Tabata Training – Short and Effective Workouts

Exercise: Tabata Training – Short and Effective Workouts

Tabata Training was developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata in Tokyo.

He figured out a way to get maximal anerobic and aerobic benefits from a short and simple workout which can be done with a variety of exercises. I like to use these as a short workout when I have limited time; Often doing 5-10 minutes of Tabata Protocol followed by some stretching.

20/10

Tabata training is simply doing an exercise for 20 seconds constantly then taking 10 seconds off before repeating the cycle for 8 cycles this means you can get a hugely effective workout in about 5 minutes per exercise. Which will test you not only aerobically but will build muscular endurance and size.

Proven Benefits

- A Hugely effective fat burner, due to effect on the metabolism.
- Release of Anabolic Hormones thanks to Lactic acid release in muscles.
- Short and Effective workouts are ideal for those who have limited time to workout.
- Can be done anywhere with anything from Crunches to Heavy Squats.

How to Get Started

Getting started with Tabata is easy you just need to pick and exercise and keep your eye on the clock the 20/10 intervals are a rough guideline so don’t sweat it if you rest for a second too long or do the exercise for 23 seconds instead of 20.

So long as you are roughly getting things right then you will be fine – Although do try to stick as closely as you can to 20 on 10 off as any other time limits are NOT Tabata Protocol and won’t be as effective.

Pick an Exercise which can either be a body weight movement like:

-Pushups
-Pull-ups
-Body weight Squats
-Dips
-Sprints

Or a Weighted Movement:

-Kettle Bell Swings
-Thrusters
-Squats
-Cleans

Whatever you choose simply go all out for 20 seconds. Take a 10 Second rest. Repeat 7 times. This will not only initiate a crazy burn in your muscles it will get your heart rate up making you feel like you have really worked your body. Beware though the first few times you do Tabata Training you will experience some severe soreness the next day.

An Ideal Tabata Workout would be 8-12 Minutes of Tabata and some stretching with relaxation (Breathing) this keeps the workout short and allows you to stretch out and relax the mind after the workout. Its perfect to do first thing in the morning with something like Pushups or Lunges.

One excellent way to ensure you get the benefits to fitness of tabata without your muscles giving up before the end is to cycle around different exercises for the 8 intervals. For example – do press-ups then squats then pull-ups then thrusters – then back to press-ups. Then your muscle groups get a rest in between but your lungs should still be working hard.

For single-exercise tabata, I have personally found the toughest of the lot to be:

Rowing machine

Burpees

Sprinting

If your not familiar with it give Tabata Protocol a go!

Exercise: The Power of Tabata training

Exercise: The Power of Tabata training

The Tabata protocol is a high-intensity training regimen that produces remarkable results.

A Tabata workout (also called a Tabata sequence) is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes. In a group context, you can keep score by counting how many lifts/jumps/whatever you do in each of the 20 second rounds. The round with the smallest number is your score.

Credit for this simple and powerful training method belongs to its namesake, Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Their groundbreaking 1996 study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, provided documented evidence concerning the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity intermittent training.

After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity in his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen (V02Max). These results were witnessed in already physically fit athletes. The conclusion was that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

Although Dr. Tabata used a mechanically braked exercise cycle machine, you can apply this protocol to almost any exercise. For example, a basic Tabata workout can be performed with sit-ups. The more muscles used the better, so use full knees-bent sit-ups. Sit-up non-stop for 20-second intervals, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat for a total of 8 cycles.

How effective can just 4 minutes of exercise be? ... Very. You will be amazed at how intense the four minutes of exercise will feel. The intervals tax both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. To be clear, this isn't "eight sets of eight," although the goal of doing eight reps in each of the 20-second clusters is about right. Instead it's "as many reps as I can get in" during the twenty seconds, followed by ten seconds rest.

It helps to be able to see a wall clock with a second hand during your four minutes of fun. Stop at twenty seconds, rest ten seconds, and go again. Watching the clock helps with your focus and also in keeping count of the eight cycles.

Here is a longer Tabata workout example. This workout consists of 4 separate Tabata Intervals, each 4 minutes. The total workout will last 16 minutes. Always begin with a moderate warm-up and cool down session. And if you are not already in good shape, check with a doctor before trying.

* Jump Rope
* Pushups
* Squats
* Chin-ups or Pull-ups

Note the 10-second rest periods in the Tabata workout are important, both physically and mentally. Not only do they allow partial recovery, they also provide psychological relief.

Switching back and forth from work to rest makes the workout go quickly. Plus, it allows you to train at a higher level of intensity, which what intervals are all about.

Another good exercise for Tabatas is the "squat thruster." The squat thruster is one of the great lifts being made popular by organizations such as CrossFit. Take two dumbbells and hold them at shoulder height. Squat down, pushing your rear-end back, keeping the dumbbells on the shoulders. As you rise up, press the bells to the overhead lockout position. You can either press as you rise or use the momentum to help "kick" the bells overhead.

Keep your weight in your heals and go light! A 25 pound dumbbell in each hand is a very difficult thruster workout!

Pretty much any form of cardiovascular exercise that uses a large number of muscles can be tailored to fit Tabata interval workouts, so feel free to be creative. In addition to the exercises mentioned above, use them with sprints, burpees, a jump rope, the heavy bag, treadmill or rowing machine.

Lessen the likelihood of injury by choosing a rate of intensity suited to your level of conditioning - be conservative. Incorporate variety into your Tabata workouts. A few sessions per week will offer plenty of intensity

Intermittent Fasting: Amazing health benefits

Intermitent Fasting: Amazing health benefits

Intermittent fasting and calorie restriction are two ways of reducing your calorie intake to obtain health benefits (1).

Intermittant fasting might be accomplished by eating every other day, for example, while calorie restriction means eating every day, but eating less. In both cases, you have to make sure your intake of micronutrients is optimal, and your physician agrees, as for any sane dietary choice.

On the scientific side:
Both calorie restriction and intermittent fasting produce significant health and longevity benefits in shorter-lived mammals such as mice, and at least significant health benefits in primates, including humans.

Far more research has been accomplished for calorie restriction, and uncertainty remains as to whether intermittent fasting is as good, definitely increases longevity, has a preferred method of practice, or whether it could even be harmful to long-term health if done incorrectly.

It seems plausible that calorie restriction and intermittent fasting produce their benefits in similar but different ways, based on research in lower animals, but I know of no research confirming this in mammals.

From the point of view of actively practicing either intermittent fasting or calorie restriction, intermittent fasting is much easier for anyone whose eating habits interact with those of other people, or who is already fairly set in his ways with good dietary habits.

You just don't eat some days - very simple, and few other changes to the routines of life are needed.

Starting to practice calorie restriction, on the other hand, requires greater effort and more thought in terms of changing your diet. It's not hard, especially given the good resources available to walk you through the obvious pitfalls, but it isn't as simple as just saying "I'm not eating right now."

So the traditional trade-off in labor and knowledge:
Intermittent fasting is usually much easier to introduce into your life, but has far less scientific support or a body of research to indicate the optimum methodology.
Calorie restriction requires more initiative to organize, but has a great weight of science backing it up, and a wide range of resources based on decades of practical experience.
Given what I know of human nature, I suspect that intermittent fasting will rapidly become more popular than calorie restriction as soon as it accumulates a little more research in mammals than presently exists.

(1)Beneficial effects of intermittent fasting and caloric restriction on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems

by Mattson MP, Wan R. Laboratory of Neurosciences,

National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program,

Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. mattsonm@grc.nia.nih.govJ Nutr Biochem. 2005 Mar;16(3):129-37.

ABSTRACT

Intermittent fasting (IF; reduced meal frequency) and caloric restriction (CR) extend lifespan and increase resistance to age-related diseases in rodents and monkeys and improve the health of overweight humans. Both IF and CR enhance cardiovascular and brain functions and improve several risk factors for coronary artery disease and stroke including a reduction in blood pressure and increased insulin sensitivity.

Cardiovascular stress adaptation is improved and heart rate variability is increased in rodents maintained on an IF or a CR diet. Moreover, rodents maintained on an IF regimen exhibit increased resistance of heart and brain cells to ischemic injury in experimental models of myocardial infarction and stroke.

The beneficial effects of IF and CR result from at least two mechanisms--reduced oxidative damage and increased cellular stress resistance. Recent findings suggest that some of the beneficial effects of IF on both the cardiovascular system and the brain are mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in the brain. Interestingly, cellular and molecular effects of IF and CR on the cardiovascular system and the brain are similar to those of regular physical exercise, suggesting shared mechanisms.

A better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which IF and CR affect the blood vessels and heart and brain cells will likely lead to novel preventative and therapeutic strategies for extending health span.

Exercise: Cardio that burns Belly Fat Fast!

Exercise: Cardio That Burns Belly Fat - Cardio Workouts


Everyone knows that cardio burns belly fat. But still most people who do cardiovascular workouts fail to get real results, even if they exercise for hours each week.

The reason is that all cardio is not made equal. If you want to get real results, you need to focus on maximum fat burning cardio workouts and do them in a way that helps you achieve optimal results.

Here are 2 tips:

1. Focus on the the kind of workouts which tend to be more intensive as these workouts will generally burn more fat faster in a shorter time, allowing you to spend less time at the gym and still achieve better results.

Some of these workouts include:

Running
Rowing
Kickboxing
Spinning
Rock climbing (also a strength workout)

Some of the less effective workouts (which are still better than nothing) are:

The elliptical machine
Walking at a slow pace
stationary bike riding (if not spinning)

A good way to increase results is to change your workouts from time to time so that your body doesn't get used to a specific workout.

2. When you do your workouts, you need to do them as intensively and as time efficient as possible. The old belief that the longer you do cardio the better is obsolete. You need to focus on making the most of your time and this means that you need to work hard.

For your cardio to burn belly fat, you should make each workout count. The best way to do that is to do interval training. This means that you change the pace and intensity of the workout you do every few minutes.
For instance, you can sprint for one moment, walk the next, run at a medium pace the following moment and so on. After all, you can't sprint for 10 minutes straight, so changing your pace allows you to sprint at high intensity, and still be able to do a long enough workout to burn off fat.

The kind of cardio that burns the most belly fat fast, combine high intensity workouts with interval training. You will get the best results.

Explosive Cardio Workout

If you are looking for a way to gain superior cardiovascular fitness then you have got to attempt the following workout.

The old mindset of "cardio" being thought of as only "aerobic in nature" is thrown out the window right here. Keep reading to learn what I am talking about.

First of all, if you want to achieve REAL cardiovascular fitness then you have got to ramp up your intensity. Cardiovascular training doesn't only consist of "aerobic" training.

For this workout you will need 2 items. You will need a set of stairs or bleachers and a single barbell or a pair of dumbells of moderately heavy resistance.
Start out the drill on flat ground with the barbell.

Squat and pick up the bell with both hands.
Next perform a series of double-arm overhead swings for 30 repetitions.

As soon as you are finished set the barbell down and sprint up the flight of stairs or bleachers. Try to sprint a height of about 2 to 3 stories if possible. If the bleachers or stairs you are using are less than the recommended height then sprint more times. Learn to manage with what you have.

This is a great barbell cardio workout. By combining both of these drills you stand to make some serious gains in your cardiovascular fitness.

Trust me, if you want to step up your cardiovascular conditioning then you have got to step up your cardiovascular exercise! Train hard and give it a try!

The Way You Eat Affect Your Risk for Breast Cancer

The Way You Eat Affect Your Risk for Breast Cancer

How you eat may be just as important as how much you eat, if mice studies are any clue.

Cancer researchers have long studied the role of diet on breast cancer risk, but results to date have been mixed. New findings published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest the method by which calories are restricted may be more important for cancer protection than the actual overall degree of calorie restriction.

“Understanding how calorie restriction provides protection against the development of mammary tumors should help us identify pathways that could be targeted for chemoprevention studies,” said Margot P. Cleary, Ph.D., professor at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota.

“Further identification of serum factors that are involved in tumor development would possibly provide a way to identify at risk individuals and target interventions to these people.”

Previous studies have shown that intermittent calorie restriction provided greater protection from mammary tumor development than did the same overall degree of restriction, which was implemented in a chronic fashion. The researchers compared changes of a growth factor (IGF-1) in relationship to these two calorie restriction methods — chronic and intermittent — and tumor development beginning in 10-week old female mice at risk to develop mammary tumors. Their hope was to explain why intermittent restriction is more effective.

The overall degree of restriction was 25 percent reduction compared to control mice. Mammary tumor incidence was 71 percent in the control mice who ate the amount of food they wanted, 35 percent among those who were chronically restricted and only nine percent in those who intermittently restricted calories.

The researchers were initially surprised by these findings for several reasons. First, the prevailing wisdom is that the degree of protection from calorie restriction is proportional to the degree of mammary tumor prevention. Second, they originally thought that intermittent calorie restriction might enhance tumor growth due to growth factors being secreted in response to re-feeding, Cleary said.

In an accompanying editorial also published in Cancer Prevention Research, Michael Pollak, M.D., stated that some major challenges of pharmacologic approaches to cancer prevention and/or treatment include defining the underlying causes and determining the relevance of these caloric restriction methods.
Pollak is professor of oncology at McGill University and director of the Cancer Prevention Center at the Jewish General Hospital, both in Montreal.

This study “contributes to accumulating evidence that caloric restriction acts by altering hormone levels rather than by directly starving cancers of energy. In particular, lower levels of insulin are associated with reduced food intake, and this may be protective,” said Pollak, who is also an editorial board member for Cancer Prevention Research.

In the editorial Pollak wrote: “there is reason for concern that the ‘obesity epidemic’ may lead to an increased prevalence of a hormonal profile associated with elevated cancer risk and/or an adverse cancer prognosis. Therefore, in addition to its well-known general health benefits, maintaining an ideal body weight is also important in the specific contexts of cancer prevention and improving the prognosis of cancer patients.”

Based on varied findings from clinical trials, Pollak suggested that lifestyle and pharmacologic methods to reduce IGF-1 and insulin deserve ongoing investigations. Cleary agreed, stating that these results may provide interest to more aggressively pursue cancer prevention studies related to calorie restriction.

“Humans frequently regain lost weight discouraging the application of calorie restriction protocols for disease prevention,” she said. “We hope these studies will identify biomarkers and/or pathways that could be used in human studies to determine agents that would mimic calorie restriction.”

Additional Resources:
Subscribe to the Cancer Prevention Research RSS feed: http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/rss/recent.xml

Fat Loss Every 10 Days - Getting Rid of Love Handles

Exercises: Fat Loss Every 10 Days - Getting Rid of Love Handles

Would you like to know more information on getting rid of love handles? Do you want to have a flat tummy and have a slimmer body without spending too much cash or even going through a painful surgery? I'm pretty sure you do. These might sound quite possible but if you try to follow these helpful tips, you'll be getting rid of love handles the soonest possible time.

Tip # 1: Try to do cardio and weight training

Getting rid of love handles will be much easier if you will try to do some cardiovascular exercise and also weight training.
You must try to do some cadio exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. In this way, you will burn more calories and you will surely lose more weight and will help you get rid of those love handles that make you look fat.

Tip # 2: Avoid eating foods that are high in calory.

If you will make yourself focus to the fact that you want to be healthy , then you should always keep in mind to avoid eating fatty foods. Getting rid of love handles will be made possible if you will stop eating foods that are high in calories and also try to avoid beverages that are rich in caffeine and those that are too sweet. This will only make you even more fat.

Tip # 3: Eat low carb veggies and fruits.

Getting rid of love handles will be considered an easy thing to do if you will try eating low carb vegetables and fruits. You will not only make yourself healthy but at the same time it help you a lot in losing those love handles. This is a very healthy way of losing those unwanted body fat.Looking good and getting rid of love handles might sound quite impossible, but believe me if you will be able to follow these tips, you will find it very easy to lose weight without spending a lot of money. I hope that you will look good and feel good sooner than you expected. You deserve it! Good Luck!

Exercise and Rehabilitate using Isometric Exercise

Exercise and rehabilitate using Isometric Exercise

Isometric exercises have been used for rehabilitation of joints and muscles for some time now. The benefit of doing isometrics as opposed to using weights is that isometrics are done in a fixed position so no movement takes place, and there is no weight bearing taking place.

These exercises can be safely done daily and no special equipment is required. For shoulder rehabilitation for example, you can push into a wall like you are doing push-ups in the standing position for 5 to 10 seconds. Side lateral raises can be done against a wall also, standing sideways to a wall just try to raise your arm outward against the wall. Depending on the injury, you should apply as much pressure as you feel you can do.

When performing isometrics you can do pushing and pulling movements. They can be done against a wall, doorway, sitting in a chair or any other situation you can think of. Also you may want to train the muscle from two or three positions so you can gain strength for more of the range of motion.

There is nothing exciting about doing isometrics but they do have their benefits. Those benefits are primarily for rehabilitation but now they are being used more frequently for regular strength building. Being that it is a non weight bearing exercise it can be done on off days or light workout days as a supplemental weight training workout. For medical rehabilitation, your doctor can prescribe a set of workouts for you or if you just want to take it easy from your regular workouts you can try them on your own.

How do You do Isometric Exercises?

Isometric exercises are simple to do, for the chest place the palms of your hands together out in front of you. Push them together hard till you feel the tension in your chest. If you push hard enough you will start to shake a little, hold for five seconds or more. Vary the position you hold your hands in front of you to target the chest from different angles.

For your back you can place your hands palms down on a table and push down hard, you can feel the tension in the back. Again vary the position of the hands on the table to target the different muscle groups of the back.

For your biceps place your palms together one on top of the other in front of you and push together, alternate hands.If you do these from different angles you can give your muscles a more varied workout. You are only limited to your imagination as to what you can do for exercises, try anything.

Isometric Exercise for the Abs

You can effectively develop stronger abs by doing various isometric exercises.

Strengthening your abs or core will help stabilize your body and may relieve some back problems. Your abs and mid section are put into action in most of the movements you make. You have layers of abominable muscle that each have different functions.

The muscles at the outer layer assist with your movement while the deeper muscles help support the spine.

If you have not tried the Plank, your missing out on a good core exercise. It's simple to do, just lay face down while holding your self up on your toes and your forearms. You must keep your back as straight as possible and concentrate on pulling your stomach muscles in. It may not be comfortable at first and try to hold for a few second at least.

As you get stronger, you will find that you can hold the plank position for 30 seconds or more.If this is difficult for you to do you can support yourself on your knees instead of your toes. As you get stronger try to move to the toes.

Isometric Exercise Done With a Stick

Have you tried using a stick or broom handle to do your isometric exercises? Using a tool like this can add another dimension to your routine. You can use a stick by simply holding it in your hands and pushing and pulling with it in front of you, behind you and over your head.

Vary the distance between your hands from close together to far apart to hit the muscles at different angles. Try placing one end of the stick on the ground in front of you and pushing down on it with both hands or each hand separately, this will target your back and your abs. There are many ways you can do isometric exercises like this. You should hold each movement for at least 7 seconds.