4 Super Simple Tabata Workouts You Can Do At the Gym

If you are like most people, then you probably live a pretty busy lifestyle. Work, school, kids, chores, responsibilities, priorities, and so on are all factors that can limit your time in the gym. Well, what if I told you that out there on planet Fitness there exists a workout that was specifically designed to only last four minutes? That's right! Just 4 minutes! This increasingly popular training method is called Tabata training, and even though its duration is short, its effects are anything but.

Tabata training was created by Dr. Izumi Tabata and basically consists of 20 second "on" and 10 second "off" intervals until the elapsed time of four minutes has expired.

As you can probably imagine, this highly intense training method is very effective due to its fast-paced intervals. This, of course, will quickly help you to burn calories and shed water weight in a relatively short amount of time. With your first couple of exercises, you can expect it to induce a rapid heart rate increase and a cascade of perspiration, which will, of course, leave you closer, if not within, a caloric deficit.

Let me give you some examples of Tabata training workouts to show you just how effective and versatile it truly is.

Tabata training workout #1

• 20 seconds of Mountain Climbers


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Abdominal Air Bikes


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Elbow Planks


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Box Jumps


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Mountain Climbers


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Abdominal Air Bikes


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Elbow Planks


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Box Jumps


• 10 seconds of rest

Now with this Tabata training workout, you can expect to burn a significant amount of calories in just four minutes! The key here is to stay within the allotted time frames as best as possible. This will make sure that you'll get the most out of your workout. Performing mountain climbers, abdominal air bikes, elbow planks, and box jumps will train almost every muscle from head to toe! So, this is a great example of an effective full body Tabata workout that will get you closer to your fitness goals.

[tweet_box design="box_9"]If you think 20 seconds is fast, you've never done a Tabata. - LOL[/tweet_box]

Tabata training workout #2

• 20 seconds of Push-ups


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Pull-ups


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Squats


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Deadlifts


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Push-ups


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Pull-ups


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Squats


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Deadlifts


• 10 seconds of rest

This Tabata workout is highly effective in that it targets the three largest muscle groups in the body: The chest, back, and legs. As you get toward the end of your workout, by no means should you feel restricted from taking weight off of the rack (e.g. deadlifting or squatting). As you will soon experience, you will lose your breath quite quickly with this workout. Also, you are more than encouraged to repeat this Tabata circuit as many times as you see fit, as long as you are able to keep your form and stay hydrated.

[caption id="attachment_25657" align="aligncenter" width="515"]Photo Credit: Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat [/caption]

Tabata training workout #3

• 20 seconds of Bench jumps


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Bench sprints


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Burpees


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Power push ups


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of High knee skipping


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Ice skaters


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Jump squats


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Lateral box jumps


• 10 seconds of rest

This, much more complicated Tabata training workout, is for the advanced person who possesses adequate power and muscular endurance. This, like all Tabata workouts, can be repeated as many times as needed to attain the desired effect, whether that be a quick four-minute workout or a longer eight or twelve-minute burnout. Regardless of the time allotted, it will be quite the muscular AND mental feat nonetheless.

[tweet_box design="box_9"]Tabata? All I can tell you is that my coach kept yelling... 'it's only 20 seconds!'[/tweet_box]

Tabata training workout #4

*All exercises performed should be body weight only.

• 20 seconds of Calf raises


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Lunges


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Squats


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Lunges


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Calf raises


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Lunges


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Squats


• 10 seconds of rest


• 20 seconds of Lunges


• 10 seconds of rest

This is a complete lower body Tabata workout that doesn't need the use of weights at all. If you've ever done lunges before, you know how demanding they can be on not only your thighs but your respiratory system as well. With this being the case, I thought it would be great to pepper them in throughout the workout. As with the other Tabata workouts, and any for that matter, repeat it as many times as you feel you need to.

On a final note...

As you can see, there are tons of different ways that you can customize a four-minute Tabata workout that will not only save you a ton of gym time but also manifest the fruits of your labor. This fast paced training method is used by trainers all across the globe, and for good reason. Dr. Izumi Tabata sure did strike gold with this one. What seems like such a simple idea has truly evolved as one of the top methods available for trainers to get their clients engaged in fitness without sacrificing much time from their busy schedules.

See, time is probably the number one reason why people don't workout on a regular basis, to begin with. It's almost an "Out of sight, out of mind." mentality. One where you tell yourself something like, "I just don't have enough time in the day to workout", and instantly believe it to be true without further investigation. And by further investigation, I don't necessarily mean researching different types of training techniques such as Tabata training, but more so thinking about your health to help make sure that you age gracefully with vigor and strength instead of allowing your muscles to detrimentally atrophy and have your body become illness prone. So, if you take anything from this article, anything at all, I hope it's that you realize that you can easily squeeze in a workout in your busy daily routine. I mean, what're four minutes?

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Author Bio: Thomas Hlubin

When I was little I was as skinny as a rake, but at the ripe old age of 18, I started lifting weights seriously. I trained and competed as a natural bodybuilder in the SNBF and NANBF organizations, placing 4th in the novice men middleweight division at the 2012 Atlanta SNBF Championships. A year later, I competed and placed 2nd in the collegiate men division at the 2013 NANBF Natural Southern States Classic in St. Louis, Missouri. That solidified my goal to help others achieve greater levels of fitness. Today, I'm an avid blogger focused on creating content to help people improve their physical and mental health. For more of my work, check out my website  Disorders.net  to get information on how to improve your mental health.

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