What is the Tabata Protocol?

If you have done any type of research on high intensity interval training (HIIT), you’d have heard of the Tabata Protocol. It is considered one of the most effective forms of HIIT… and it’s also one of the most difficult.

Created by Professor Izumi Tabata, the method has been around for a few decades and is now a trademarked name because a few big companies decided to market it. Don’t panic yet. You can still do Tabata, if you know the principles behind it.

But first, let’s look at the interesting story of how it came about…

• The experiment

It all started in the Ritsumeikan University Graduate School of Sport and Health sciences. Professor Tabata used the students in his classes as the subjects.

He broke them up into 2 groups. One group cycled at a steady pace of 70rpm for an hour. They functioned at about 70 per cent of their VO2 max.

The second group cycled at a high intensity for 20 seconds followed by a 10-second rest period. They did this 8 times for a total of 4 minutes at 170 per cent of their VO2 max.

This experiment was conducted over 6 weeks with the participants training 5 times a week. At the end of 6 weeks, the results showed that while the first group had improved their stamina, their anaerobic systems had remained the same.

The high intensity group, however, had increased both their aerobic fitness and anaerobic systems. That proved that the Tabata protocol was far more effective than conventional cardio.

• What is VO2 max?

VO2 max refers to the maximum rate of oxygen consumption during a high intensity workout. You may have noticed that the Tabata experiment participants were at 170 per cent.

That is known as an ‘oxygen deficit’ and it’s the basic principle of all HIIT workouts. Your workouts must be so fast that they become anaerobic in nature. This places extreme demands on your body and it will burn calories for hours after your workout is over.

Therefore, people lose weight much faster with HIIT workouts like the Tabata Protocol. They’ve become fat burning machines. Steady state cardio does not have this effect.

• The protocol

The Tabata method itself is simple. You exercise for 20 seconds at maximum intensity and rest for 10 seconds. You’ll do this 8 times which will be 4 minutes and that’s it. Your workout is done.

Now, reading it may make it sound easy. After all, 20 seconds will fly. That’s true, but guess what?

When you’re gasping for air and exhausted by the 5th round, the 10 seconds rest will fly even faster. It’ll feel so fast that you may think your workout is non-stop. The 4 minutes will seem like an hour.

Einstein must have been thinking of HIIT when he said that “Time is relative” … or maybe not. But you get the point.

• How can you use it?

Adopting the Tabata style of working out is simple. You just need a timer and an exercise to do. Sprinting, rowing, burpees, cycling, etc. are great exercises that go well with this protocol.

The exercise you choose should allow you to stop and start immediately. Using a jump rope would not be a good idea because by the time you build up speed, you’d have wasted about 5 seconds or so.

With exercises such as sprinting and cycling, the moment the timer beeps, you’re off like the wind… and when it beeps again, you can stop immediately and rest. So, choose your exercise wisely.

The Tabata style of training is highly effective but is best kept till you are relatively fit before attempting it. This is not a training method for people who are overweight or obese.

Stick to 10 or 15-minute HIIT sessions until you can really handle a challenge… and then you’ll be ready to take on the Tabata Protocol.