Thursday, March 5, 2009

Fat Loss In 4 Minutes!

When it comes to conditioning and fat loss, one of the BEST methods to use is the TABATA protocol. Without giving all the background behind this, the tabata protocol has gained alot of popularity over the last few years in various fat loss circles - mainly because its simple and it WORKS. Because of the work to rest ratio, both aeroibic and anaerobic capacities are improved at the same time. The protocol can be done with one or two movements at the end of a strength session or used as a stand alone method for an entire conditioning session using 3-5 movements. All you'll need is a timer such as the gym boss or a visible wall clock.

The protocol is as follows
20 seconds of work
10 seconds of rest
repeat 8x for a total of 4 minutes of work.

What makes this work is that there is no time for slow and no time to think about your next round. You HAVE to go and you will.

Now you can do tabata tricep kickbacks if you really wanted to, but I encourage people to pick full body movements that require alot of muscle mass. Oxygen deprivation here we come!

Here are some movements that would be a good choice:
bodyweight squats
push ups
jumping pull ups (or kipping pull ups)
jump rope double unders
burpees
jump squats
split squat jumps
parallel bar dips (only if you are already strong on these)
kettlebell swings (2 h or 1h switching every other 20 second round)
kettlebell snatches (switching hands every round)
barbell front squats (use the bar, 65, or 95lb.)
dumbbell or barbell thrusters
dumbbell snatches
dumbbell swings
dumbbell hang squat cleans
band snapdowns
band suplexes
band uchikomi's for my judo guys
sprints (very tough)
concept II rowing
medicine ball slams (or core ball chops)
barbell or dumbbell push presses
and more! Be creative!

This stuff is HARD WORK, but if you're looking for a fat loss workout like none other or you're a combat athlete looking to take your conditioning to the next level, give the tabtata protocol a whirl.

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