The Tabata Protocol

[Q.]

From Mahler's Aggressive Strength Newsletter

Increase Cardio and burn more fat in less time with "The Tabata Protocol"

Recently, Dr. Tabata in Japan did a study in which he documented the
benefits of high intensity aerobic training. Dr Tabata found that a
protocol of 20 seconds of all out cardio followed by 10 seconds of
moderate cardio for a total of four minutes was just as effective as
forty-five minutes of moderate cardio. In addition, the Tabata Protocol
increased anaerobic conditioning as well while moderate cardio only
enhances aerobic capacity. Thus, the good news is that you do not have to
waste a lot of time doing boring forms of cardio to get into great shape.
You can choose instead to step it up a notch apply the Tabata Protocol to
your training a few times a week.

There are many forms of cardio that the Tabata Protocol can be applied to.
You can use an exercise bike, treadmill, or cross trainer. However, there
is another option that I really like. I call this option the Tabata Heavy
Bag Workout. Here is how it works, go all out for twenty seconds on a
heavy bag followed by ten seconds of jumping in place. Then go all out
again on the heavy bag for twenty seconds again. Go back and forth eight
times for a total of four minutes. Work up to twenty minutes 2-3 times a
week and your will be in incredible shape.

Be creative with the Tabata Protocol as the possibilities are endless. If
your primary goal is fat loss, then apply the Tabata Protocol three times
a week. Otherwise, two times a week will get the job done.

[Kaiser]

This was one of the studies cited in my titled VHIIT that was discussed on the MH board. I believe Craig Ballantyne turned me on to the concept of this 14 minute (including warm up and cool down) interval hell. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done in exercise (the other is 200 meter repeats to exhaustion).

[Jean-Paul]

I was going to say... Sounds an awful lot like HIIT.

[kuri]

I've done Tabata intervals with weights: example doing barbell squats then with only body weight.

Have also done sets of burpees with shadow boxing - good stuff!

Lots of ways to torture yourself with Tabata intervals. Must be one of those S&M freaks

[Craig]

I doubt there is anything magical about the 20 second interval length, and 10 second rest. At least, physiologically, there isn't anything magical.

The success of an interval program is simply based on hard work done by the individual.

Kaiser, to be honest, I don't remember seeing this study before...and I can't find the study now...Mr. Mahler wasn't able to provide me a copy.

If anyone has the original, please email it to me.

Thank you,

Craig

[Bill Hartman]

Uh, how could he write about it if he didn't have a copy of the study?? This was recently? 1997?

Here's just a couple from Tabata found on Pubmed:

Metabolic profile of high intensity intermittent exercises.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1997 Mar;29(3):390-5.
-I believe this one outlines the 20s/10s protocol.

Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996 Oct;28(10):1327-30.

He [Tabata] also has some interesting stuff that "proves" there's no such thing as anaerobic threshold for those of you into serious energy system training (just thinking about it makes my heart race and I get short of breath...I need a nap )

Bill

[Q.]

Originally posted by Bill Hartman:
Uh, how could he write about it if he didn't have a copy of the study?? This was recently? 1997?

ZING!!!!!!!!! Must be that lack of animal proteins in his diet that clouded his mind momentarily. Maybe he'd be better sticking to kettlebell training.

Originally posted by Bill Hartman:
He [Tabata] also has some interesting stuff that "proves" there's no such thing as anaerobic threshold for those of you into serious energy system training (just thinking about it makes my heart race and I get short of breath...I need a nap )

You crack me up!

[Kaiser]

Sorry Craig. If it wasn't you, then it was Lou. I'm pretty sure Mike or Alwyn wouldn't have given it to me, and it was one of your esteemed four.

[Craig]

or adam? He has at least one other short duration study (6 second intervals followed by 9 seconds rest)

Craig

[gregl515]

You might find it on www.cbass.com.

[Adam Campbell]

There was an interesting study that looked at differing interval durations on fat oxidation.

Christmass, M.A., Dawson, B., & Arthur, P.G. (1999). Effect of work and recovery duration on skeletal muscle oxygenation and fuel use during sustained intermittent exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 80, 436-447

After reading it, I was intrigued so I emailed the author. They did a followup study (you can do a search for it on PubMed) which he cites below, and he also sent me a paper that gave me similar info as to what he said in reply to my question. Here's the transcript:

AC: One of your findings (as I understand it) was that despite doing the same work, the shorter intervals with shorter rest periods burned 3 times more fat than the longer intervals combined with longer rest periods. What do you think the mechanism behind the increased fat oxidation is?

Is it because myoglobin stores of oxygen last only 5 to 15 seconds? (So longer intervals require more energy from carbohydrate, decreasing the total fat burned throughout the session.)

Study Author (Peter Arthur): This is what we thought initially, but when we followed up, we found that a pretraining session changed the relationship (see attached paper).* Consequently, we do not think that oxygen delivery is the key determinant (much to my surprise).* Frankly, I do not understand the relationship between the fat oxidation and carbohydrate oxidation in intermittent exercise.

If you are interested, we did write a short article (for a more general audience) on this and I can send it to you once I get approval from the coauthors.

Note: I will say that Dr. Arthur was very candid about not understaning the mechanism, as well as very gracious to reply and have the other paper sent to me. I would post it here, but I don't have permission. Sorry.

[Jean-Paul]

Adam,
If you get that permission, I would very much like to read that paper.

Out of curiosity, what is your opinion of Mike Mahler's article regarding the "tabata protocols?"

[Adam Campbell]

You're not missing anything with the paper. It's just layperson stuff for, "we don't really know why we got the results we got".

I haven't looked at the research behind the Tabata protocol--I just saw it in Mike's newsletter and on here. I'm a big fan of short duration, high-intensity exercise for a "cardio" workout and don't have much use for longer drawn out aerobic exercise except for those who enjoy doing it, are training for long duration events, or feel that it helps them relieve stress. Otherwise, I think you probably get a high percentage of the health and physiological benefits in a very short amount of time (including stress reduction) when exercise at high intensities.

Mike usually has interesting info in his newsletter.

[Q.]

From Sports Injury newsletter... sorta related - Q

Intensity vs volume for ageing athletes

For many years the conventional wisdom of exercise pundits was that more was better; that long, slow workouts were much more beneficial - for health and fitness - than short bursts of intense exertion.

For some time now the tide has been turning – and Peak Performance Newsletter has been in the vanguard of opinion-formers arguing that intensity is (often) more important than volume when training for a wide range of sports and events.

And it now seems that health as well as fitness benefits most from high-intensity exertion. Walking used to be recommended as a prophylactic against heart disease, but the latest research suggests that only vigorous activity is effective in reducing heart deaths.

The high-intensity-is-best theme is given a different slant in Peak Performane’s latest special issue on ageing and performance. In his lead article on how to maintain speed in the face of advancing age, John Shepherd points out that human growth hormone, which plays a crucial role in maintaining many aspects of fitness, including speed, is released in the body in direct proportion to the intensity of the exercise being performed.

Other strategies recommended by Shepherd for fending off the age-related decline in the various parameters of speed include:

• Hill training, which works to offset the typical reduction in stride length and increase in ground contact time;
• Weight training to offset the decline in fast twitch muscle fibres;
• Plyometric exercises for stride length and fast twitch maintenance;
• Creatine supplementation for enhanced muscle power.