE! Just do this ONE program. (see routine below)
- Do it consistently – every alternate day!
- Track your results so you know you are taking action consistently! Use this workout tracking sheet to record each workout!
Here’s the new year Tabata program:
- Warm Up with alternating Tabata Jumping Jacks and High Knees (4 mins)
- The main program is a total body Tabata routine of alternating Burpees and Mountain Climbers (4 mins)
- Cool down with deep breathing and total body stretching (10 mins)
(If you’re new here and not sure what the Tabata protocol is – its basically 20 seconds of workout followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated for 8 rounds for a total of 4-minutes)
Do this routine every alternate day for 3 months or until you hit your target body fat % or weight. e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday…..etc
You should be pretty beat and sweating after the warm up and the core workout. If you’re already in pretty fit condition and not sweating after the above, then just repeat the whole routine (including warm up) again.
Simple right?
If you’re game to take up this super simple and super effective program — leave a comment to share your progress! 
I wish you an awesome year ahead and look forward to hearing about you kicking some butt and getting into the best shape of your life for 2012!
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