Martial Arts Fitness Training
A good level of fitness is essential for all martial artists, regardless of style, that much is obvious. The Tabata method is ideal to use in ANY martial arts class or training session as the full protocol lasts just four minutes. Though very short in duration the gains are extensive.
The intensity has to be high, very high, in fact as high as you can make it. This results in exceptional fitness gains in both aerobic and anaerobic systems and a commensurate level of fat loss, as the metabolic rate is increased for many hours following the workout. The raised metabolism means that fat calories are burned almost exclusively!
An additional benefit of the Tabata method is the on-off nature of this exercise protocol which mimics the requirements of fighting, both tournament and self-defence. The protocol has eight sets of exercise reps (of either the same exercise or different) lasting just 30 seconds each. These 30 second sets comprise of 20 seconds effort and 10 seconds rest. This may very well sound easy enough but to ensure the gains are maximised the effort part has to be flat out, nothing else will do.
The protocol allows you to choose either one exercise to concentrate on or a variety. This can be a mix of conditioning or martial arts skills. Any aspect of your martial art can be included so long as it can be performed energetically, high intensity is absolutely essential.
Timing the Workouts
Given that the key to gaining maximum benefits is working out at as high an intensity as possible the distraction of watching the clock to time the interval sets should be avoided if possible. The obvious way to time the sets is to simply keep an eye on the second hand of a large clock.
While intuitive this will soon become a chore and a distraction from really pushing hard right through a Tabata workout. The alternative is to use some kind of interval timer. There are now plenty of options available some free others paid for.
My personal choice is the Gymboss timer, which has been a good friend to me for the last two or three years. It is possible to set it to beep after each work and rest interval and to countdown all eight intervals, rendering it perfect for Tabata training. It can be programmed to time almost any interval sets you can imagine or can be used as a stopwatch and countdown timer while being small enough to be taken anywhere. I love it and at $19.95 it's great value.
There are watches that can handle similar functions, but these tend to be more expensive. I have found several online FREE options too! Some are just mp3's and offer nothing other than the set Tabata method. However, there are several software options that allow you to program the timer to varying degrees, and some of these can even be used on your mobile phone, adding greater portability to the equation.
If you want to read my review of the alternatives, including the free options, please go to my blog post at http://epicmartialartsblog.com/tabata-clock-review, so you can decide for yourself whether you want to go for something free or plump for the paid option.
Alternatively if you want to find out more about my recommendation the Gymboss timer, which cannot be beaten in my opinion, I have written a hub about how to use this amazing little devise which you can read by clicking through to my Gymboss Timer review.
Dr. Jon Law is a sports scientist, martial arts instructor and blogger from Birmingham UK with almost 20 years experience. For more information and tips on all kinds of martial arts skills please visit the Epic Martial Arts Blog.
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