4 Minute Fat-Burning Workouts

You’d probably be thinking this is the start of a terrible joke or useless infomercial, aren’t you? But, in fact, it does take only 4 minutes to make a huge difference to your physique.


It is the Tabata workout we are talking about! Would you like to know more? Go ahead and read this post!

Tabata Training:

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), also know as Tabata Training, requires just 4 minutes of total focus and determination as you give your workout everything you’ve got.

This form of exercise was developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata, and worked exceedingly well for the Japanese Olympics speed skating team. The effects of Tabata Training have been studied by gathering groups of athletic men and women to engage in 4 minutes of extreme exercise activity. The results at the end of their workouts showed higher levels of oxygen consumption by the body, resting metabolic rate, increased aerobic and anaerobic capacities, and they also had burnt more fat than the regular one hour workouts.

Other Benefits:

Boosts the body’s metabolism throughout the entire day.
Does not require huge investments in equipment and gym memberships.
Gives fast results in less time.
Facilitates full body workout in a short amount of time.

How Does It Work?

The usual cardio exercise, which is like a 20-minute walk around the block, burns fewer calories than the 4-minute Tabata workout. Tabata-inspired workouts burn up to 13.5 calories or more per minute, depending on the level of intensity.

What you will need to do is pick two or four exercises that will form a good routine, easily allowing you to transition from one to the next and back. The workout requires you to exercise for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. This needs to be done for a total of eight 20-second sets, while taking continuous 10-second rest pauses in between. Or, you could workout intensely for 2 minutes and then take a break for 60 seconds and continue with your rigorous exercising for another 2 minutes.

For example, you could throw together the following exercises:

Jumping Jacks
Squats
Lunges
Push-ups

Perform every exercise twice, so that you get 2 sets each out of the eight. You can go through the entire workout, and then repeat it again to complete 8 sets.

Sounds Simple Enough, Right?

The Tabata training routine is really simple, but it works best only at maximum intensity. So, if you aren’t feeling the burn once those 4 minutes are up, you probably aren’t doing it right!

Beginners can start out with two exercises instead of going in for four different types. Focus on doing each of them vigorously for 2 minutes. Once you feel like they’re easier for you to do, increase the number of exercises to four. But always remember to stretch and warm up before you start intense exercising. Tabata workouts also go well with regular workouts at the home and even at the gym.