Basic Pursuits

I took some measurements before starting my six-week Tabata experiment. These metrics would not stand up to peer review, but they are interesting nevertheless. I believe that they reveal modest muscle growth in my arms and legs. This makes sense considering that most of the Tabata exercises involved legs, and I did pull-ups and chin-ups very often to warm up.

Recently I completed a six week regimen of Tabata intervals. A Tabata interval is 20 seconds of vigorous exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. Eight intervals, four minutes, make up a Tabata workout. I chose six weeks because that was the length of time that Dr. Tabata and his team chose for their experiment. My goal was to determine if the four-minute Tabata interval combined with a six minute warm-up and a five minute cool-down would make for an effective exercise routine. I'm looking for fitness in under 20 minutes a day.

Just over three weeks ago I decided to devote my exercise program exclusively to Tabata Intervals. This technique is a high intensity interval training (HIIT) program developed by Japanese exercise physiologist, Izumi Tabata. I like it because, if Tabata's research is correct, you can get a lot done quickly.