What is Tabata? The Four Minute Workout

What if there was a way you could get a full-body workout, in less than 15 minutes? That includes a warm-up and cool-down.

Don’t think it’s possible? Well, if you’ve never heard of the Tabata training method, that may be true. However, this high-intensity interval training (HIIT) method has gained in popularity for just that reason.

It’s no secret that bodybuilders, especially those in the Golden Era, spent hours per week in the gym. Lifting endless sets of heavy weights to build their massive muscles, some would spend upwards of 12 hours or more.

These days, time is short for many and when too many obligations pile up, the quality of exercise can suffer. If you’ve been wanting to get results in a short amount of time, Tabata might be right for you.

But what is Tabata? Today we will discuss this HIIT method of exercise:

• What it is
• How it’s different from other HIIT methods
• The history behind this form of exercise
• The science behind it and what researchers think
• If it’s safe for beginners or reserved for intermediates
• Where to find Tabata workouts

What is Tabata?

Tabata is a method of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that can be used for a quick, full-body workout. Just how quick? From start to finish (excluding warm-up and cool-down time) the entire workout is just four minutes.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. There is scientific research that backs up the claims of this short, intense workout. We will go into more detail on the science in a later section.

You may have heard this form of exercise called by a few different names, including:

• Tabata Protocol
• Tabata Training
• Tabata Method
• Four Minute Workout

But what is the meaning behind Tabata? They named the training method after the scientist who published the findings, Izumi Tabata. He is a professor and Faculty Dean of the College of Sport and Health Sciences at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan.

Interested in finding out how the Tabata method works? Here is the breakdown of the specific method.

The Tabata Method – Four Minute Workout

Originally, the Tabata Protocol was completed using an exercise bike. While this is the “go-to” method, there are other types of equipment used with success. We’ll discuss those findings later in the science section.

To perform the Tabata method, you will first do a warm-up totaling five minutes. Then, you will do eight rounds of exercise for 20 seconds. In between each round, there is a rest period of 10 seconds. Finally, there is a five-minute cool-down that follows.

The only way that Tabata works effectively is to push as hard as possible in each 20-second round. Your rounds for the Tabata workout plan should look like this:

1. Warm-up for 5 minutes
2. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
3. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
4. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
5. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
6. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
7. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
8. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
9. Cycle for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
10. Cool-down for 5 minutes

The total time elapsed is just four minutes! If you count the warm-up and cool-down time, your total workout is only 14 minutes.

While you may not think four minutes of exercise will do anything, you’ll soon see the effects researchers confirmed. If you try this method, you’ll likely feel like this at the end:

• Increased body temperature
• Lots of sweat
• Breathing and talking are difficult until you’ve cooled down for several minutes
• Muscles burning from lactic acid buildup

Before we get into the data, you may wonder what makes Tabata different from HIIT.

The Difference between HIIT vs Tabata

The biggest difference between Tabata vs HIIT is the interval length. If you’ve ever experienced a circuit workout or done a HIIT class, most exercise intervals last at least 30 seconds. 

What makes Tabata different from HIIT is the extremely short intervals of just 20 seconds of exercise. Those short intervals are followed by even shorter rest periods. With the HIIT method, rest periods can sometimes last longer than the exercise period.

As we’ll see, the science backs the effects of using the HIIT method of interval training. Even with the short time period within the Tabata protocol, there is no denying the positive results people have.

Now, let’s learn more about the history of this high-intensity workout method.

The History of the Tabata Protocol

While many think the method started with Tabata himself, it did not. In the year 1990, he was named coach of the Japanese speed skating team. He worked under head coach Koichi Irisawa, who originally came up with the HIIT style method for the athletes.

Both coaches knew that the method was effective, but they still needed scientific proof. As a researcher with the National Institute for Health and Nutrition, Dr. Tabata was tasked with proving their theory.

The original research and results that Dr. Tabata published back in 1996 were compelling. He used seven athletes as his test subjects. They did Tabata training for six weeks, working out three times per week.

During each round, the participants pushed themselves to their limit, with an intensity of about 170% of their VO2 max. At the end of the test period, there was an increase of 10% aerobic endurance and anaerobic capacity of 28%.

What’s the VO2 max? This is the maximal oxygen uptake, which is the max amount of oxygen you can use when exercising. The higher this number, the more strength and endurance you have.

Learn more and find out what numbers are based on your age and sex here. 

The study concluded that they improved both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly through this exercise. This is something that appeals to people who perform HIIT: both aerobic and anaerobic (strength) benefits from one type of exercise.

Where HIIT Becomes a Thing

At the time, HIIT was still a relatively new form of exercise. The first peer-reviewed article published on the topic was in 1994. This study compared a 15-week HIIT program to a 20-week endurance training program.

In the end, the results showed that the HIIT participants spent 48% less energy than the other group. However, when the energy cost was corrected, researchers found a nine times greater amount of fat loss in the HIIT group.

They also found significantly greater muscle response in the group as well.

From there, the idea of working out in less time for better results took off. Researchers were able to continue finding ways that HIIT was a better method than other forms of exercise. 

While this may not be completely true for bodybuilders and powerlifters, for the majority of people, HIIT is a great option.

Are you ready to see what else has been discovered through the Tabata training method of exercise?

The Science to Support HIIT and the Tabata Protocol

This study set out to determine if it could have the same effect with kettlebell swings rather than cycling. Fourteen men and women completed two different sessions: one using the Tabata protocol and the other traditional resistance training.

The swings during the Tabata session were counted and divided evenly between four sets of traditional training.

Each participant rested for 90 seconds between sets. In the end, the Tabata swings showed significantly greater cardiovascular and metabolic responses vs. resistance training swings.

Dr. Tabata’s students did this study over the course of eight weeks working out three times per week. Six students participated using a cycle ergometer. Here were their results:

• Slight weight gain because of muscle mass increase and loss of body fat
• Improved strength, especially in women
• Improved VO2 max

Why is improving VO2 max so important? There are other benefits besides just enhancing athletic ability.

Methods to Improve VO2 Max

As your VO2 max increases, so do the health benefits this provides. Sure, it can make you a faster runner and improve performance, but it can also:

• Provide a better quality of life
• Lengthen your lifespan
• Improve mood
• Help with sleep
• Reduce the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases
• Decrease the risk of diabetes and cancer

Researchers here compared Tabata to another HIIT method.

Subjects completed four to five sets at 30 seconds and 200% VO2 max with two-minute rest intervals. They concluded that Tabata could max out both anaerobic and aerobic systems better than the other method.

This study set out to determine the best number of sets and VO2 max percentages to make Tabata the most effective. They found a similar effect at seven sets using a 115% VO2 max compared to eight sets at 170%.

This could mean slightly less time spent doing the Tabata protocol with very close results.

This meta-analysis determined that the Tabata protocol was effective at developing VO2 max. However, to really maximize the results, recommendations are for:

• Longer intervals: greater than 2 minutes
• Higher volume: greater than 15 minutes
• Moderate to long-term window: anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks

In this meta-analysis, overweight and obese adults were studied to determine how to improve VO2 max. HIIT and moderate-activity continuous training (MICT) were compared.

They found HIIT to use more energy and greatly improve VO2 max than MICT, improving cardiopulmonary fitness.

Can Anyone Use the Tabata Training Method?

Yes. In fact, there has been some research done on non-athletes to see their results with this maximum intensity workout.

Here, 26 teen males were asked to perform two HIIT sessions and one resistance training session per week. They were all considered low activity prior to the study, meaning they did little to no exercise.

They completed four rounds of Tabata timed trials for each HIIT session over eight weeks. In the end, their VO2 max increased by about 6% and showed body composition decreases in the following ways:

• Body fat percentage – 4%
• Visceral fat mass – 10%
• Weight circumference to height ratio – 3%

In this study, they separated 55 untrained college students into three different groups:

• Steady-state exercise using a cycle ergometer
• Tabata protocol – 8 rounds of 20 second intervals at 170% VO2 max with 10 second rest periods
• Meyer protocol – 13 sets of 30-second intervals at 100% VO2 max with 60 second rest periods

They each completed 24 sessions over an eight-week period. 

Though they all showed improvements in VO2 max, pulse oxygen level, and power, Tabata was the least enjoyable protocol.

While you don’t have to be an athlete to see results from Tabata and HIIT, you may not enjoy it. If you are just starting out using the HIIT method, start with longer intervals.

Research is Mixed on the Effects of HIIT 

The research and data seem to be mostly positive for using Tabata as an effective HIIT exercise. However, not all researchers agree. This review includes thirty studies over a 21-year period.

Out of the studies, only five specifically state the use of the Tabata protocol.

Researchers here feel that weight loss may not be direct proof of the Tabata training usage. They also consider that the increased aerobic power after weeks of training is nothing more than peripheral adaptation.

Adaptation is a term used to show the body has adapted to aerobic exercise and becomes more efficient over time.

This study is also in support that fat loss wasn’t meaningful comparing HIIT to the non-exercising control. This review suggests in roughly 50% of studies, fat oxidation is better using the HIIT method than sprint interval training (SIT).

For some users, the Tabata training method and other forms of HIIT may help with weight loss. Even if it doesn’t, most seem to agree that it can improve anaerobic, aerobic power, and VO2 max.

Is Tabata Safe for Beginners?

While Tabata is generally safe for most users, beginners to exercise should proceed with caution. Tabata is one of the highest intensity ways you can work out. 

While it can produce results for almost anyone, you may experience undesirable results if you haven’t exercised before:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Feeling faint or lightheaded
• Tingling or “jelly-like” feeling in limbs

While these symptoms are temporary, they can be unsettling for some and put them off this style of exercise. We recommend trying other HIIT styles with longer intervals for at least a few weeks as a baseline first.

Once you get the hang of the HIIT method, then feel free to perform the Tabata protocol. If it’s your first time, it’s best to not do this completely alone until you know how you’ll handle it. Better to be safe the first time around!

Tabata Workouts

Are you ready to set your Tabata timer and get started? If so, there are free videos available for you to use.

You may have noticed that most studies include a cycle ergometer. This device is like an elliptical but is used specifically for clinical testing. If you’d rather use a stationary bike or elliptical, you can use your own timer for the Tabata method.

However, if you’d rather not use any equipment, then there is a wide range of videos available. You can watch them at home or at the gym and get your workout in quickly.

There are various different Tabata workouts on YouTube. This channel includes the Tabata timer and music for you to follow along. The workouts range from four to seven minutes. Some are all bodyweight while others are CrossFit style workouts.

There are other users who created many variations of the Four Minute Workout. Again, most are bodyweight only, while others need some equipment:

• Dumbbells
• Barbell
• Kettlebells

If you’re interested in trying out Tabata, try some of these videos to see what you like. You can easily create a Tabata workout plan with different workouts for each session. 

Final Thoughts

Given the nature of maximum intensity using this workout method, you should consult your doctor before starting. If you have any heart-related health issues, the Tabata protocol may not be right for you.

The Tabata method can be a great workout option for those who want to work out at home with minimal equipment. It’s also not the only high-intensity interval training method out there. There is no one method for everyone, but Tabata is one of the shortest to show results.

Those who are strapped for time but want an effective workout to lose weight and build muscle should try it.

Have you tried the Tabata Protocol before? Do you recommend it? Why or why not? We’d love to hear your experience with the Four Minute Workout in the comments below.