Once again, we have been shown that when it comes to understanding how the body actually works, we usually take two steps forward and one step back. That’s because we usually jump to conclusions without understanding the bigger picture.
For years, many top body builder’s have achieved extremely lean bodies without doing one second of cardio-vascular exercise (Cardio). Their lack of body fat was usually attributed to their low carbohydrate, high protein, low fat diets.
Now, there is a possible new explanation making the rounds among training experts. It is Anaerobic or Extremely High Intensity Exercise protocols. Since weight lifting is Anaerobic exercise, we must look to data from Anerobic studies to explain the low body fat on these champion body builders.
The study most often cited is the one performed by Dr. Tabata, a Japanese Researcher. The wide spread acceptance of the results of his study led to his workout being called the Tabata protocol.
In my opinion, his study group was too small to be as widely accepted as gospel by so many knowledgeable people. His study consisted of only fourteen very fit college age athletes. Seven followed the protocol and seven followed a typical aerobic type routine.
The results were staggering. The seven athletes following the protocol warmed up for ten minutes and then did seven sessions of stationary bike exercise at 140% of their VO2 max with a ten second rest interval in between each one, five days a week for only six weeks. Their resistance level was automatically monitored and adjusted to keep them at 140% of VO2 max.
This group averaged a 14% increase in VO2 max (aerobic capacity) and a 28% increase in Anaerobic capacity (which is your ability to work at high intensity without using oxygen).
The control group exercised at 70% of their VO2 max for 60 minutes, five days a week for the same 6 weeks. They averaged a 9% increase in Aerobic capacity and no change to their Anaerobic capacity.
So just what exactly does this mean? I’m glad you asked.
For now, all it really means is that seven extremely fit individuals working at levels which maybe dangerously high for average people, achieved fantastic results with only 4 minutes of Anaerobic exercise.
That’s it. However, already there are hundreds of articles written by self-described experts (kind of like me) changing Tabata’s parameters to suit themselves and their paying audience.
Some say changing the 4 minutes of unbelievably hard exercise to 4 minutes of hard exercise, or even moderately hard exercise, will do just fine. Others say doing high intensity weight lifting is just as good. Another groups says that twice per week instead of 5 times per week is fine. And still others say that any unmonitored or self monitored exercise activity will work just as well as one that is designed to force you keep working at these predetermined, extremely high intensity levels
Just to put things in prospective, exercising for 20 seconds at 140% of VO2 max is something most people have never done since they were a young child (if at all).
Now perhaps some of or maybe even all of these people maybe correct. But, to be Completely Blunt and Honest, at best, they are just going by what they feel; and, at worst, they are making things up to keep their readers/clients happy and make an easy buck by telling people something they think they want to hear.
This study is something no scientifically minded researcher would ever accept as an incontestable fact. He/she may think some of these results and ideas have merit and may deserve further examination. However, that is a long way from telling people that their ideas are definitely just as good as study that has very little data to back it up in the first place.
To me, this seems like an industry, that because it thinks it needs constant shake up to generate new business, jumping on a study whose size was so small that no other professional group (I know of) would ever accept it as a proven fact.
This is compounded by the need of trainers to seem as if they know the latest research, especially when they know it sounds too good to be true (or can be made to sound to good to be true).
So what’s my two cents? High Intensity Interval Training works. The Tabata protocol seems to help explain why. Creating an Oxygen debt by working harder and creating the need for more oxygen than your body can chemically process during the work period seems to be the reason. What that reason is exactly has not been proven.
So what’s a person to do? The Tabata protocol does seem to be worth trying if you are extremely fit. If not, you must get your doctor’s approval before even attempting anything nearly as intense as this. Remember, it has been reported that most of his highly fit subjects had difficulty completing the seventh set of 20 seconds at all out effort.
Always keep in mind that the results from any exercise or exercise routine will depend upon the genetics of the person doing it, the skill level of the person doing it, the level of fitness of the person doing it, the life style of the person doing it , the age of the person doing it and the consistency of the person doing it even if all other parameters of the exercise or routine are the same.
Since most people do Cardio in order to lose weight/fat, if these protocols deliver even half of what the preliminary results predict, then a lot less people will be hitting the Cardio machines; and, those that do, will be spending a lot less time on them.
Gary Giamboi is a NASM certified Personal Trainer, an E-500RYT Yoga Alliance Instructor, a Level 4 Qigong Instructor from the National Qigong Association, holds the rank of Kyoshi (Teaching Master) in several Japanese Martial Arts from the Genbukan World Ninpo Federation and the Kokusai Jujutsu Renmei and a Master’s License in Taijiquan (Tai Chi) and Qigong.
He is available for Private Training and Consultations, as well as, seminars and the 200 hour Yoga Teachers Training courses.
He can be reached via his website, http://www.Genbukan.biz
