FOUR-MINUTE BODY

There's a book out called "the four-hour body". Of course, it's filled with all sorts of ridiculous claims. But it's selling like iPads.


I've got a better plan- the four minute body!Now, this plan has been around since the mid-1990's, but hasn't garnered much attention until recently. I have been using it for many years to great effect for both me and my clients. It's called the Tabata protocol. Dr. Izumi Tabata of Japan designed an extremely efficient and effective workout for elite, world-class athletes. The original protocol consisted of a 5 minute warm up on a stationary bike, 8- 20 second work sessions followed by 10-second rest periods, also on the bike, and a 3-minute cool down. The athletes, says tabataa: '... lay down on the floor after training." Note that the athletes performed at full effort , which was about 170% of their VO2max! They did this 5X/week. This Tabata training showed an incredibly high increase in cardirespiratory capacity, anaerobic capacity, and burned 9 times more fat than either steady-state or interval cardio training. This type of training is not for everyone, and even the most-fit need to start slowly with sessions 1-2 times per week. If you have any health issues or are overweight, these methods are not recommend. The Tabata-style training has leaked over to resistance training,where full-body, multipoint exercises are used in place of the cardio. Front squats, deadlifts, and DB squat to push-press are all candidates.These programs are Tabata-derivatives, not true Tabata. And if you do perform loaded Tabata-style intervals, make sure you use 50% or less of your 1-rep max weight or you will never get through the entire eight sets.And, do these for 1 exercise at the endof your resistance training or on a separate day. I've seen classes offered that claim they are "60 minutes of Tabata-style training." Balderdash. They are doing circuit training. I've watched these classesI I really doubt there are many (any?) mere mortals who could perform true Tabata intervals for that long. So, if you're already in good shape, get your doctor's approval and want a fast, efficient, and brutally effective plateau-buster, give Tabata a try. Just don't kill the messenger. Sayonara. Fitness Asylum Ipad