Tabata Workout

A few months back I was reading through the Trail Runner Magazine and came across a workout called Tabata.

This workout started out for speed skaters but was then adapted for runners.

Now, two and half months later, it seems to have helped my leg turnover and overall running strength.

There is no real magic in a Tabata workout and the workout itself is very basic and only takes 4 minutes to do.

Basically, it is as follows:

 

Workout:

20 seconds all out, 10 seconds rest x 8 which equals 4 minutes.

Because it is an all out workout, you will need to be adequately warmed up. You can do it after a hard workout or a long run, but the best results are achieved when you run it on your easy/recovery run days. On these days, the body and especially the legs can be pushed without actually having already been pushed to the point of exhaustion.

The workout can be done pretty much anywhere but grassy fields work best. Preferable you should use the outfield of a baseball or softball field. Also soccer fields are really nice.

As a side note, try this workout on hill. By using it for both going up and down the hill gives the quads, hams, and hips a great workout.