A version of this article, co-written by Joey Thurman was published on Yahoo News.
Tabata is a type of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). While the terms “Tabata” and “HIIT” are sometimes used interchangeably, it’s worth noting that Tabata is just one type of HIIT workout. Other HIIT workouts you may have heard of are CrossFit and P90X.
Tabata originated in Japan and was initially designed for Olympic speed skaters. It consists of 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by a 10-second break. This 20:10 format is then repeated for the duration of the workout.
