TABATA FOR FAT LOSS

Add one four-minute round of cardio Tabata to your training or try five different Tabata cycles within a 20 minute interval session. “For fat loss clients, I’d use Tabata towards the end of their training block,” says Lauder-Dykes. “It’s a great conditioning tool. And it gets people fitter, so they can work harder, and stay leaner".

Ben Lauder-Dykes, a competitive bodybuilder and personal trainer at Lomax Bespoke Personal Training, Nutrition and Wellbeing, took us through how he uses Tabata training protocols. “Tabata is definitely not only different but better than other forms of high-intensity training,” he says. “It works on training density and that’s the appeal for guys training in the gym. You can do more work, get more muscle recruitment and greater calorie burn, yet you’ve only trained for four minutes. “Who doesn’t have time for that? I know so many bodybuilders who will set the alarm early, get up and do a fast-paced 30 minute walk. I’d rather f ind four minutes at the end of a training session, and spend 30 more minutes sleeping to help recovery.” Lauder-Dykes’ advice on how to use Tabata in your own training depends  on your goal. “Tabata is just another training tool,” he says, “but it makes  you more time-efficient. You can use  it as CV intervals—running, rowing, boxing—for fat loss and conditioning, or as a resistance tool—using dumbbells or bodyweight—to add massive amounts  of volume and boost hypertrophy. The bottom line is that you can get a huge amount of volume in during those four minutes. And volume is one of the main training principles for hypertrophy.  For advanced gym-goers who need to incorporate new ideas to get results, Tabata is a great way to add volume without hours in the gym".