If you have been following any of the fitness gurus over the last 12 months then you will no doubt have seen them talking about Tabata workouts. People like Rick Andreoli Montreal have been highly vocal about the benefits which this interval training can have and it is a wonderful way to help you to stay in shape. Tabata uses a simple routine which sees you perform an exercise for 20 seconds before having a 10 second break and then going again, for a total of 8×20 seconds. The exercise which you do can vary and these are some of the best options.
Plank
A plank is a tough yet highly effective workout which really helps to strengthen your core. To perform the plank lie face down and place your elbows on the floor at chest height. Extend your feet to lift the body up as though you were going to carry out a press-up. Aim to keep your body straight and tense your abs, holding your buttocks in. This may not seem like much but after 20 seconds you will feel it start to burn.
Burpees
To really get the heart racing a burpee is a great option which will really take it out of you. Start from a standing position, jump to the floor and do a squat thrust, bringing the knees to the chest with your arms on the floor. After this jump back up to perform a star jump or a jumping Jack, before repeating. This will help you with strengthening of core and shoulders, as well as helping to burn calories.
Squat Punches
If you have difficulty with your mobility or you have a slight injury then it doesn’t make great sense to be overly active with your workouts. With this being said there are still many ways in which you can maintain your cardio and squat punches are a good way of doing just that. All you have to do is squat into a seated position, against a wall if you can, and then simply punch with your left arm then right, hitting an imaginary target in line with the center of your chest.
Ab Cycle
Sit-ups are a good way to tighten up those abdominals but so too is the ab cycle, a tough workout which will give you great results. To perform this exercise you simply need to lay down on your back and place your hands behind your head. Lift both feet straight up off the ground and then bring your right knee into your chest and lower your left elbow, before repeating on the other side. Ultimately you will be making cycling motion with your legs and this is going to greatly help with the side and the center of your abdominal muscles.
Remember, take one exercise for 20 seconds, a 10 second rest and then back for another 20 seconds until the session is complete. If you wish, you could also do 2 different exercises in the same session, to keep things interesting.
