Tabata...What is That?

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Tabata, or what is commonly referred to as "High Intensity Interval Training" is what I believe to be the future of cardiovascular fitness techniques.Today within my 470 class this type of training was reintroduced to me by my professor, Dr. StephenYang. I had known about this type of trainingpreviously through research I had done for an in-depth exercise routine written months prior.
This type of training involves, as the name may lead to, a period of high intensity exercise followed by a short rest, this process repeats for as long as needed. HIIT is done in accordance with a 2:1 ratio, meaning for how ever long work is performed a rest of half the working time is given. This allows for a quick recovery to be had, but not so long of one that the the body gets out the target working zone for cardiovascular fitness. A term I have found that is correlated to HIIT is the "after burn" effect. This term describes how HIIT if done for prolonged periods actually keeps the metabolism of the body going throughout the day, essentially "burning" off fat when no exercise is being done. Rich and I performed these types of workouts with our wrestlers this past season. Rich is a "Team Beachbody" instructor, and his knowledge of HIIT is quite extensive. These high intensity cardiovascular, as well as muscular periods greatly mimic that of real life situations found in wrestling, and this is why we thought it was a great conditioning exercise for our wrestlers. The training did show on the mat, this year our cardiovascular endurance was greater then that of any opponent. I contribute this to the HIIT training performed by Rich.
HIIT is a great type of exercise that is valuable to all. As one can see its uses are almost limitless, from personal fitness all the way to benefits in the classroom as a type of mind and body stimuli. The knowledge is out there, all you have to do is be willing to accept, and apply it!