Dumbasses arguing about running.

[VictorCharlie]

Anyone heard of tabata sprints?

Iv been researching a bit and tried them yesterday. They are absolutely brutal

Im going to keep them up, apparently much better for fitness than normal runs or even hill runs. Wish my coaches years ago knew about all this stuff!

20 seconds of flat out sprinting, then 10 second rest and repeat 8 times and thats a total of 4 minutes training which a Japanese scientist studied people doing 1 hour a day moderately a, 5 days a week compared to those doing the same days but only the 4 minutes. He found the ones doing the short sprints were fitter. Also better for burning fat.

I am quite unfit at the moment and only managed 3 before I didnt want to do anymore! Thats only just over a minute!

It is recomended doing 4 minutes jogging warm up, then the sprint intervals, then 4 minutes jogging as a warm down. So an awesome training session in less than 15 minutes!

Tabatas are great. You can use the concept with just about any exercise though. I rarely vomit from working out but occasionally doing a squat work out tabata style will purge me.

[ross]

Yeah, I can imagine squats tabata style would be a killer!

The good thing with the sprints though is the lung capacity it creates. Not sure youd get that with the squats.

Id like to do the sprints tabata style, then do pad work tabata style too. Maybe even a few minutes after the sprints! Id do basic straight punches for the first 20 seconds then uppercut/hooks for the next and alternate those shots. Like I say, I wish id found out about these years ago

[AdamGB]

Yup, been doing them with my clients for yonks... a good way to get some time efficient cardio in if they have varied goals to work on in one session.

It's funny, when I get guys first doing them... they're not too sure... it can be easy for the first couple 20s... then bang! it hits you.

Great on the sledgehammer/with battling rope.

Squats... I don't know... it would depend on the resistance and temp... scissor lunges/squat jumps/burpee varietys can be pretty good though

I find them a bit impractical for sprinting, I'd much rather vary the incline/distance of the sprint and the pace that you 'jog' back to the start.

As long as you're putting max effort into the sprint and the over all time it takes to do a set of them is decreasing you're OK. It's quite hard to time yourself sprinting!

Tabatas are great on a rowing machine, I'll usually use them if I'm doing a boring ten a penny gym induction to introduce the member to something new, you need to modify the work to rest ratio depending on their fitness though.

[Master]

tabata sprints 20 seconds and 10 seconds rest must be brutal, I can do 10 second sprints 2 minute rest, 15 times. Death.

[ross]

With the squats its just body weight.

The thing with tabatas is its just maximum effort for 20 seconds, even if it means your only just jogging, which I imagine ill be doing on the 8 th set the first time I reach it

Theres no bettering distance or time involved, just as hard as you can for 20 seconds.

As for timing them, there is a little stopwatch gadget you can get for about 15 quid off ebay called a gymboss. I think it was actually made for tabata training.

[Master]

I use to run around a football pitch and sprint the width. When I finished off the session I would sprint the length of the pitch, very tiring but felt great walking back home, pumped up.