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Tabata Weight Blast Workouts

Tabata Weight Blast Workouts

Another way to combine weights with HIIT for unreal results

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated May 8, 2024

When it comes to lifting weights, it's all about the number of sets and reps you do, not to mention the weight used.

But sometimes when the results seem to have hit a plateau, you need to think outside the box and break away from the typical line of thinking when it comes to weight lifting. That's why I constantly mix things things up with unique program like HIIT 100's and Alternating Rest Pause. And another way to take weight training outside the box, as well as take the muscle burn to new levels is Tabata Interval Training.

What is Tabata Interval Training?

It's a method of interval training where you alternate 20 seconds of exercise with 10 seconds of rest done for eight cycles in this fashion. Ad this style of interval training is not just for cardio. it can be adapted to ANY exercise for any muscle group. And leave it to me to design a Tabata interval weight training program that is so effective, yet so brutal, that you'll thank me while you're hating me.

Due to the extremely short rest periods and seemingly constant reps with Tabata Weight Blast Program, it's another perfect way to melt off fat.

Yet despite the lighter weight that you'll use, it can also take your muscle growth to new heights. Doing very high reps with light weight for short periods can help you blow pass plateaus and add some serious lean muscle.

If you're wondering what's up with the name Tabata Intervals, or Tabatas as they are known, it has to do with the Japanese scientist who designed them – Dr. Izumi Tabata.

He was actually looking for a way to better train athletes. The story goes that he was analyzing the training of the Japanese speed skating team, in an effort to enhance their performance. What he discovered was that when he had athletes perform eight cycles of these 20-second intervals followed by 10 seconds of rest they increased both their aerobic (endurance) capacity and their anaerobic (quick power) capacity – the two things that speed skaters need. In other words, whether you're an endurance athlete like a cyclist, or a power athlete like a weightlifter, Tabata offers you benefits because it trains both the major metabolic pathways that provide you endurance and those that provide you explosive energy. That's why so many athletes have taken to doing Tabata Intervals.

But how can Tabatas help you?

After all, you are likely not a competitive athlete, but more of a bodybuilder interested in gaining lean muscle for aesthetic purposes, not to mention greater strength. Well Tabata has multiple benefits for you too. Since it enhances endurance, it boosts your body's ability to burn more fat. And since it enhances explosive energy, the kind you use in a typical set of bench presses, it can help you get more reps with a given weight, or use more weight to get a given number of reps. And that not only crosses over to more strength, but also more muscle growth, since a greater overload on the muscle results in greater growth. And the benefits won't end there. Because you are doing fairly high reps and taken very short rest periods between sets, you'll increase the amount of blood vessels you have feeding your muscle fibers. This help to get more nutrients, oxygen and anabolic hormones to your muscles, which means they'll have more energy during workouts and better recovery and growth after the workout's over. And the best benefit of all may be the fact that because you are essentially training anaerobically and aerobically with Tabatas, you can nix the cardio if you want to. Or really maximize fat burning and add about 4-8 full body exercises at the end of each Tabata Weight Blast Workout. Of course you will do these full-body exercies Tabata style. Good exercises to choose from are:

>Push-ups

>Cleans (barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell)

>Snatches (barbell, kettlebell, or dumbbell)

>Kettlebell Swings

>Lunges (walking or stationary)

>Dead Landmines

>Med Ball Overhead Throw

>Med Ball Underhand Throw

>Med Ball Slam

>Band Woodchopper (alternate sides on each set)

>Band Roundhouse Elbow (alternate sides on each set)

>Heavy Bag Work

>Burpees

>Dead/Curl/Press

This Tabata program will have you doing several exercises per body part in Tabata fashion.

You will be doing 2-4 exercises per muscle group. Each exercise is done for eight sets of 20 seconds, getting as many reps as possible in those 20 seconds. You rest only 10 seconds between the 20-second sets. Once you've completed 8 sets you'll rest 1-2 minutes (or if you have a training partner, you'll rest the 4 minutes it takes him to complete his 8 sets) and then do the same on the next exercise. If you have a training partner, they can time you on your 20-second sets and 10-second rest periods. If you train solo then the timing can get tricky. I suggest you try the Gym Boss. It allows you to set interval times and it beeps to let you know when the 20-second set is over. You can download their App or Click on the link below for Gym Boss:

http://www.gymboss.com/

It will take some trial and error to select the proper weight for each exercise.

I suggest you start very light as you can work up in weight each week. If you find a weight that allows you to complete 20 seconds of reps for the first 5 or 6 sets but you can not do the full 20 seconds on the last two or three sets, you can stick with that weight. This way you can set a goal to complete the 20 seconds of reps for all eight sets before you move on to a heavier weight. Each week that your follow the Tabata Weight Blast Program, your goal should be to increase the weight you use, or the number of reps you complete in those 4 minutes.

I suggest you follow my Tabata Weight Blast Program for about 3-6 weeks before returning to a more normal style of straight-set training.

Then come back to it as you see fit every few months.

Did you say diet?

Iknow that one of the more popular questions that I am going to get on Twitter and Facebook regarding my Tabata Weight Blast Program is what diet to follow. That depends on your goals and your starting point. Let's start with those looking to maximize fat loss. I suggest you head right to my Dieting 101 article and digest that (pun intended). If you aren't on a solid diet then that article teaches you how to design your own for maximizing fat loss in the long run and building the most muscle and strength while you burn off the body fat. If you are already in diet mode, such as, if you are coming off of one of my other "get lean" programs like Supper Shredded 8, just pick up where you currently are and the Dieting 101 article will show you how to continue the diet for better fat loss. For example, if you are already down to 0.5 grams of carbs per pound of body fat, find that section in the Dieting 101 article and follow from there the steps to progress your fat loss. Click on the link below for my Dieting 101 article:

https://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/dieting-101?preview

For those who want to focus more on lean muscle gain and building more muscle endurance (which Tabata is great for), then something similar to the mass gain focus diet of my Shortcut To Size/Micro Muscle program, or my Super-Man program. I also highly suggest that you read these nutrition rules for building muscle while minimizing body fat:

https://www.jimstoppani.com/home/articles/jims-updated-muscle-building-nutrition?preview