Want to Burn Fat in 4 Minutes?

Written by Erin Heide – FDF Group Instructor and Personal Trainer

Who wants to work out for only 4 minutes, but get the benefits of a 60-minute workout! This type of workout is perfect for people on the go or those who want to take their conditioning and body to the next level.

Burn fat.

For years, interval training has been thought of as the most efficient way to burn fat and increase cardiovascular fitness. Recently, Tabata, a specific form of interval training, has received much deserved attention.

Tabata vs. traditional exercise.

Dr. Izumi Tabata studied the routine which was developed for the Olympic Japanese speed skating team. Dr. Tabata and his team found that those subjects who engaged in just 4 minutes of the protocol improved their maximum aerobic capacity by 14% and their anaerobic capacity by 28%. Those who did “traditional” exercise (running at 70% capacity for 60 minutes) only improved their aerobic capacity by 9.5% and had NO improvement in anaerobic capacity. Click here to read the article.

Spice up your workout.

A Tabata interval is made up of 20 seconds maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated for a total of 4 minutes (or 8 cycles of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest). You can do Tabata intervals anywhere with most any equipment (or none at all). Add some spice to your workouts, or use as your total workout on busy days. Remember, you must be working at maximum effort during those 20 seconds to reap the most benefits.

I often do “Tabata Tuesday’s” in my classes or with my personal training clients. Next time you see your personal trainer or take a fitness class at your club, maybe suggest a little Tabata challenge!

Happy Sweating!