ThrowDown Thursday - Tabata

Tabata workouts are a great way to burn calories and work up a sweat.  There's also buzz in the training world that Tabata's can improve your overall aerobic fitness level.

What's a Tabata?  It's this week's ThrowDown Thursday workout.  Can you handle it?

Tabata workouts were created by the coach of the Japanese Olympic Speed Skating team. His last name was Tabata.  When will people blog about the Bealert workout? We love Tabata's, because they incorporate the high intensity training techniques we support.

To complete a "tabata" you choose one exercise and do it for 20 seconds.  Then rest for 10 seconds and repeat 8 times.  It's helpful to use a timer.  Once you complete the 8 rounds then rest one minute and go to the next exercise.

Any exercise can be incorporated into a Tabata and a incline sprint is a great tabata to add to the end of a full body workout.

Here's our very spooky Transylvania Tabata:

Here's a video explanation of the exercises complete with a Minnie appearance:

On a "Throwdown Thursday" scale this workout isn't as challenging as last week's jail break, but it will get a great calorie burn and is more suitable for all fitness levels.  It's not cool to puke every week :)

Tabata's are also great for a group boot camp setting.  Have everyone start at a different exercise and rotate through.  We did a Tabata workout at the Fitness & Health Bloggers Conference last summer.

Have you done Tabata's before?  What do you use as your timer?

Love and Twilight,
Carissa & Kyle