Tabata Intervals

I have put a few of my clients through some Tabata Intervals lately so thought i would post up a bit more information about them as they are an amazing way of iliciting a response from the body. Plus, it confirms that im not just being mean by making people do the worst thing i could conjure up! :)

The Tabata protocol is a high-intensity training regimen that produces remarkable results. A Tabata workout (also called a Tabata sequence) is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes. You can keep score by counting how many lifts/jumps/whatever you do in each of the 20 second rounds. The round with the smallest number is your score.

Credit for this simple and powerful training method belongs to its namesake, Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Their groundbreaking 1996 study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, provided documented evidence concerning the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity intermittent training. After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity in his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen (V02Max). These results were witnessed in already physically fit athletes. The conclusion was that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

Although Dr. Tabata used a mechanically braked exercise cycle machine, you can apply this protocol to almost any exercise. For example, a basic Tabata workout can be performed with sit-ups. The more muscles used the better, so use full knees-bent sit-ups. Sit-up non-stop for 20-second intervals, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat for a total of 8 cycles. Bodyweight squats are another great one to use. If you dont mind your legs feeling like jelly for a few hours afterwards!

How effective can just 4 minutes of exercise be? ... Very. You will be amazed at how intense the four minutes of exercise will feel. The intervals tax both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. To be clear, this isn't "eight sets of eight," although the goal of doing eight reps in each of the 20-second clusters is about right. Instead it's "as many reps as I can get in" during the twenty seconds, followed by ten seconds rest.

To make things even more intense a great combined Tabata workout would be Tabata intevals done on four exercises without rest. Eg Squats, press ups, pull ups and sit ups. A total time of 16 minutes and one hell of a full body workout. Try it to see what i mean.

Over time and with practice you will get your numbers for each exercise up and this is a great measure of improving fitness and strength.

You wouldnt want to do Tabata work every session but a couple of times a week will provide plenty of stimulus to perhaps kick you through that plateau.

HALF PRICE SESSIONS - Week of 24th May

This weeks half price session slots are:

Thursday 27th May @ 3.30pm
Friday 28th May @ 3.00pm

Follow the instructions below if you can make it:

Go to:
http://www.club-training.com/and click on the "1/2 price sessions" blue box on the left of the screen.
Then on the next screen click on "Trainer Profile" and type in my name
"David Draper" and search.The available appointments will then appear.
Click on the one you want, and then click "Book This Session".
It will then ask you to sign in or sign up depending on if you have done so or not.
Thats it! You get a a full hours PT session at HALF PRICE!

Beetroot Juice!

Apparently beetroot juice is natures own energy drink - boosting stamina by making our muscles more fuel efficient. Or so says The Metro last week.

Drinking a pint a day for one week enabled test subjects to cycle 16% longer than before they drank it. This is due to the boost in nitrates in the test subjects blood which cut the rate at which the muscles used up energy and oxygen. The muscles chief energy source - adenosine triphosphate or ATP - was used up slower after drinking the purple stuff!

I have not ever tried beetroot juice but i have been told its not that nice! Could be worth a go!

(Findings are published in the Journal of Applied Physiology)

Muscle Building Supplement Stack

Check this webpage out for a great combo of supplements in one stack. Good for pre/post workout and rest days it really has all your bases covered and will last approx 1 month. It looks like an amazing deal. And their products taste GOOD too!! Im amazed they can sell all this for that price!

http://www.myprotein.co.uk/products/24/7_muscle_stack1?utm_source=SMART&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=479

Remember to use discount code MP139693 to get an extra 5% off.

Dave

Bikram 'Hot' Yoga

For any of you that are interested in Bikram yoga, there is a new studio that has just opened up (well its 3 months old!) on North Street opposite New Road (where the theater is).

I have just been to my first class tonight and loved it! I have done normal yoga on and off over the years and have always been a big fan of all of its benefits but never found anywhere that convienient to work or home. Now i have no excuse as its just round the corner from LA Fitness!
Bikram yoga is a series of 26 positions performed in a heated room. And its this that makes it so demanding. After 90 minutes of hard work and sweating intensely you feel energised (and a little bit strange the first few times i might add!). With the room being so hot you can really push yourself to get into the stretches and feel your flexibility increasing so quickly.

Ask me for any more details or go check it out yourself. Tell them that I sent you too as they might be setting up a trainer / client package of some sort. They also have a lot of classes on everyday so you should be able to find a time that suits you.

:)

Stability Ball Crunches

Here is the standard stability ball crunch. One that I'm sure a lot of you have done before but still a very effective one if done correctly. It all depends on the position of the ball under your back. The further up your back the ball is the easier the crunch will be. The nearer your hips the ball is the harder it will be as more of you will be leaning off the ball. Keep the core muscles 'engaged' throughout the crunches, that is pull your tummy button in toward your spine and tense. And hold a medicine ball or small weight to increase the difficulty if you need to.
You should feel these after 3 sets of 15 reps. If you cant, change the position of the ball to make it harder!

Side Planks

This is one of the best exercises you can do to target those 'love handles'. It really hits the obliques but will work the entire core musculature too. Ensure that you stay in a nice straight line whilst holding the position so that your head, shoulders, hips and knees are all in alignment. For a harder version try coming up and balancing on your hand rather than resting on your elbow. Also, by slowly dipping and raising the hips whilst squeezing your tummy muscles you can add difficulty to this exercise. Remember not to hold your breath!

Protein and Good Snacks

You cant under-estimate the need for protein. Especially as we are all gym users. Protein and its building blocks of amino acids contribute to the rebuilding of muscles after we have trained in the gym. If we dont have enough protein in our diet then our body is going to find it hard to repair itself and this in turn will affect our performances the next time we train.

Getting enough protein will keep you strong, energised and feeling full, even when you are perhaps restricting your calories to lose weight. This is because our blood sugar levels are kept fairly balanced when we consume protein as opposed to fluctuating wildly when we have a carbohydrate meal or snack. This means we are not so prone to rampant eating when getting enough protein! And you can see the benefits this will have on weight loss.

The RDA of protein for an average adult is about 0.8g per kg of bodyweight.
If you are training in the gym you should be getting nearer 1 - 1.2g per kg of bodyweight
And if you are weight training heavily you should get nearer 1.4-1.6g per kg of bodyweight.

Write down what you eat over two typical days. Look at the labels (i know, i know....! Just this once!) and calculate how much protein is in your diet. Then compare this to your bodyweight and see how you come out according to the levels above. You may be surprised that its a lot lower than you think.

A lot of people have been asking me recently what they can eat as a 'good' snack. When you snack between meals ideally you want to be taking in some protein as this is going to help you feel full until the next meal. Ive listed below some ideal choices of things to snack on that are high in protein:

Cottage cheese (add fruit of choice to make it more interesting)
Chicken or turkey breast
Tuna
Nuts (these are excellent, a great source of protein and 'good' fats) (almonds, walnuts, cashews, brazil etc)
Peanut butter (again, excellent for protein and energy. Dont overdo this one though due to the high calorie content!)
Edamame (soy) beans
Chick peas
Lentils
Eggs (hard boiled would be easiest to snack on)
Seeds (pumpkin, sesame etc)
Hummus

If you really are bad at preparing food or taking food to work with you then the easiest way to get good protein in your diet would be through a whey protein shake. These shakes are super convienient, provide around 25g of quality protein and only about 100 calories. The website i have already listed on a post below (www.myprotein.co.uk) has a three months supply for about £25.

Take a look at your own diet and see how much protein you are getting.