Tabata straight after boxing. Advice !?

OK. A quick query for those fitness gurus in the know.

Currently I am in the gym 6 days a week.

Routine- 6 rounds skipping, no rest.
3 rounds shadow boxing.
6 rounds heavy bag
6 rounds double end bag
2 rounds mitts

30 seconds rest between rounds.

Now, I am looking for extra ways to get my stamina up. Its hard for me to do roadwork cos of time constraints and running on concrete does nowt for my knees. Before anyone asks there is literally no grass to be found in Osaka, no exaggeration.

I was thinking of doing Tabata a few times a week to increase stamina. As my arms and upper body have had a good workout, I still have a lot left in my legs. Does anyone think its a good idea for me to do Tabata on the exercise bike after my boxing work?

Any advice/opinions are appreciated.

Yeah i think doing tabata a few times a week would be a good idea to be honest dude, just for the fact that you will be giving your lower body a decent workout as well if anything. Not sure what benefits tabata would give you on the stamina side of things though, as i just run myself. :)

Conditioning is not just about long-distance running. Many make the mistake of limiting themselves to this. In reality, there are three energy systems which a boxer needs to train.

Creatine-phosphate system: this system provides energy for a max of 10 seconds. This is probably the least useful system to train as no fight lasts 10 seconds... typically.

Anaerobic system: contrary to former belief, this energy system is the most important to a boxer. An inefficient yet quick version of the aerobic system, this method of energy supply can yeild energy for a max of 12 minutes. Yes, a professional fight is sceduled for 12 rounds at three minutes each (far more than 12 minutes) but the one minute rest breaks the rounds up into 3 minutes which is in the range for anaerobic energy supply. While is companion the anaerobic system is slow and thus cannot keep up to the intense pace of boxing, the aerobic system becomes the dominant energy supply especially in the earlier half of the fight where the aerobic system plays little to no role.

So how do you train the anaerobic system? Conditioning circuits are ideal. There are hundreds of options out there so will just give you a link: RossTraining - Bridging The Gap Between Ordinary and Extraordinary (best I've seen out there, geared to boxers)

It can't hurt, that's for sure. If your knees can't take the hard surfaces you do what you have to. Are lots of ways to get HIIT for cardio in. Not sure how the tabata protocol will work out on the bike, given the 20 sec full out, 10 sec rest deal x 8, but if you can pull it off or anything even similar, then sure. Imagine it will only benefit you.

I'd just try to have it on your lightest workout days of the week and allow for breaks for rest.

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Originally Posted by Youngblood

It can't hurt, that's for sure. If your knees can't take the hard surfaces you do what you have to. Are lots of ways to get HIIT for cardio in. Not sure how the tabata protocol will work out on the bike, given the 20 sec full out, 10 sec rest deal x 8, but if you can pull it off or anything even similar, then sure. Imagine it will only benefit you.

I'd just try to have it on your lightest workout days of the week and allow for breaks for rest.

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The tabata protocol was first tested on cycling, so the improvements seen from doing it 5 times a week are with cycling. If your running add approx 10% and you can expect that sort of improvement.

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Originally Posted by Salty

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Originally Posted by Youngblood

It can't hurt, that's for sure. If your knees can't take the hard surfaces you do what you have to. Are lots of ways to get HIIT for cardio in. Not sure how the tabata protocol will work out on the bike, given the 20 sec full out, 10 sec rest deal x 8, but if you can pull it off or anything even similar, then sure. Imagine it will only benefit you.

I'd just try to have it on your lightest workout days of the week and allow for breaks for rest.

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The tabata protocol was first tested on cycling, so the improvements seen from doing it 5 times a week are with cycling. If your running add approx 10% and you can expect that sort of improvement.

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Yea I got ya. Just not very familiar with an exercise bike. I knew it was intro'd for speedskaters, and just found an article suggesting some of the methods it recommends, and stationary bike is on there. For some reason in my head it I have a hard time imagining getting the 10 s rests in properly. Maybe because we have a real old one in our basement I tried to use a couple of times, and when you stop, the pedals keep going. lol Being even slightly off tho, given the nature of his workouts, is gonna be a great improvement in cardio.

Tabata intervals 3 days a week is not a bad idea, but doing it right after your boxing workout is. This isn't simply about your body's energy systems, it's about fatigue. Boxing training is hard work, and the aftereffects of it will last for some time afterward.

During Tabata's or other interval training protocols, you need to bring your heart rate down during the rest period (interval). If you do intense interval work after a hard boxing workout, your resting heart rate will be elevated and you will not be able to recover during the resting intervals. This results in an excess in fatigue aka over-training.

If you're going to follow your boxing workout with something, try low intensity cardio instead. Save tabata's and other high intensity interval training for when you're fresh and your resting heart rate is back to normal.

By the way I recommend getting a heart rate monitor, it's invaluable.

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Originally Posted by Chris Nagel

Tabata intervals 3 days a week is not a bad idea, but doing it right after your boxing workout is. This isn't simply about your body's energy systems, it's about fatigue. Boxing training is hard work, and the aftereffects of it will last for some time afterward.

During Tabata's or other interval training protocols, you need to bring your heart rate down during the rest period (interval). If you do intense interval work after a hard boxing workout, your resting heart rate will be elevated and you will not be able to recover during the resting intervals. This results in an excess in fatigue aka over-training.

If you're going to follow your boxing workout with something, try low intensity cardio instead. Save tabata's and other high intensity interval training for when you're fresh and your resting heart rate is back to normal.

By the way I recommend getting a heart rate monitor, it's invaluable.

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That is very true, but that is not the most intense boxing session out there. With a 10-15 min break I don't see why his heart rate would not have subsided to an adequate level before he could do the tabata's. I'm sure even a 5 min break would suffice.

It's just some words of caution. Anyways It'd be easy to find out by using a heart rate monitor. Check your resting heart rate before the exercise, and during the rest interval to see if it remains elevated. Much of the benefit of interval training is the recovery during the intervals.

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Originally Posted by Chris Nagel

It's just some words of caution. Anyways It'd be easy to find out by using a heart rate monitor. Check your resting heart rate before the exercise, and during the rest interval to see if it remains elevated. Much of the benefit of interval training is the recovery during the intervals.

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Cheers for the advice.

Ive done Tabata 2 days in a row, yesterday I didnt go hard enough so had another go tonight with more tension on the bike which seemed to do the trick.

I let my body and heart rate calm down before I did it. I dont think I am overtraining as I still have plenty of pop in my thighs, its just my upper body thats spent.

Wont do tabata tomorrow though as I will give my legs a rest just incase.

Alright, whatever you do just be careful and pay attention to how your body feels. Cut back the number of repetitions if you need to.