Tabata Training For Micro Workouts

Tabata Workouts has been a trend for a number of years now and it has helped develop some pretty incredible results. The way it works is that you go hard for 20 seconds and rest for 10; repeat this for a total of 4 minutes or the equivalent to 8 rounds. Some do sprints, push-ups, squats, sit-ups, burpees and other forms of conditioning exercises. 

It's another idea to look at Micro Workouts where you don't have to do something very long but it's intense enough to really get you going. I approach it a little differently where I would take certain exercises (mainly isometrics and animal moves) and work them good instead of just typical bodyweight movements and fast paced exercises. For instance, yesterday I did an Isometric Workout using the Tabata Style timing but went for a total of 5 minutes instead of the typical 4. This consisted of holding the horse stance and the fist plank, going back and forth. The fist plank is a bit harder to hold than the palm version because of balance and the engagement of the tendons, ligaments and the core muscles. Managed to get through it very well and although it wasn't very challenging, it's still a good micro workout to build strength in a different way.

Isometrics aren't always just holding a position for a few seconds and moving on. They can be taxing when you really put them into perspective. When you do them Tabata Style, you don't just change an exercise on the fly, you have to be in control of the hold as well. A much harder Tabata Isometric Workout would be for the Core which consists of 3 exercises (The third is where you do one side and then the other) that really tackle the abs, lower back and obliques like crazy. I learned it from Red Delta Project which you can find here...No sit-ups or crunches, just pure intense isometrics that could make you feel more sore than dynamic movements.

Another approach to Tabata Style is doing the timing in reverse (10 on, 20 off instead of 20/10) and work certain exercises that way. I've seen Johnny Grube do this with his Rogue Bike for Sprint Training and regardless of how I feel about his idiotic rants, I respect his training style and it inspires me to do similar things (remember my workouts using the sandbell and step-ups? Those were inspired by him) so I took that approach and did a workout for 8 rounds of 10/20 doing Bear Crawls which is pretty intense and will get you huffing and puffing like motherfucker. As you know, Bear Crawls are one of the most rugged exercises to get you in shape quick, this is a great way to tackle them in a short period of time. 

Micro Workouts save you a bunch of time and can get in a workout in less than a few minutes than many can in an hour or more. Short and intense training builds a level of conditioning that gives off a different feeling. Explosive and resting very little in comparison to a 10 rep set and resting for like a minute. When it comes to Isometrics, it's being able to hold and switch very quickly and although 20 seconds may not seem like that long, depending on the kind of exercise, it can be so intense it feels like being hit with a crowbar and you're not even moving. Whether Isometrics or Movement Training, it can jack your heart rate up fast and build on explosive power and strength that lasts. Give it a go and see how you do. 

4 Minute Abs & Iso Core Training

Working the Core Muscles (Obliques, Transverse, Rectus, Pelvic & Spinal Erectors) can be difficult to build muscle on especially in the lower areas or even developed a trim style musculature. Some of the best bodybuilders in the world had trimmed abs like Maxick, Frank Zane, Otto Arco and others. Other men and women aren't always built to develop that trim like quality. Ever notice Dwayne Johnson doesn't actually have six pack abs yet has a decently strong core in order to do what he does? 

Core Training isn't complicated and is a lot simpler than many make it out to be especially those influencers that use every supplement you can think of or use the juice. Having a six pack can be awesome to an extent but it doesn't always mean its strong and can take a hit or even help balance the body in various positions. You can have a strong core by carrying things, work various breathing patterns for posture, dead hangs on a pull-up bar, working the rotational muscles when you chop wood or swing a sledgehammer. There's even the common sit-ups and crunches. Your Core is (literally) the center of your entire body and keeping it strong, limber and healthy both internally and externally, can help keep the rest of the body strong.

Gymnasts have some if not the strongest abs in the world because in order to perform the way they do, they need to control everything especially that area at all times because going loose even by a smidge can mean life or death. Many strongmen today have strong cores as well despite the gut size but in order to lift all that heavy shit, they need complete focus on the muscles at hand otherwise again it could mean life or death. So is it really wise to do thousands of crunches or hold a plank for extremely long periods of time? pardon me but fuck that man LOL.

You can get a very powerful set of abs just by doing simple things using low skilled movements or in the case of this article, Isometrics. One of the very best movements for targeting the abs hard is using the Ab Wheel like the standard one or the Power Wheel or as recently, the Ab Carver Pro because of how you can really target the sides and middle. I would spend as much as 3-5 minutes on this thing and I'm good to go. In the case of Isometrics, finding solid exercises whether overcoming, yielding or hybrid will hit your abs with a vengeance with the right focus and intent on the core muscles. 

Personally, most of my Iso Ab Exercises are usually towards the end of a workout to really get in there and dial it up. Normally I would do a Dead Bug Sit-up Isometric, Side Bends, Hollow & Arched Body Holds but more recently I've been testing out a Tabata Style Ab Iso Workout I learned from Matt Schifferle on his youtube channel where you take 3 exercises (one of them where you do side to side so technically it be about 4) and do two rounds of them for 20 sec on and 10 seconds off which builds up to 4 total minutes of the workout. You can check out the exercises in the the highlighted link. It may be 4 minutes all together but it can be tough and can be used as a warm-up, a finisher or even a micro workout to save some time and requires no equipment at all. Talk about 4 Minute Abs.

One of the GOATs of all Ab Exercises in my opinion is the Gymnastic Bridge. This exercise alone when capable, targets the core like very few can and combines the elements of building functional strength, stability, flexibility, agility and a whole other level of Ab Training. Just holding it is hard but you can put your focus into it, it becomes a challenge but in a bad ass fun way. You can check out my video of it below. 

All in all, it doesn't take much time to kick your ass in Core Training. Just a few minutes a day and you're golden. If you choose to do high volume training like with an Ab Wheel, that's awesome, it builds a strong core and make you practically punch proof but the Isometric Exercises for the Core can make a great impact and train you to control your body in positions you're not normally in. Be strong, toughen up your core and kill it in your training. You got this and be amazingly awesome.