Bill?

[Laird2]

Tabata Protocol

The Tabata Protocol was created by Dr. Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan.

The basic concept of this cardio interval training method is to do intense exercise for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds and repeat for 8 cycles.

The entire workout only takes 4 minutes... 3:50 to be exact.

Just like Cardio Interval Training, the rest period can be either complete rest or reduced intensity.

Whats your take on this training. I've been hitting the club bells in this manner. I call it the 4 minutes of helll!

It's a killer work out. I'll do a workout and then finish with a set of exercise performed in this manner. Hope to one day be fit enough to do two or three exercises in this fashion at the end of my work out. But right now I lack the capacity. It drains my air and the lactic acid makes me a bit of a weakling.

Whats your take on this method. I think it's developing some explosive power and stamina.

Is this a good method of developing explosive power and endurance?

[Jake Steinmann]

I'm not bill, but I've used Tabata's as part of my conditioning protocol, and love 'em. I use 'em for my students too. They don't really love them, per se, but they do get results

I usually do them in groups of longer sets (say, four exercises, four sets, for a total of sixteen minutes of pure hell...)

[Bill Glasheen]

Hey, Laird!

This is not new. I've been touting interval training over aerobics for some time. I get some flack from a few of the medical types here because the literature is way, way behind on this kind of training, and the benefits aren't completely understood.

It all gets back to understanding how our body generates energy. Basically there are three different biochemical energy production systems in our body.

• Anaerobic
  
  • Phosphocreatine - This is the energy of short term (10 seconds), explosive, maxiumum power. It is what the track athlete taps into in the 100 meters, and the weight lifter taps into in doing the typical 3 to 12 reps of a set.
  • Glycolytic - This energy pathway kicks in when the phosphocreatine system has been depleted. After your 10 seconds of maximum effort have tapped out, this system yields a medium amount of power that can be sustained continuously for another 20 to 30 seconds of maximum effort.
• Aerobic - This is the system that helps you produce more energy when the effort required lasts more than half a minute or so of continuous effort. The aerobic system is capable of the least power output, but lasts the longest.

A martial artist - particularly a striker - should operate almost exclusively in the anaerobic metabolism bands to generate the kind of power needed for explosive effort. As I have often stated, karate aerobics is an oxymoron. One cannot shatter bones and produce convincing knockouts when tapping only into aerobic metabolism.

Because of this, martial artists should engage in interval training. The idea is to make yourself tap into the anaerobic energy band for sustained periods of time. This can be done by having rest periods at regular intervals so the phosphocreatine and glycolytic energy pathways can recharge. Over time with interval training you can actually extend the depth and breadth of that metabolic pathway so that you can have longer and stronger energy bursts to fuel your martial movement.

The elliptical trainers I use at my gym have an interval training mode that I can use so that I'm working on these energy pathways. You can take any workout and structure it this way.

Oh and one more thing... This kind of workout will kick your butt in a very short period of time. More calories are burned in less time.

- Bill

[Van Canna]

Good discussion.

The elliptical trainers I use at my gym have an interval training mode that I can use so that I'm working on these energy pathways. You can take any workout and structure it this way.

At the dojo I will do full out power strikes [punches-kicks-various open hands] at a bag or 'Bob' for at least 20 seconds, then rest for 30 and continue in sets.

At the Gym I get on the elliptical [interval-random] punch in 35 minutes at level 15 at my weight of 200 lbs.

Quite the workout before I start weight training.

What is the best elliptical setting, Bill?

[IJ]

"As I have often stated, karate aerobics is an oxymoron. One cannot shatter bones and produce convincing knockouts when tapping only into aerobic metabolism."

I definitely agree with everything written with the caveat that you can produce devastating impact without much effort if you produce a graceful offbalancing then a throw, letting the earth do the striking (Bill will use his aikido on you to demonstrate) or use leverage rather than relying on the impact of a strike. One of the Gracies put 600 pounds of force on the spine of a crash test dummy using leverage on a fight science show, not that you'd want to train to do so with leg warmers and jazzercise, and while I rarely leave a class unsoaked with sweat and exhausted, when we actually apply a technique for a tap it's frequently minimal effort. All the work is in securing the dominant position from which to attack.

[Bill Glasheen]

What is the best elliptical setting, Bill?

In an interval mode, you want a higher resistance setting. I vary it a little from workout to workout to keep my body out of its comfort zone.

Just avoid having it so high that you injure yourself. And whatever setting you use, go balls-to-the-wall with your effort.

- Bill

[Van Canna]

Thanks Bill.