“I also want to exercise, but I never have time!” This excuse is something we’ve all heard before, and maybe even said ourselves! However, maintaining an exercise routine in a busy daily life is not easy, but we shouldn’t let “no time” be the reason for being sedentary! To exercise and slim down, you don’t necessarily have to go to the gym or run outdoors. You can choose some home-friendly, efficient, and time-saving exercises, such as the popular 4-minute “Tabata workout” in recent years!
Short duration, high intensity exercise burns fat more effectively.
“Tabata Exercise” is a type of high-intensity interval training that can engage the most muscle groups and increase calorie expenditure in a short period of time. It is a combination of aerobic and anaerobic full-body exercise that can improve muscle strength and endurance. The exercise theory was created by Professor Izumi Tabata from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, with the aim of enhancing the performance of Olympic speed skaters. Professor Tabata conducted a study on this exercise, involving two groups of participants. One group performed short, high-intensity exercise, while the other group engaged in longer but less intense exercise. The results of this exercise study showed that individuals who engaged in short, high-intensity exercise achieved more significant results in reducing fat, building muscle, and improving cardiovascular endurance compared to the other group of participants!
Burns 13 calories per minute
As urbanites who value efficiency in everything, of course we also hope for the best results in our workouts! High-intensity “Tabata workouts” can burn more than 13 calories in just 1 minute. What’s even more inspiring about this workout is that the body continues to burn calories even after the workout is done, while also boosting metabolism! In addition to its significant effectiveness, the “Tabata workout” pattern is quite simple. The entire workout only consists of 4 main exercises, following a pattern of “exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds” as one set, then repeating each exercise for 2 sets, ultimately completing 8 sets of exercises within 4 minutes.
Different levels of Tabata exercises
When doing “Tabata workouts,” there is no need to use complex fitness equipment. You can choose basic or advanced movements based on your ability and exercise needs. Beginners can choose these basic movements:
(1) Quickly do push-ups
(2) High knees running in place
(3) Jumping jacks
(4) Push-ups at the fastest speed
As for those who want to challenge themselves with advanced difficulty, you can refer to the following movements:
(1) Squat jumps
(2) Use push-ups as a preparatory movement, bend each leg alternately until the knee touches the elbow
(3) Burpee exercise: start with a squat jump in place, then squat down and do a push-up, then jump up and do a jumping jack
(4) Alternate lunges with jumping movements
Must be accompanied by warm-up exercises
For those of you who are familiar with “Tabata exercise,” why not follow along during the days of staying at home to exercise and get rid of the “quarantine weight”! Of course, before exercising, remember to warm up first, and don’t forget to stretch properly after exercising. In addition, since “Tabata” is a high-intensity exercise, beginners or those who are not used to exercising should not challenge difficult movements at the beginning. It is important to gradually progress to avoid muscle strains, and to balance the exercise routine according to individual physical condition and health status.
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