We’re continuing our search for Pinterest workouts that make the best use of your precious time, and this week’s find—the living room Tabata workout—took less than 15 minutes and left us with a total body ache for days.
We asked Synergy personal trainer Natalie Marston to give us the lowdown on how to properly perform this whole-body workout. It incorporates ankle, knee, hip and core stability, as well as lower- and upper-body strength moves. Marston found it was a great workout to “enhance your fitness performance, burn more calories, and reduce your workout time by combining high-intensity intervals with short rest periods.”
How to Perform the Workout
Tabata workouts typically involve performing one exercise for eight intervals at maximum intensity for 20 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds.
This workout, which took us approximately 11 minutes, is instead broken into four 90-second sets. In between each set you will complete a “strength burst.”
“This workout uses just your body weight, which is a very effective way to see results and get strong,” says Marston.
How to Cater the Workout to You
Though it may be tempting to burn through each exercise in an attempt to intensify your workout, conducting the moves improperly can lead to injury. Instead, focus on form, and learn how to perform these exercises properly before participating in Tabata intervals. As you get more comfortable with the moves, you’ll be able to complete them at a more rapid pace, thus intensifying your workout and increasing the burn.
Note: We found the mid-workout burpees followed by dead-lift toe touches to be the greatest challenge of the workout. So we followed Marston’s advice and focused on our form rather than speed to push through the hardest portion of the exercise and avoid injury.
The Verdict
“Tabata training increases your metabolism and keeps it elevated for a longer period of time post-workout, therefore burning more total calories than low-intensity training,” says Marston. The exact number of calories burned depends on the individual and the intensity at which the workout is performed.
One of the greatest aspects of Tabata training, according to Marston, is that it can be modified for almost any fitness level, as long as you stick to the ratio of 20 seconds of high-intensity intervals to 10 seconds of rest, and move at your own pace. As with our previous Pinterest workouts, this one requires no equipment, making it a convenient and efficient way to burn calories.
“[This workout] is great for athletes looking for ways to optimize results, individuals who want to break through a plateau, and those who need a quick but productive workout,” says Marston. But she warns, “Individuals who have injuries or heart conditions should consult their doctor before trying Tabata interval training.”
