Tabata Workouts For Martial Arts Fitness Training
To rapidly improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness is to use the Tabata protocol. This method takes just four minutes to complete but if done properly, it's four minutes you'll remember. The beauty is It's versatility, which will allow you to design the best Tabata workouts specific to your martial art.
The four minutes of the Tabata protocol is made up of eight sets of 20 seconds flat out effort followed by ten seconds rest. Sounds easy but the devil is in the detail. Each set of 20 seconds effort must be at full throttle. Nothing less will do!
Even at a flat out rate four minutes doesn't sound a lot, if done properly a Tabata set should leave you heaving for breath and sweaty. If you are able to talk on completion of the workout, you really need to up the pace. Intensity is the key. An assistant timing the rounds for you will ensure you are not distracted from working as intensely as possible. If you are clock watching you're simply not squeezing every little bit out of your reps.
If an assistant is not available an excellent alternative is a Tabata clock. I recommend the excellent and easy to use Gymboss Interval timer, which will easily cover your Tabata needs and a lot more too. There are free alternatives but in my honest opinion I'd fork out for the real deal, it's great value and can time much more than just Tabatas.
With a helper doing the timing, the Tabata protocol can be done properly, i.e. at a very high intensity, and is ideal for martial artists because you can practice a multitude of specific techniques within the routine. For example, your martial arts Tabata could use the heavy bag; so anything you practise on there can be in the workout.
Basing your Tabata workout around the heavy bag will give you a worthwhile four minutes of intense exercise. Each effort round could be a specific punch for one side of the body, or a kick. Certain techniques lend themselves to rapid fire execution on the heavy bag better than others; hooks verses uppercuts and round kicks verses side kicks. A little care in the selection of your techniques is a good idea.
Techniques can be combined with exercises such as press up and burpees and be alternated with heavy bag techniques for variety. It's entirely up to you, the versatility of the Tabata protocol can easily accommodate a combination.
Why not spice up your martial arts workouts by designing a Tabata session based on your martial art. You really do need to have someone time you to glean maximum benefits from your Tabata workout, however, if you train alone the Gymboss timer can save you. So what's stopping you?
About the Author
The author has trained in the martial arts for many years and loves the Tabata protocol for its versatility. Click through to this great hub, which will give you much more information on using it in martial arts http://hubpages.com/t/16e681 and if you haven't got someone to do the timing for you and you want to get the most out of your workouts the the Gymboss is what you need http://hubpages.com/hub/Gymboss-Timer-Review
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