4 Your Health
The new craze that claims to get you fit in four minutes
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Think there's not enough time in the day to work out? Think again. There's a way to cut both the pounds, and the time it takes to lose them! Video by tmj4.com
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MILWAUKEE - Twenty seconds of high intensity jumping jacks, Followed by 10 seconds of rest, And twenty seconds of push-ups. Then do the same thing all over again-- three times.
In the end, it totals 4 minutes--and one hardcore workout!
It's called Tabata, and local trainer and tabata expert B.J. Gaddour swears by it. "Why people love tabata is it's short. You can do anything for 20 seconds."
Tabata can be any variety of moves done in 20 second intervals--combining upper and lower body exercises.
"That way you minimize cross-fatigue, keep the intesity really high and work your whole body," Gaddour explains.
We put our newsroom intern and Marquette student Robyn St. John to the test.
"I didn't think 4 minutes could do that!" she exclaims.
Robyn likes the convenience. She says, "On a college schedule that's pretty nice and doable, in between classes and things like that."
Gaddour suggests combining tabata with a regular fitness routine. "Four minutes for the average person is not enough to get in really really good shape, really lean, but you will get big cardio/metabolic benefit for sure."
Something to think about--the next time you have four minutes to spare.
Tabata originated in Japan in 1994, as a training exercise for the country's Olympic speed skating team.
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