Tabata training without doing SPRINTS

[S.D.Force]

Will not work....Sorry to break the news to some of you trying to use push-ups and sit ups, etc in the place of all out sprints. Tabata/HIIT/Guerilla cardio is based on all out sprint work. Pretend a Lion or a Bear is chasing you. The total breathlessness, feeling of suffocation from lack of oxygen, etc. is not even close to Push-up sprints.

things such as mountain climbers, or burpees are much closer to a total exhaustion exercise but still don't hold a candle to proper sprinting either up a hill or on a flat track.

Even going to the gym and using a treadmill or eliptical trainer isn't quite the same. But is probably the closest you can come to sprint training outside.

It's natural for people to try and find some other "easier" method of doing something hard, but this is ridiculous. Of course nobody would admit that doing push ups and sit ups, etc. is finding an easier way of getting the same/similar results as doing the sprint training. But sorry, you are finding an easier way that is NOT Tabata training.

Cross training with plyometrics, circuit training, etc. should be done....IN ADDITION to traditional tabata sprinting, not in lieu of.

 

[Ian Coe]

hehe, you sound like a fellow 'sprint training is only running' purist like me

 

[Bryan R]

Tabatas weren't actually designed with sprints in mind. Tabata actually used a bike.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9139179

To evaluate the magnitude of the stress on the aerobic and the anaerobic energy release systems during high intensity bicycle training, two commonly used protocols (IE1 and IE2) were examined during bicycling.

You can use anything that will completely tax your body. If pushups do that, you're working out just fine and as intended. It's about intensity. Sprinting isn't even the most intense exercise you can do.

 

[wenispinkle]

try it with bearcrawls sometime, toughguy

 

[kingmonkey]

A treadmill set at a 1% incline is supposed to give a similiar effect as road running but i still dont see this personally as your foot is still propelled backward.

 

[Ian Coe]

Sprinting isn't even the most intense exercise you can do.

out of interest, can you define some others that are more taxing when done for short bursts?

try it with bearcrawls sometime, toughguy

can I see a link for this exercise please, all I can find is bloody matt furey <spits> talking about it and from his description I have no idea how you would sprint them

 

[RobT]

Surely when done with bodyweight exercises it's more for muscular endurance rather than cardio?

 

[wenispinkle]

bear crawling is just walking on all fours. however your weight has to be centered over all 4 limbs, some people will try to keep all the weight on the legs and just touch the floor....thats bad

 

[batman69]

Will not work....Sorry to break the news to some of you trying to use push-ups and sit ups, etc in the place of all out sprints. Tabata/HIIT/Guerilla cardio is based on all out sprint work. Pretend a Lion or a Bear is chasing you. The total breathlessness, feeling of suffocation from lack of oxygen, etc. is not even close to Push-up sprints.

things such as mountain climbers, or burpees are much closer to a total exhaustion exercise but still don't hold a candle to proper sprinting either up a hill or on a flat track.

Even going to the gym and using a treadmill or eliptical trainer isn't quite the same. But is probably the closest you can come to sprint training outside.

It's natural for people to try and find some other "easier" method of doing something hard, but this is ridiculous. Of course nobody would admit that doing push ups and sit ups, etc. is finding an easier way of getting the same/similar results as doing the sprint training. But sorry, you are finding an easier way that is NOT Tabata training.

Cross training with plyometrics, circuit training, etc. should be done....IN ADDITION to traditional tabata sprinting, not in lieu of.

i was going to have problems with your poo pooing alternate methods of tabata workouts till i read the last line. i agree sprints should be in there along with the other stuff.

 

[Ian Coe]

bear crawling is just walking on all fours. however your weight has to be centered over all 4 limbs, some people will try to keep all the weight on the legs and just touch the floor....thats bad

Tell me, does that leave you wheezing for air after a set or does it make the muscles which move you alone ache (I know I'm not going on the definition of cardio here, raised heart rate etc, having a wank is cardio in that respect)
I'm still uncertain how you could sprint with such a method, if you tried surely you'd get to a point where co-ordination would be a factor.
Personally I find skipping sprints to be inferior to running sprints. The limiting factor with skipping imo is the arms and co-ordination, hence you can't get as much out in comparison.

please note: I'm saying that other uses of tabata are inferior to running when talking about cardio, endurance in the muscles that your using can be trained nicely with the same protocal (ie punch burn outs on the bag), but in the same effect the legs are the biggest muscle in the body (with full ROM) and hence produce the biggest energy output when exercised.

 

[Evilsteez]

It's funny Matt Furey's name has come up periodically in this thread because I was actually watching a book of his on ebay last week that looked promising. I didn't know who he was but the book sold for about

 

[wenispinkle]

Tell me, does that leave you wheezing for air after a set or does it make the muscles which move you alone ache (I know I'm not going on the definition of cardio here, raised heart rate etc, having a wank is cardio in that respect)
I'm still uncertain how you could sprint with such a method, if you tried surely you'd get to a point where co-ordination would be a factor.
Personally I find skipping sprints to be inferior to running sprints. The limiting factor with skipping imo is the arms and co-ordination, hence you can't get as much out in comparison.

please note: I'm saying that other uses of tabata are inferior to running when talking about cardio, endurance in the muscles that your using can be trained nicely with the same protocal (ie punch burn outs on the bag), but in the same effect the legs are the biggest muscle in the body (with full ROM) and hence produce the biggest energy output when exercised.

yes, you can do bearcrawl sprints. they will both make you wheeze and ache.....why dont you just try it....i think theyre way harder than running as long as you give it your all

 

[Ian Coe]

It's funny Matt Furey's name has come up periodically in this thread because I was actually watching a book of his on ebay last week that looked promising. I didn't know who he was but the book sold for about

 

[$uperman]

I have done Tabata burpees now for 2 weeks and mine endurance has improved and it's not "easy" .

 

[wenispinkle]

Can you find me a link to a gif or something of it, I think I know what you mean, but still seems weird to me

dude honestly if you just got down on the floor and did it for awhile you would probably get it.

you just bend over like you would for a pushup, and bring your legs forward while walking with your hands to "crawl".... its honestly as simple as just walking on all fours

 

[ObsceneJester]

I have done Tabata burpees now for 2 weeks and mine endurance has improved and it's not "easy" .

I've tried looking up WTF is Burpees?

 

[Thrillhouse]

Ill try my best:

-stand up
-squat and place hands on the floor
-kick legs back to extend into pushup position
-do a pushup (if you do this variation i guess)
-kick legs back in into ending squat position
-stand back up
-repeat

i hope i did a good enough explanation....if i described the wrong exercise then i apologize cuz this is what i know burpees to be.

 

[Odium]

Ill try my best:

-stand up
-squat and place hands on the floor
-kick legs back to extend into pushup position
-do a pushup (if you do this variation i guess)
-kick legs back in into ending squat position
-stand back up
-repeat

i hope i did a good enough explanation....if i described the wrong exercise then i apologize cuz this is what i know burpees to be.

And a little animation too

 

[Bryan R]

If you're good with a rope, try double and triple jumping through the whole thing. Doesn't work if you're missing them though.

Also, repping out front squats with them is crazy.

I realize that sprints are great. I've trained them constantly and have the retardedly tight hamstrings to prove it. You can hit other large muscle groups or multiple muscle groups with just as much intensity and get the same fatigue though if you put the same effort into it that you do for the sprints.

I agree with you though, for me pushups and situps wouldn't hold a candle to sprints. I think it's more of an issue of what exercises will fatigue you completely throughout. If people are really looking for a shortcut, then that is bad. If they are doing the exercise to completely fatigue them, then that is great though. For me, if I held around 20 pounds behind my head, I am pretty sure tabatas with situps would ruin me just as much as other things.

 

[S.D.Force]

As part of my regular "combat" plyometric routine last night I engaged in a series of consecutive exercises that are done to the point of total fatigue with a rest put in whenever i can't continue, and then lasting to the point at which i can start again. I go on for about 5 minutes or so during a total "bout". I included: Mountain Climbers, Burpee's, Modified jumping jacks with 3lb weights in my hands, and sledge hammer "swinging" around in circles above my head.....This type of routine is great, but still gives you a different feel than the total breathlessness and burn you get from hill sprinting all out.

For the guys who mentioned bear crawls. I've done tons of bear crawls in my time, and they would be good to add to the routine i mentioned above. The one thing i don't like about them is that they are very hard on your wrists, and i don't favor any exercise that puts undue pressure on joint.

jumping rope is also a good exercise to add to a combat plyometric cardio routine such as the one i was doing above if it's done at a very fast pace

Other ones that are good also: Hard Shadow boxing with 2-5lb dumbells in hands, Hard/Fast kicks and punches to the heavy bag, various swimming routines, also try going to a basketball court and having your objective be to just put up as many shots in a short period of time as you can. You will be running all over the court in different directions trying to chase down the ball and then following up with jumping lay ups and wild jumpers....Far better than a million hindu squats, or front squats because it addresses almost all muscles of the legs, balance, speed, etc.

The key to keeping a regular exercise routine and not needing too many rest/recovery days is NOT to kill one muscle group (such as the thighs), and try to spread the stress over many joints/areas. So focus on multi joint exercises that use the arms as well. I've seen people doing like a million hindu squats and then doing other exercises that isolate the lower extremities right after that and that's just way too much for the legs all at once. Really you are trying to exercise the whole body, but the heart/lungs in particular. Being able to repeat the routine often is the key to success...so "spread the wealth" around a little when choosing exercises.

For what it's worth, I'm a Registered Physical Therapist, and Certified Strength Training Specialist