Christian Barlow

Brianna Attlesey

HSC 4102

Evidence Based Exercise Program

Tabata

The evidence based program being researched is Tabata. It was originally developed

as a maximal effort training protocol for the members of the Japanese Olympic speed

skating team by the head coach Irisawa Koichi. Tabata was named after Izumi Tabata, one

of the training coaches involved in the creation of this protocol. Coach Tabata was tasked

with measuring the program’s effectiveness at maintaining and improving the peak

performance of athletes at various levels. According to the journal of Medicine & Science in

Sports & Exercise (1996), the original Tabata workout examined two groups of amatuer

athletic males in their mid twenties. The first group pedaled on an ergometer for sixty

minutes at 70% of VO2 max. The second group pedaled for twenty seconds, followed by ten

seconds of rest, for four minutes at maximal effort (typically seven to eight sets at 170%

VO2 max). If athletes could not keep up with the speed requirements, they were stopped at

seven sets. The protocol lasted for six weeks of which both groups worked out for a total of

five days a week, the endurance group for five hours per week, the intensity group for

twenty minutes per week. According to Tabata et al. (1996) the endurance training group

showed an increased VO2 max of 5 ml/kg/min with no significant difference to anaerobic

capacity. The interval training increased VO2 max by 7 ml/kg/min, while also increasing

the anaerobic capacity by 28%. This increase in anaerobic capacity proves most important

in short bursts of activity as needed in athletics.

 When being compared to a moderate intensity endurance at 70% of VO2 max for 60

minutes 5 days a week, the Tabata method proved to be more effective and actually

showed to have longer lasting results for the athletes. Aimed at activating all possible

methods of ATP production within the body, Tabata is highly effective in increasing the

alactic threshold. The initial six week study done in 1996 showed an increase in VO2 max of

14%, as well as a 28% increase in the anaerobic capacity of the participants.

Prior to developing the Tabata protocol, Izumi Tabata was researching both the

aerobic and anaerobic effects of various sprinting protocols. The purpose was to

understand which programs affected various energy pathways and to what extent. Since

ATP is synthesized using both aerobic and anaerobic processes, he aimed to create a

program that synthesized as much ATP as possible for peak performance. This was not an

exercise program designed for the average individual with a desire to be healthier. The

founder himself calls the program “very painful and tiring”, and it is only useful for athletes

of a very high level who have the training and self discipline to power through such a

grueling process. Many workout programs claim to be “Tabata style”, however, true Tabata

consists of a ten minute warm up, seven or more sets of 20 second intervals at 170% VO2

max with ten seconds of rest, and a cool down. This would occur for five days a week, and

on the sixth day, thirty minutes of endurance training at 70% VO2 max prior to four

maximal effort intervals. The seventh day is for rest, and this process is repeated for 6

weeks. Many programs have a similar style of interval training paired with a much lower

intensity or varied exercise selection.

Our takeaway from this evidence based program is that it would not be

recommended for non high caliber athletes to partake in such protocols. However, for
athletes or individuals interested, similar methods provided by Burgomaster and Gibala

would be an excellent alternative. The biggest difference in their protocols is that they

allow much longer periods of rest. An athlete would perform an all out maximal effort,

followed by up to four minutes of rest, for four to seven sets, three times weekly. This

allows the average athletes’ energy systems to recover efficiently in between sets while still

promoting insulin sensitivity and increased alactic performance. While programs based

around less intensity and lower volumes are built around more sedentary individuals, they

still prove highly effective.

 References

Boutcher, S. H. (2010). "High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss." Journal of

Obesity, 2011, e868305. doi:10.1155/2011/868305

Burgomaster, K. A., Heigenhauser, G. J., & Gibala, M. J. (2006). "Effect of short-term sprint

interval training on human skeletal muscle carbohydrate metabolism during exercise and

time-trial performance." Journal of Applied Physiology, 100 (6), 2041–2047.

Burgomaster, K. A., Howarth, K. R., Phillips, S. M., Rakobowchuk, M., MacDonald, M. J.,

McGee, S. L., & Gibala, M. J. (2008). "Similar metabolic adaptations during exercise after low

volume sprint interval and traditional endurance training in humans." The Journal of

Physiology, 586(1), 151–160.

Gibala, M. J., Little, J. P., Van Essen, M., Wilkin, G. P., Burgomaster, K. A., Safdar, A., …

Tarnopolsky, M. A. (2006). "Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training:

similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance." The Journal

of Physiology, 575(3), 901–911.

Tabata, I., Nishimura, K., Kouzaki, M., Hirai, Y., Ogita, F., Miyachi, M., & Yamamoto, K. (1996).

"Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on

anaerobic capacity and VO2max." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 28(10),

1327–1330.