Dr. Izumi Tabata's 4-minute miracle workout program__ might sound like something out of a crazy infomercial or hyped magazine article, but this highly-intense exercise doesn't just work, it's seriously no joke! It's literally one of the hardest workouts anyone can attempt to do, so much so that it could reportedly lead you to collapse drenched in your sweat. Now is it really worth it? Yes, if you're looking for some super quick results. And no, I'm not by any means exaggerating!
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Tabata first tested the system back in the early 1990s on his university students after monitoring Japan's speed skating team. The exercise proved to increase individual's aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, VO2 max, resting metabolic rate, AND helped to burn more fat than any traditional 60-minute cardiovascular workout. What?! Yup, four minutes of Tabata's program can get you leaner and fitter than an hour on your treadmill or elliptical machine.
And there's more: Tabata also found that his method helps to increase heart size as well as lower the risk of diabetes. Wow. By now you're probably wondering, "How the heck can someone do this workout?" Well, it's not as simple as it sounds. It's pretty much doing any cardiovascular exercise for as hard as you possibly can for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeating this for 7 more times. It's so intense you pretty much feel like you're dying afterwards.
Since this isn't the easiest exercise for the average person to attempt, it's been limited just to serious athletes. But that might be changing now that Tabata has been working on a deal with Universal Studios, that will result in a network of instructors, as well as DVD releases towards the end of the year that will make this super intense program available for everyone.
I have to admit as effective as this fitness program might be, I can't say I plan on trying it. While it might be one of the quickest ways to lose weight, I'm the kind of person that feels like they're dying after a session of Zumba. So something like this is bound to send me straight to the hospital. I'll stick to pilates, thank you very much! But if you like an extra challenge, you might want to keep an eye out for this later on this year. But warning: you might feel like you're going to die afterwards. Just giving you a heads up!
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