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What is Tabata | Your Ticket to Cardio Health and Muscular Gains!

What is Tabata | Your Ticket to Cardio Health and Muscular Gains!

What is Tabata? Tabata is the most intense form of cardio you can do while still rendering it effective from a recovery standpoint, period. Sure, you can do cardio longer, you can do cardio more intense for less time, but in my opinion, Tabata is the perfect balance of time, intensity and recovery.

Basically, it not only improves your aerobic system more than traditional aerobic exercise, it increases your anaerobic system dramatically, almost 30%!

Related: Choosing the Best Cardio Workout for You

So you're telling me that those in fear of losing gains can rest assured that doing Tabata will not only help them have a healthy heart, burn more calories and mimic long bouts of cardio systemically, but can also help you build more lean mass?

What is Tabata? It is your ticket to lean mass gains, period!

The original study was done in the early 1990's on amateur athletic males in their mid-20's. There were two groups.

Using an Ergometer (exercise bike), group 1 pedaled for sixty minutes at a moderate intensity, which is 70% of VO2 max. Think of this as a casual jog.

Group 2 pedaled for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 total minutes at beyond maximal effort. This means pushing beyond limits, or as I say, going 120%!

Four minutes of Tabata had the SAME EFFECT as 60 minutes of jogging on the aerobic system! Plus, the 28% increase found in MUSCLE or anaerobic capacity is just icing on the cake.

As an EXOS Phase 1 Trainer, I use this protocol on all of my athletes and my own children to finish all sessions as their ESD, or Energy Systems Development. Every weight training session I complete is not final until I do my four minutes of Tabata on the exercise bike, HARD.

The quad pump is surreal. This depletes the body of all glycogen and lactic acid rushes to the areas being worked. When doing field work, I love to do sleds and battling ropes.

See my demonstration and explanation of Tabata HERE!


What is Tabata? | Marc Lobliner example Tabata workout Energy Systems Development (ESD)

How to Incorporate Tabata

So how do you incorporate it?

Post-workout, do this EVERY TIME and it will replace that long, BORING cardio! If you need extra cardio during a cutting phase to burn fat, do that separate from your weights and Tabata.

For example, cardio at 7am, weights and Tabata after work at 5pm. It can be as simple as:
  • Get on a stationary bike
  • Go BEYOND HARD for 20 seconds
  • Rest for 10 seconds
  • Repeat until 8 rounds of this, or 4 minutes

This will not work on a treadmill since you cannot start fast enough. An elliptical will work, a step mill? Well, maybe. I'd be afraid to fall off!

Tabata for For Athletes

After every conditioning session, do Tabata. If you practice agility, do Tabata. If you practice linear mobility, do Tabata. If you practice strength?. you get the point.

Nutrition

Post Tabata, glycogen is GONE, lactic acid is SKY HIGH. Your body is in need of nutrients not only for recovery but also to drive the nutrients into the muscle.

Carb 10

Click here to order Carb 10 now.

My post-Tabata protocol is VERY important in my opinion to maximize recovery and results. So my simple protocol is to be taken IMMEDIATELY after the workout commencing Tabata:

The carb source is vitally critical since the low molecular weight of the Carb 10 will get into your muscles fast without the deleterious insulin effects. It is the PERFECT carb for this application and the MTS Whey will be rushed into the muscles. This is a super-anabolic time!

Putting it all together

I never do this, but I guarantee you will see body composition changes you've never imagined and you will feel healthy as f#ck! How do I know? I tried it myself and if you have been following me on Instagram (@marclobliner ) you know I am loving this protocol!

Try it now and comment down below once you have, I am excited to hear about your gains! Because getting cardio done in 4 minutes and making cardio and muscle gains at the same damn time, that's not a game!
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