You can lose weight in just 4 minutes with an amazing workout hailed as the "most powerful interval you can do to burn fat quickly" by Stephen Cabral, a national health correspondent and personal fitness trainer. Not only will this high-intensity interval workout burn calories during the 4-minute session, but also for 12 to 36 hours afterwards. The reason you will lose weight by doing nothing for so long after your workout is due to a phenomena called excessive post exercise consumption (EPOC). According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the greater the intensity of your workout, the greater the effects of EPOC. Even though 4 minutes may not seem like a long time, rest assured you will be working as hard as you can during this time, which will result in as much EPOC as you can handle.
Step 1
Warm up for 5 minutes. Start slow and increase your intensity a little bit at a time until you feel warm. A light sweat and faster breathing will indicate you are ready.
Step 2
Sprint, pedal or step as fast you can to increase your heart rate to near maximum. Do not exceed your max heart rate, which is 220 minus your age. Use a heart rate monitor watch or the heart rate monitors on the handles of the machine you are using. Come as close to your max as you feel it is safe for you to go. Sprint for 20 seconds.
Step 3
Drop your speed. Do not slow gradually. Be as slow moving as you can for 10 seconds to recover from your sprinting. Take deep breaths and try to get as close to normal as possible.
Step 4
Jump your intensity back up as high as you can go for another 20 seconds. Then, slow down again and recover. One high-intensity bout followed by one recovery period equals one round. Do eight rounds.
Step 5
Cool down after eight rounds, which should take 4 minutes. Decrease your intensity gradually and breathe deeply. This will bring your heart rate down safely. Allow 5 minutes to cool down completely.
Tips and Warnings
- Do two to three Tabata workouts a week to continue to lose weight as part of a fitness and nutrition program.
References
- World's Best Weight Loss Interval
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training: Course Manual;" National Academy of Sports Medicine; 2008
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