Ta-what-a?

Need some extra hours in the day?

Do you find yourself skipping your workout because you 'don't have time'?  I understand being limited on time as much as the next person, but here is the bottom line:  It's preventative medicine.  Being pro-active about your health and fitness is far less time consuming than dealing with the woes of poor health/illness.  Before I get too preachy on you, just hear me out.  If you don't have an hour a day to dedicate to your workout, I've got options for you.  Would you believe me if I told you there was a workout style that helps increase your aerobic capacity (cardio) while helping you build muscle in as little as 4-yes F-O-U-R minutes?  It's called Tabata Training and it can be incorporated into any training program.

Here's what you do:  Pick an exercise, any exercise.  I'm going to use something basic for this example;     Push-ups.  You will do as many push-ups as you possibly can for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, repeat this cycle for 4 minutes (eight rounds if math ain't your thang ;).  If you REALLY only have 4 minutes...then bravo, you're done with your workout.  But, ideally, you have a little more time than that.  So, let's say you have 20 minutes.  Pick 5 exercises, your through your 4 minute Tabata cycle with each one, and Voila! You did an awesome workout that includes an 'afterburn affect'.  What, pray-tell, is this afterburn affect I speak of?  This type of workout burns carb stores, so you will keep on burning fat for hours after your workout is complete.  That's a heap of good news, right?

If you are feeling less than creative, I'll give you list of 5 exercises you can do to complete a 20 minute Tabata workout right now!

1.) JUMP SQUATS:

Remember to keep your pace up.  You want the 20 second working portion to be intense!

2.) BALL PIKES

You need a physioball for this one.  The 10 second rest goes by quickly, so stay close to your starting position.

3.) BOXING

If you have access to boxing gloves and a bag, have at it.  If not, you can certainly punch 1-2 in the air. Just remember, you have to hit hard if you want it to be effective.  Really squeeze those muscles and twist that torso.

4.) PLYO LUNGES

I forgot to shoot a pic of this one, so I'll update it later.  Just start in a nice deep lunge and you switch leg positions by exploding in the air and reversing the stance of your lunge.

5.) BALL SLAMS

For this one, you need a weighted ball or a sandbag.  You just pick it up & slam it down.  Exhale hard as you slam it down and feel those abs engage like crazy!!