Thin You're Fit? Better Think Again!

So you are able to run for an hour. You can benchpress 180 pounds. you go to aerobics class 3 times a week and you don't even get out of breath during class. Does that mean you're fit? Are you in good shape? allow me to tell you what muay thai fighters in Thailand do six days a week (maybe five if one day is fight-day):

1. Wake up.

2. Run 20 kilometers.

3. Do padwork for an hour.

4. Sparr for half an hour.

5. Do strength training for 30 minutes.

6. Eat, rest, eat.

7. Do points 2 - 4 all over again.

8. Eat

9. Sleep

Still think you're fit? ok, let's not go to such extremes. I'd like to challenge you to a sixteen minute exercise (I'll describe it soon). Surely someone as fit as you can do a mere sixteen minutes of exercise without hardly breaking a sweat, right? The workout consists of four four-minute sets during each of which you will be doing the following with maximum (and I mean maximum) intensity:

1. Twenty seconds of burpees including pushup and jump (where knees should be touching the chest)

2. 10 secons of rest

3. Twenty seconds of high knee skips

4. Ten seconds of rest

5. Twenty seconds of mountain climbers

6. 10 seconds of rest

7. Twenty seconds of in-place jumps with knees touching the chest

8. Ten seconds of rest

9. do 1 - 8 one more time

You may take 30 seconds to recover (if necessary) between the sessions. Try it. I think you'll enjoy it. Still think you're in excellent shape?

This extremely efficient way of exercising is called tabata intervals after its inventor Dr. Izumi Tabata. His 1997 study related the training results of two groups. The first group performed steady state training (70 % of VO2-max) five times per week. The other group performed 4 minutes of tabata intervals (170 % of VO2-max) 4 times a week and one more day of steady state exercise. The groups obtained similar results, increasing their maximum oxygen uptake by 13 % in six weeks! By the way, these results were gained in olympic speed skaters who were already in very good shape.

Regardless of whether you're a thai boxer, an olympic speed skater or a regular person looking to shed a few pounds and get fit, tabata intervals can help you achieve your fitness goals.

Always consult a doctor before starting any exercise protocol or diet. If you're just beginning (the person wanting to shed some weight and get fit) then start slow and work your way up.

Visit the tabata intervals website for more information and tabata training videos.