Hi guys,

Just want to inform you of an experiment I've been trying out to lose weight. I recently came across something called Tabata Intervals. Go to Google and look it up.

Basically it's a very simple exercise routine

1. Do any exercise you want, but do it to the extreme (your maximum capability) for 20 seconds.
2. Rest for 10 seconds.
3. Repeat.

Perform the above steps 8 times for a total time of about 4 minutes.

What are the benefits? According to this site,



Sounds too good to be true? Well I tried it personally and I can tell you it works. I had put on weight for a few days, and my face and tummy were noticeably fatter. So I tried Tabata Intervals along with a healthy diet, and I've noticeably lost a lot of fat from both areas.

My choice of exercise? Stair-climbing. Yes, I used Tabata Intervals to run up stairs. I'd perform tabata intervals by climbing stairs 3 times per day: once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening. The total session took about 15 minutes.

I'm quite happy with the results. So if you're looking to burn fat fast, you might want to try out this method with your favourite exercise.

Nice. Will try and see since it's nothing to lose. hope i'll lose weight lol

wow .. great
want to try it oso la .. hope its will work
amaru .. whats the result ? kg loss ?

Sorry, don't have hard data. I didn't measure weight. Just check my appearance only, which I'm more concerned about.

if u do a data check , then confidence will be more ..
like one my friends starting a program to loss weight
he did a good data check with nikeplus system ..
can see how the progress was going , how much fat does he burn , how his physical improved .. just a suggestion

he's using the mirror....right?

Chow

Try whole body workouts like burpees with it, if possible. Not isolation-type like bicep curls, knee extensions and so on.

"Tabata Intervals are excellent for those athletes who participate in high intensity sports such as boxing, MMA, or wrestling."

Quoted from the same source. Are you anyway near those physical states?

Imo, i don't think the weighing scale would be the best indication for weighy loss. If one is undergoing a body recomposition, muscle would weigh more than fat. So even if the scale doesn't change, the trainee is actually still losing bodyfat. Trust me, the mirror is the best indicator in most cases.

Hi noprob, I agree that for many people having a machine is good. But my main aim wasn't really to lose weight, but to look good. The fat on my tummy and face were quite visible at first, but when they started to disappear, and my face became thinner and my tummy more tight, I knew it was working.

In the future though, I'll try to post some before and after pictures.

Wow sounds interesting.How long did you take to start noticeably losing weight?

2 days. Your mileage may vary.

Let my clarify a few things:

1. I ate a healthy diet at the same time. Lots of vegetables and fruits.
2. I'm already a pretty slim and fit guy. So when I gain fat, it's pretty noticeable. The opposite is true as well.

I heard cutting down is 90% diet? Lol

I'll try if it works, hope that those who tried it post their result here. I just hate going to the gym for the treadmill for about one hour, too time consuming.

By the way, where did you do your stairs climbing for 20 seconds ? You're living in an apartment or something like that ? And about the warm up and cool down session, what did you do for that ? I think I'll try outdoor sprinting or cycling in the gym.

My workplace has a stairway. I didn't really do proper warm-ups or cool-downs. Although I guess one really should.



Yup, I'm sure my diet helped as well. But I don't think dieting for just 2 days is enough to see gains unless you exercise too.

What did you use to time?I tried the tabata intervals just now with chinups,but I ended up counting how many times I did instead of timing

Wow....excellent time table... please do share more bout the outcome..

Sounds like a great idea. Though, I think I'll do it at home rather at work. The place where I work has about, ahem, 88 floors.

WOW the workout reminds me of the UFC workout plan ( it's in one of xbox 360 video )

Wake up in the morning without stretching or warming up .. he just RUNS / SPRINT on threadmills ...
And their workout plans on weights are crazy ...

Four minutes of hardcore training ... Actually I searched on the internet about it and found that even the world class athletes have some hard time doing the Tabata Intervals ..

110% during the 'fast' section.. don't play play, and no cheating..

do you think is good for long term.........

Don't see why not...

Your heart will be strengthening all the time.. Fat loss also there..

Cool i'll try it out too and post back here for results

guess, i need to try out this cuz im kinda lazy in doin more than 10min exercise

Can this be done? The heart will suffer a lot.
I did try but very difficult to do it consistantly... have to stop...

Hi, I'm newbie.

Other than car-pushing exercise, I always use stair-climbing exercise especially when I run out of time/no time to gym/during heavy rain.. climb up with a pair of dumbells (2-5kg).. Agree with Amaru - this is great fat loss exercise - and the feeling is like doing circuit set.. only prime our lower body muscles.

Meant to be like that.

This is hard even for the elites. Well, u really have to give the all out of urself if you intend to practice tabata. you cant hold back thinking that you have to reserve some of ur energy for the rest of the session.

You need to give all out starting from the first interval or else it wont have intended outcome.

Yup, tabata intervals should be hard for anyone irregardless of their physical fitness. It requires your maximum effort, and pushes your body to the edge. Nobody would be able to sustain their maximum effort for a long period of time.

Although it seems a very short exercise, the 4 minutes should still feel too long if you're doing it correctly.

For newbie, better go for normal HIIT, which to me is similar variation to each other.

go for this step (for jog/treadmill):
1. stretch (first!).
2. warm up walk.
3. 60% max heart rate jog (30sec).
4. 85% max heart rate run (30sec).
5. repeat 3 & 4 for another 3 time (which makes 4 set & 4min total).
6. cooldown walk.

my weight loss is very very slow, as im also doing weight training, but more n more frens saying im a lil bit kurus lately

Hey guys, just to warn you a bit that my right knee is starting to ache a little, so if any of you plan on doing tabata intervals using stair-climbing, you might just want to do it at most once a day. Or switch to sprinting on flat ground.

amaru, im sorry for lil blur here, but which part of knee? for stair climber, i would think it's ankle, rite?

btw a word of caution for joggers, doing interval might cause tibia stress fracture or shin splint (as u put more pressure). do slowly, n when u feel hurt, stop and do others kind of cross-training such as bike or stepper in time between.

Blergh.......tried Tabata yesterday with push-ups. Not a very nice sight.
Sungguh membebalkan, dahlah the pump was mad insane and I've not had a pump for months already, I was lying on the floor and my triceps would barely push after the 5th set.

4 minutes felt forever, that's for sure. then went to office and my elbows felt like achey.....woohkay! Then I did pull-ups version of it at the evening. 2 minutes also cannot finish.

I'll stick to weightlifting.....this is way too difficult at my current level of conditioning

Should have done burpees instead of pushups.

hm..i think i'll try with full force sit up..

go down but don't touch the floor then quickly up again..

u think this'll work?

Wow....look nice... i'm gonna take 2 days of workout and see how's gonna take....

anyone taking up challenge..let us noe the result

erm, tabata is good. however, without proper nutrition and supplementation knowledge, you might be burning off most of your muscles as well. so, that explain why you lost alot of weight. it is because you lost alot of muscle. muscle is definitely more heavier than fat. when you burn off muscle, you are still fat bcos you are still carrying those fats around, just a smaller version of your fatself. so basically, you will look nice with the shirt on but horrible with the shirt off.

Today I try and then I tell you okai? Sure die la...
Dammit la, this is the part i miss most about malacca. Weightlifting gym.
Bukit Jalil mia so marfan to settle application. Sial.

need to see peoples result b4 i try this out..anyways, its inadvisable to jog or run fast and hard on a flat surface..it may damage ur tendons and ligaments in ur foot and knees..

Hah!? You gotta be shitting me!

He's actually not shitting you.

It's true, but this doesn't happen that badly to basketballers if you're wondering. It happens mostly to long distance runners. If you notice, long distance runners are mostly skinny (in fact, it's safe to say all are skinny) which shows they don't have the most muscular strength. Added with the fact that these runners train for endurance mostly...

They also run for long periods of times, making the pressure and shear tear on their ligaments and tendons pretty severe.

Sprinters don't usually have this issue, because they run really short distances, 1,2,400 meters. And their muscles are stronger, much stronger than an endurance runner, thus these muscles can support more of the slamming when you run.

However, tabata's only four minutes and it's more of conditioning. If you're hoping to see people's results before you try, chances are you can't complete it. I used to think that because I do weightlifting and muay thai, I could handle it. Heck, was I wrong or what...my heart was pumping faster than it ever had for years. Damn I hate repetitions.

lol nobody will have an easy time on doing Tabata Interval because everyone is doing it to their max potential, which is quite equal to all by then.

WOW !! Will try it since too good to be true ...

It works best if you can COMPLETE it.
According to the time limits and no cheating.
IF you can

Yahoo Health also has a new article on the benefits of interval training.

Originally found the link being referenced from lifehacker, which has some interesting comments.

I feel so dizzy and feel like throwing up after I complete the Tabata Intervals through stationary bike + some weight lifting ...

welcome to the club~
my cousin puked because he tried doing Tabata for about 5 rounds.....3 rounds short and blek~

Yeah right thats pretty shit ... I think I have to lighten the exercise ... By the way, ever read this before http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/...g-any-exercise/ ?

ohhh it that really help..i would like to try it up....btw hehe...can i know how many level of stair u run each time...like my office...got 4 level...so i got to run up to 4th floor, and run down back to ground floor = 1 time? then afternoon another one time?? then evening (before went back home after work) another time.... if really help i will do it but just scare later laugh by colleague hahaha...