Well then the 5 lbs weights have to become 8 lbs then 10 lbs then 12lbs..f you want continued progress. Staying with 5lb weights will only get you so far, then you will give up due to being dissapointed.

all excercise should be progressive..cardioa nd weightlifting.

i've never stuck with excercize long enough to progress... but i think i'll try with this. the website author said he does them once or twice a month, and in answer to why he does them less frequently, he says YOU try it.

now, i realize he's using more than 5 lbs..... so i figure if i start out with that about three times a week, maybe i can stick with it long enough to go buy some 8 lbs!

Today I'm scheduled to do a weights workout, but I have to confess, I'm really tempted to try this instead. But, I don't want to miss my weights either. I was planning to do a 20 minute HIIT session Friday, I might try this Friday instead. I'm almost scared to try it though, it sounds intense.

Valerie..
It is intense, it is the longest 4 minutes you will ever experience,

But you will not believe the results, so how about just doing it once a week for a few weeks mixed in your other set routine?

Don't be scared, you know you can do this!

Hell you can be my Tabata poster child! lol

I'm going to try it Friday or Saturday. I'm running for 45-70 minutes (training for a 10k race) Wednesday & Sundays. So, I take Mondays & Thursdays off for rest (or active rest, like a bike ride). With the other three days I'm doing my weights Tuesdays and Saturdays and then I have Friday for a 20 min HIIT or short, speed training run. On Tuesday I do my weights on my lunch hour, so I don't think that's the best time to try Tabata. I'll either ditch the HIIT on Friday or the weights on Saturday and try it then. Probably Friday would be best so that I can rest up before my Sunday long run!

LOL, if you were to go back to work after Tabata they may have to carry you out on a strecther.

That sounds like a great program..

I think this is what i was doing with the 20 minute "tabata" sets. I will have to ask DH if this paul chek is where he got the idea... The horrible idea....I haven't done that type of super setting in a while and can truly say it is the hardest exercise i have ever done. Crying hard.

I know that.

Maybe I wasn't clear. What I meant was - the person who referenced Paul Chek's routine and then was corrected was probably saying that Chek advocated a workout like crossfit's "tabata something else"

That's what it sounds like. There's nothing wrong with taking an idea and expanding upon it, which is pretty easy to do with tabata intervals, since it's such an amazingly simple formula. It's not like it works less well if you do it longer than 4 minutes!!!

Yes it does matter!!!!! If you can do it for more than 4 minutes you are not working hard enough!!!!!! Or you are one supreme human being.

That is what it is all about. The studies done, concluded 4 minutes! It is not a pace yourself 20 minute interval type of training (which I also support and follow).

Tabatas work less well if done for more than 4 minutes, you are not doing pure tabatas if you are not absolutely busting your butt for those 4 minutes. If done correctly, you will not want to do any more minutes.

Have you ever tried to do a longer "tabata" workout? using different exercises, in sequence, using the original 20/10 work/rest periods for 4 minutes for each exercise, with 90 minute rests in between exercises? I guess it's not pure "tabata", because of the extra rest between exercises, but still...I will look back into my workout logs to make sure my information is correct...DH was quite excited about "tabata" at the time and he still does this type of weighted cardio all the time and i'm sure has done some sort of twisted thing to the original tabata formula.
You should try it, because it CAN be done, & not only by superheroes and the special forces. You need a good timer and a maniacal workout partner, if you can find one. After the first 5 minutes you will NOT want to do anymore, but stopping then would be against the point.

Ok Lilli, I give up. You are right. Dan John and these scientists don"t have a clue to what they are talking about..

so have at it.

I understand what tabata training is about. I also understand that the 4 minutes is not arbitrary. I was just pointing out a similar type of training methodology.

I like tabata's just the same as I like many other variations. No reason you can't incorporate several styles over a few weeks training. Frequency IMO is relative.

Kb,
I totally agree..tabatas are too intense to do all the time. I wanted to mention that to Lilli because I don't want people to burn out on this if they try it. More is definitely not better when it comes to Tabatas.

wow. ok, i tried the method, although i didn't use squats. i know that the squats are supposed to be most effective.

but yesterday i used my ab-lounger using the same sprint/interval timing thing... 20/10 for four minutes. no matter HOW many crunches on or off the machine i've ever done, i've NEVER felt it like i do now.... and it's been more than 24 hours! i'm SORE! ironically, i remember thinking at the time i wasn't doing them properly because i was doing them so fast, i was afraid i was not using my abs to do the work. boy, was i wrong!

later yesterday afternoon, after i'd recovered, i used my ez-shaper machine for butts/legs, and did that in the sprint intervals as well. oh man, my butt and legs are almost as sore as my abs are!

today i THOUGHT i would do the squats in the sprint intervals. WRONG.... i barely made it through the second set because my gluteous maximus was screaming at me.