Tabata TacFit Style - High Intensity Metabolic Conditioning Session Sample

If you want bang for your buck, the approach that has become known as the Tabata protocol is hard to beat.  It's named after a Japanese researcher and speed skating coach who originally looked into this particular configuration of 20 seconds of high intensity effort followed by 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 cycles.  My friend Rusty does a good job of covering the Tabata protocol over at Fitness Black Book.  Coach Scott Sonnon also makes use of this protocol as part of his comprehensive TacFit program.

This morning I put some clients through a challenging Tabata style session that I thought I would share with you.  If you're up for it...

Warm up with some Intu-Flow and a bit of FlowFit® or other active mobility based exercise to get yourself up to speed.  Then perform the following four exercises in this manner.

• 20 seconds of all out effort (8-10 Rate of Perceived Effort)
• 10 seconds rest (perform Vibration Drills for recovery)
• Repeat this cycle 8 times
• Rest 1-2 minutes before moving on to the next exercise

The whole thing is done in less than 20 minutes.  And believe me, it'll be plenty!

The following video demos represent only one of several different levels of sophistication that I offer my clients for each exercise.

Exercise 1: Dumbbell Push-Press

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Exercise 2: Kettlebell Two-handed Swing

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Exercise 3: CST Mountain Climber

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Exercise 4: CST Quad Squat

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Comments

[Rambodoc]

Great videos! I had never heard of quad squats before.

[Adam]

Rambodoc -> It's one of my favorites (and another exercise my clients love to hate...).

Cheers,
Adam

[k2ster]

Hi Adam,

I love Tabata Style workouts! My only problem with designing my own is that I am never sure if I am incorporating all 6 Degrees of Freedom. Any hints in that regard or do I have to become a certified CSTer to really get that aspect?

Thanks,
Keith