HIIT vs Tabata – Is There a Difference?

2024-06-122019-12-17 by Dominic Pereira

HIIT vs Tabata – Is There a Difference?

By Dominic Pereira

Heart racing, muscles burning, sweat dripping into your already soaked activewear. You’re probably in a Tabata or HIIT class without knowing the correct terminology for your pain!

These two highly effective training methods are often used interchangeably but each has its own unique qualities which make them beneficial.

Similarities between HIIT and Tabata

Both HIIT and Tabata’s main focus is getting your heart rate up using maximum effort over a short period, with brief rest breaks.
Both workouts have studies that show they aid in fat burning, improved speed and endurance, and weight loss.

Which training method you choose is up to your fitness goals and preferences. Now let’s take a look at what makes these two training methods different.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

What is HIIT?

In a previous post–7 Exhilarating Benefits of HIIT that will jump-start your fitness journey–we discussed that High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, involves short periods of intense exercise followed by short, low-intensity recovery periods.

How does HIIT Work?

You’ll work hard for 30 or 40 seconds then rest for 10 to 30 seconds. An effective HIIT workout ranges from 10 to 30 minutes with 4 to 6 repetitions (reps) in total. You can do 30 or 40 seconds at one station, if in a group, and then move to the next exercise/station.

The fitter you get the less rest you will need between stations and the more rounds you will complete your allotted time.

Tabata

What is Tabata?

With Tabata training, you’ll take part in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) but you’ll execute exercises that last for four minutes. We know four minutes doesn’t sound like much, but it will be the longest four minutes of your life. If you’ve ever tried to do a one minute plank, you’ll understand perfectly…

How does Tabata Work?

The structure of Tabata workouts differs quite a lot from normal HIIT workouts.

Push yourself as hard as you possibly can for 20 seconds, then take a break for 10 seconds. That counts as one set. You’ll have to complete eight sets of each exercise. You can take a one minute rest after you have completed all eight sets.

Some great examples of a Tabata workout are as follows:

Squats (bodyweight only) for four minutes
Push-ups (modified or regular) for four minutes
Mountain climbers for four minutes
High knees for four minutes

Most Tabata exercises focus on working out large muscle groups and doesn’t really involve isolation exercises.

HIIT and Tabata workouts are perfect if:

You have a hectic schedule and can only squeeze in quick (but highly effective) workouts.
You want to change up your routine (hitting a plateau).
You want to improve your speed and endurance.

If you seek powerful exercises that won’t take up much of your day, try out our HIIT classes at moveOn 89 to push you beyond your perceived limits and give you a super-effective fat burning workout. Get in touch and come find your passion for a healthy, fitter mind and body!

If you liked this, you'll love these...

HIIT for Beginners - Portrait of a sporty young woman in a gym, doing push-ups.

HIIT for Beginners, A Comprehensive Guide on Getting Started

Discover the benefits of HIIT and incorporate it into your fitness routine. Get started with step-by-step instructions and a sample workout to get you fit.

Get More Out of Every Workout with a Mind-Muscle Connection

What is a mind-muscle connection and why is it such an important factor in any workout? Let’s take a look at the popular term and how you can develop it.

Live Classes | moveOn 89 | Pilates | Yoga | Wellness

Why Join Live Online Movement Classes?

You might wonder, “There are many videos out there, why should I sign up for a live class?” With a live class benefits are more than physical, it’s a way to connect.

The Ills Of Modern Day Living and How to Deal with it

2024-06-122019-09-09 by Dominic Pereira

The Ill Ills Of Modern Day Living and How to Deal with it | feature image

The Ills Of Modern Day Living and How to Deal with it

By Dominic Pereira

As you’re reading this post sitting at your desk, or on your phone, take a moment and think about your posture. Are you sitting upright, core tight, and back straight? Or are you slouching in front of the screen, or hunched crookedly over your phone? (I know we all do that…) All of these things contribute to health problems with our bodies, even our minds.

From stress, sore backs, bad posture, and poor digestion, the modern-day world has affected our bodies in numerous sneaky ways. And let’s be honest, we all say we’re eating healthy and exercising but we’re still not incorporating good posture as we walk or sit.

People are also spending a large portion of their day on the couch or at their desk. According to a survey by the American Journal of Public Health, adults spend an average of nine hours per day sitting. All this sitting will cause your legs and back muscles to weaken, making your posture even worse.

In another study, standing too much can also be hazardous to your health. Standing all day can lead to long term problems for your body such as increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease aka heart disease.

Luckily, technology has been improving as the years go by and we now have cool gadgets like fitness watches to help us track our physical well-being. There are also various other solutions to fix our problems or prevent further damage to our health. So you see, the modern world isn’t all bad.

1. Beat Back Pain

Back pain sounds like something only older people suffer from, right? Wrong. Many young individuals can also experience the excruciating pain of straining a muscle in their back. Many people don’t focus on strengthening the muscles around their spine or building a stronger core at all. A strong core is essential for improving your posture to prevent injuries in the future.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain is the single leading cause of disability, which prevents people from engaging in their work or other daily activities.

What causes back pain?

The back consists of bones, ligaments, joints, muscles and fascia. So it’s a complicated structure. A lot of back injuries can be from sports or accidents, but it can also be from bending down incorrectly when picking something up from the floor. Other causes for back pain are arthritis, obesity, poor posture, as well as stress.

How can you Prevent or Relieve Back Pain?

Maintain a healthy weight by leading an active lifestyle and eating healthy food. If you’re obese or an unhealthy weight, it can cause strain on your lower back.
Don’t be inactive for long periods of time. Create reminders to help you move more often.
If you love wearing high heels, you might want to consider lowering your heels or even wearing flat, comfortable shoes.
Smoking can also cause back pain because it impairs your blood flow which results in oxygen and nutrient deprivation to your spinal tissues
Do some Pilates. Strengthen your upper body (core, neck, back, rear shoulders) as well as your glutes. Most of the time you have to engage your core to stand tall or sit upright at your desk.

2. Isolation

People are social creatures, always wanting to connect with others and share what’s happening in their life. Social media can trick the mind into allowing a person to think they’re part of the people around them it actually does the opposite of bringing people together, by causing people to be socially isolated in their own world.

Fixing Social Isolation

Participating in Pilates or yoga classes where there are other people as well, is a great solution to prevent you from feeling so isolated. When all of you are following along with the instructor you’ll undoubtedly feel part of the team!

3. Depression

Depression is a common mental disorder which many people suffer from. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 300 million people globally suffer from depression and more women are affected by the mental disease than men.

Many cases of depression are due to genetic influences. Depression can run in your family and most people struggle to escape illness. But there are also many other factors that can lead to a person’s depression:

Leading a stressful life
Unemployment
Social media. Looking at how “great” other people’s lives are going compared to yours, might trigger people into feeling like their lives are unfulfilled. Social media is a huge culprit here.
Loneliness

How do you Know if you Suffer from Depression?

Before diagnosing yourself, it’s best to go to a professional who has knowledge of mental illness. But in the meantime, a few symptoms are:

Feeling persistently miserable, anxious, and helpless
Loss of interest in things you usually enjoyed
Suicidal thoughts
Poor concentration
Loss of appetite
Loss of energy

There are so many other symptoms which indicate depression in people. If you want to see more symptoms, This Way Up has an informative list for you to read through.

How to Deal with Depression?

Try to stay connected with friends and family. This might help with loneliness.
Medication such as antidepressants might be helpful but speak to a medical professional first
Exercise such as yoga, Pilates or simply walking can make a big difference to your mood.
Talk to someone you trust or a professional about how you are feeling.

4. Poor Digestion

People rarely discuss their digestive disorders. Silent suffering is usually the go-to method. Often we don’t seek advice to deal with these common digestive problems such as diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, heartburn, bloating, nausea, the list goes on!

All these problems are compounded by and can be caused by our modern fast-paced lifestyle. Believe it or not, not sitting upright can cause heartburn! Also, people don’t eat the necessary healthy food to ensure their body gets all the nutrients it needs to function properly. We eat fast food, don’t move enough, eat too much or too little, and so forth.

According to an article from Copeman Healthcare, exercise can strengthen your digestive tract and keep your gut healthy. The amount of blood diverted from your digestive system decreases when you’re fit so the need isn’t as urgent.

Luckily there are also many other options to improve your digestive system to help alleviate the common problems you face on a daily basis.

Add probiotics via capsules or food, such as yoghurt or kefir.
Change the way you eat and also what you eat. Try adding more natural, whole foods into your nutritious habits and remove processed foods and sugar.
Drink enough water. When we become dehydrated our body shows signs of sleepiness, headaches occur, dry skin, dry mouth, to name a few.
Exercise can improve digestion. Try doing some Pilates!

5. Stress

Stress. The ultimate modern day demon most of us face on a daily basis. Hands sweating, heart pounding, not being able to eat or overeating. Stress can wreak havoc on a person’s mind and body. It can eat away at you.

In today’s life, there are many causes of stress such as financial problems, stressful work, personal relationships, parenting, etc. Everyone has their own demons plaguing them at night. Luckily, there are also many ways to relieve stress from our lives.

Exercise. Getting your heart rate up and releasing endorphins will make you feel much better 🙂
Supplements – find out what you need, how much and choose good quality brands.
Drinkable oils such as CBD oil or using essential oils therapeutically
Writing down how you feel in a journal.
Spend time with people you care about.
Laughing. Laughing reduces stress hormones.

As you can see, the modern world can cause a lot of problems for our minds and bodies, but it also has many solutions. We can never truly escape the problems we face daily but at least we can try and improve ourselves both physically and mentally.

If you want to take the first step to a fitter and healthier lifestyle, we offer various workouts such as HIIT, yoga, and Pilates to help get your healthy lifestyle started. Contact us to work out a programme to meet your needs. Have a blessed day!

If you liked this, you'll love these...

Woman being active in the park - vagus nerve

Understanding the Vagus Nerve: Functions and Impact on Health

Discover the vital role of the vagus nerve in maintaining heart, digestive, immune, and mental health, and learn ways to support its function.

What is Fascia?

Fascia is found everywhere in the body. In this article, we look at what fascia is, how it affects the body and why we want our fascia to be fit!

https://moveon89.com/schedule-class-times/

6 Easy Ways to Incorporate Movement Into Your Day

Sitting at your desk for 8 hours (or more) a day? That’s not good! Here are 6 easy ways to incorporate movement into your day.

7 Exhilarating Benefits of HIIT that will Jumpstart Your Fitness Journey

2024-06-122019-04-26 by Dominic Pereira

7 Exhilarating Benefits of HIIT

that will jumpstart your fitness journey

By Michal George

Fitness has become a major trend, but a lot of people still don’t like working out. For many, it’s a death sentence because the mere thought of exercising makes them squirm. In today’s fast-paced modern world, many also don’t have the time to fit exercise into their busy schedules. But we’re here to tell you there’s a great workout which is quick AND effective.

HIIT vs. Traditional Training

HIIT

High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, involves short periods of intense exercise followed by short, low-intensity recovery periods. A good example of HIIT is sprinting. Sprint/run as fast as you can for 30 seconds (work period) and then rest or slowly walk for 30 seconds (recovery period). That’s one rep. An effective HIIT workout ranges from 10 to 30 minutes with 4 to 6 repetitions(reps) in total.

For the non-runners out there, HIIT workouts come in various other formats. Examples are cycling, skipping, or any bodyweight exercise. Because of the intensity of HIIT training, it’s usually done without weights.

The focus of HIIT workouts is to get your heart rate up into the anaerobic
heart rate zone. HIIT training delivers maximum benefits for your health in minimal time, so it’s a great option for people on the go.

Traditional Training

Traditional training includes a workout which usually lasts around 45 minutes to an hour, making a traditional exercise routine almost twice as long as a standard HIIT session. Traditional training can become boring for people who already hate exercise. This is where HIIT comes in handy.

If you’re still not sold on the idea of HIIT training, we’ve listed 7 of the most significant benefits of HIIT training.

1. HIIT Burns More Calories in a Shorter Session

With a regular training session, your aim is sustainability. Therefore you will be staying in your aerobic heart rate zone, and only occasionally will you push yourself into your anaerobic heart rate zone. With HIIT training, you are spending more time in the anaerobic heart rate zone, which means you are burning more calories, faster.

A study has compared HIIT workouts with other types of workouts such as weight training, biking, and running, and sure enough, HIIT easily beat the rest. HIIT sessions burned 25-30% more calories than the other forms of exercise.

So if you can find 10 minutes of your day, you can easily fit in a quick HIIT workout which will benefit your the rest of the day and night.

2. Higher Metabolic Rate Hours After your HIIT Session

The benefits of a HIIT workout actually comes after the workout itself. HIIT increases your metabolic rate which will benefit you several hours after your session. With HIIT, your metabolism uses the fat in your body for energy rather than carbs. But be careful, that doesn’t mean you can finish a whole bag of chips without throwing away the HIIT workout’s benefits!

BONUS BENEFIT: Because HIIT uses fat instead of carbs for energy, it means you can turn your body into a fat-burning furnace!

3. HIIT Improves Oxygen Consumption

What is oxygen consumption?

It’s the ability of your muscles to use oxygen. The fitter you are, the better your oxygen consumption is.

People used to think that oxygen consumption only improves with endurance training like running or cycling, but it has been shown that HIIT sessions can also improve your oxygen consumption, but in a much shorter time span.

4. Tone up to Show Muscle

As we discussed, HIIT increases fat loss and will help tone your body. As a result, your body will show the muscles which were hidden away under the fat.

If you’re looking to bulk up, HIIT is not the ideal workout for you. If you want to get ripped you might want to consider starting with weight training. HIIT will not bulk you up but will tone your body.

5. HIIT can Reduce Blood Sugar

High blood sugar is quite a common problem in unhealthy individuals. If it’s left unchecked, it can lead to diabetes, heart disease, and many more serious illnesses. With HIIT training, blood sugar levels can be reduced and it can also improve your body’s insulin resistance.

6. Can be Done Anywhere, Anytime

HIIT can be done without exercise equipment and this makes it the perfect workout for people constantly on the move or without time to drive to the gym. All you need is your body and a safe, open space.

7. It Challenges You

You will never get bored with a HIIT workout in your exercise regime. There are so many exercise options for you to make your HIIT workout fun and challenging. If you constantly challenge your body, results will show faster than with traditional exercise. HIIT classes at moveOn 89 are never the same. Each session has new and varied stations to challenge you and keep things fun and interesting.

The Bottom Line

HIIT has many health benefits for anyone interested in trying it out. Adding short periods of exercise to your daily schedule can improve your health immensely in the long run. As with all intensive exercise, you should first speak with your GP before adding any HIIT sessions to your workouts.

If you’re interested in the challenges of HIIT, join us for one of our high-intensity 30-minute classes. If you think HIIT isn’t quite for you, we also have Pilates and Yoga! Come find your passion for a healthy, fitter mind and body!

Want to join a class at our studio in Gardens, Cape Town?
Find out more about Hiit at MoveOn 89