I was fortunate enough to grab an interview with Alwyn Cosgrove at the weekend and we were talking about Tabata training and how so many people just don't train at the right intensity. He shared with me how Chad Waterbury describes the intensity that is needed to his clients.
'imagine you find yourself on some rail track and you hear the sound of train coming up behind you, you turn around and see a freight train thundering towards you...your only option to run, and run hard. You try to out run the train for 20 seconds and just as it is about to hit, you jump off the tracks onto another rail track. Your lungs are bursting and your muscles are screaming at you but after just 10 seconds you hear another train coming and you have to run for your life again!!! That is the intensity - and guess what, you get chased by a total of 8 trains meaning you are running for your life for 4 minutes'
Robert Dos Remedios also talked about tabata training at our Functional Training Summit and how people pick crappy exercises. You should only pick whole body exercises that you can perform balls out for 20seconds.
I'm just sitting writing this before I jump in the shower. I've been out in the back garden and have been chased down by a freight train! My neighbours probably think I'm nuts but when your schedule is so busy 4 minutes being chased by a freight train is a really effective way of keeping myself in shape! I should stop sweating in a bout 3 hours!