No Excuses Interval Workout

This Article was recently published on Health Your Way Online

The Holidays are fast approaching and no matter how much you plan, organize and think ahead, this time of year is always hectic. Family get-togethers, your kids activities, work parties and shopping all throw a wrench in your every day schedule. Everything gets chaotic and  usually your workout is the first thing pushed aside – BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO! The best way to make sure you still get your workout into the schedule, is to have one that can be done quickly and can be done anywhere! A workout that is fast and only requires your body eliminates 100% of the excuses. And that workout is called TABATA. 20 seconds all out work, 10 seconds rest, 8 times through for a total of 4 MINUTES!!!! And one of the best things about TABATA workouts is that, if done correctly, can burn calories for hours after you finish your workout.

THE EXERCISES

During a tabata you can use any exercise you like, but the following is a list of body weight only exercises. Pick 1, 2, 4, or 8 of these to create your own tabata. Mix and match to create 8 rounds. Just make sure to do them as intensely as you can with good form.

Squats (regular, prisoner, side to side, jump)

Lunges (regular, static, forward, backward, side to side, jump)

Burpees

Inchworms

Mountain Climbers (regular, cross body, spiderman)

Frog Jumps (Forward/Backwards Jumps while staying low)

Jumping Jacks (regular, low or plyo)

Plank Jacks

Skater Lunges

Pushups (regular, tricep, spiderman)

Up Down Planks

Now put your exercises together to create your own tabata or tabatas for a fast and efficient workout! The workout can consist of 1-5 tabatas depending on how much time you have. Make sure to warm up with 5 minutes of low intensity activity before hand to get the body ready for the intense work. Rest 1-2 minutes between tabatas.

Example tabata: