The original Tabata protocol: 20 seconds of hard work, 10 seconds of rest, eight times through. Four minutes, one exercise, no equipment. Start it in your browser — nothing to install.
| Work | 20s |
|---|---|
| Rest | 10s |
| Rounds | 8 |
| Exercises | 1 |
| Total time | 4:00 |
Dr Izumi Tabata's 1996 study used 20 seconds at close to maximum effort against 10 seconds of recovery, repeated eight times. The ratio is the whole protocol — the rest is deliberately too short to recover from, which is what drives the effect. Pick one movement you can do safely when tired and hold your form all the way to the eighth round.
Anyone with four minutes and a bit of floor. It is short enough to do before a shower and hard enough that you will not want a second one.