Just 4 minutes to make you sweat and burn fat all over your body! Champion coach: 7 benefits of TABATA high-intensity exercise

If you want to burn fat quickly and get rid of obesity, high-intensity interval training is definitely the shortcut! In particular, champion fitness coaches are enthusiastically promoting TABATA, a high-intensity interval training method that combines aerobic and anaerobic training, allowing the body to bear a greater workload. It emphasizes that it only takes 4 minutes to complete 8 exercises, which can not only improve cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength, and explosive power, but also burn fat quickly and efficiently. Now follow bodybuilding champion coach Huang Xinyuan and do TABATA moves together. (Video/Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

Why do you recommend TABATA sports?

Champion fitness coach Huang Xinyuan, in his new book "The Complete Guide to Self-Fitness", said that for beginners who are just starting to get involved in sports, bodyweight training at home can indeed bring about physical and physical improvements. But if the training intensity is not increased appropriately, the body will quickly adapt to this intensity of training. In other words, the intensity is not high and the physical condition or state can at best be maintained but cannot be improved.

When you enter this stage without realizing it, it is often interpreted as: "I work so hard, why am I not making any progress!?" You should be happy, because it means your body and physical strength have improved! But it also means you should make some changes in your training. At this stage, you can go to the gym and try weight training, but most people usually exercise at home and often don’t have time to go to the gym. If you don’t have time to go to the gym but want to increase the intensity when exercising at home, TABATA would be a good choice. This is why coach Huang Xinyuan recommends TABATA.

What is the Tabata Movement?

TABATA is a type of high-intensity interval training originally designed for athletes. This training can improve cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength, explosive power, etc. in many aspects at the same time. Aerobic and anaerobic training can allow the body to bear a larger amount of training. It is recognized as one of the fastest and most effective fat burning and cardiopulmonary fitness training.

Coach Huang Xinyuan emphasized that TABATA exercise only takes 4 minutes and involves 8 movements, which not only improves cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength, and explosive power, but also burns fat quickly and efficiently. (Photo courtesy of Huang Xinyuan and Taiwan Kadokawa, selected from "A Complete Guide to Self-Fitness")

Coach Huang Xinyuan said that the body will produce an afterburn effect after high-intensity exercise. (Photo courtesy of Huang Xinyuan and Taiwan Kadokawa, selected from "A Complete Guide to Self-Fitness")

In a study by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata, he divided the athlete subjects into two groups, one group for high-intensity, short-term exercise, and the other for low-intensity, long-term exercise; the low-intensity, long-term athletes did improve their cardiopulmonary capacity, but their muscle mass hardly changed. However, the high-intensity, short-time group not only improved cardiopulmonary capacity, but also increased muscle mass by 28%! Studies have shown that high-intensity, short-term training is more helpful for reducing fat, increasing muscle strength, and improving cardiopulmonary capacity.

After high-intensity exercise, the body will produce an afterburn effect. In other words, after high-intensity exercise, the body will continue to lose fat. This short-term and efficient exercise type is especially suitable for busy people.

[7 benefits of TABATA exercise]

●Benefit 1: Develop strength and endurance at the same time

TABATA can not only enhance cardiopulmonary capacity, but also effectively achieve the effect of increasing muscle mass during training.

●Benefit 2: Short time

A TABATA training session can be completed in 4 minutes, which is highly efficient in a short time.

●Benefit 3/High afterburn effect after exercise

The afterburn effect refers to the continued burning of fat after exercise. High-intensity exercise not only burns fat during exercise, but also continues to burn fat for 48 hours after exercise.

●Benefit 4: Does not take up space

You only need a small space anytime and anywhere, even if you want to train at home.

●Benefit 5／No need to use any equipment

Through bodyweight strength training, you can start exercising without any equipment.

●Benefit 6/The movements can be from simple to difficult

Although TABATA was originally designed for athlete training, it can be more suitable for people of all levels after adjusting the training content.

●Benefit 7/Fast and efficient

Modern people lead busy lives and want to be efficient in all aspects. However, low-intensity aerobic exercise is more effective for fat loss if it lasts for 20 to 30 minutes. TABATA can effectively burn body fat in a short time. High-intensity exercise makes the heart beat faster, which not only accelerates blood circulation, but also improves the body's metabolism in a short period of time.

Coach Huang Xinyuan said that high-intensity exercise can not only burn fat during the exercise, but also continue to burn fat for 48 hours after the exercise. (Photo courtesy of Huang Xinyuan and Taiwan Kadokawa, selected from "A Complete Guide to Self-Fitness")

Is it necessary to warm up before doing TABATA?

Does TABATA need warm-up? This question varies from person to person. Tabata of the same intensity has different acceptance levels for people of different physical abilities. TABATA's training programs are very diverse. You can start with simple movements, from elementary to difficult, and slowly develop exercise habits and increase exercise intensity.

You can adjust the exercise content and movements according to your physical strength and the intensity your body can accept. It is recommended to do some dynamic warm-up before exercise! Such as jumping jacks and running on the spot with legs raised, which can increase body temperature and allow the joints to produce synovial fluid during the warm-up process in order to engage in subsequent high-intensity exercise.

TABATA's class schedule

The TABATA exercise formula is actually very simple; exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and continue for 8 cycles, for a total of 4 minutes. To achieve TABATA intensity, try to use whole-body compound movements, and the oxygen uptake must reach 170% of the maximum oxygen uptake in just 20 seconds.

The following is Huang Xinyuan's demonstration of the whole body fat burning TABATA exercise. He said that this exercise has 8 movements, a total of 4 minutes, one movement for 20 seconds, and a 10-second rest in between. Come and follow along:

1. Jumping jacks: Exercise your whole body's heart and lungs.

1. Jumping jacks. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

2. Back stride: Train the hips of the front leg.

2. Back span. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

3. High-leg running: training for the cardiopulmonary system.

3. Run with your legs raised high. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

4. Touch your toes left and right: train the outer thighs.

4. Touch your toes left and right. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

5. Step back and touch toes: train the whole body's cardiopulmonary function.

5. Step back and touch your toes. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

6. Lift forward and touch toes: train the abdominal core.

6. Lift forward and touch your toes. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

7. Sumo squat: trains the lower limbs and buttocks.

7. Sumo squat. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)

8. Variation of jumping jacks: Strengthen the heart and lungs.

8. Variations of jumping jacks. (Photography by Zheng Mingjun and Jiang Minjun)