Tabata Workout Moves That Target The Arm And Leg Muscles

Tabata workouts are high intensity interval training workouts that take you to a whole new level in fitness. Tabata workouts for the arms and legs will fire up the muscles in your limbs and send them crystal-clear messages that the status quo is not enough. These workouts, done regularly, will set your arms and legs squarely on the fast road to strong new muscles and wonderful endurance.

The Tabata Protocol

Before we get into the actual workout, you should know how the Tabata protocol works. What you're going to be doing is twenty seconds of extremely high intensity exercise-working the hardest you can possibly do, as if your life depended on it. Then, when the timer goes off, you stop dead, and have ten seconds-no more, no less- ten seconds of rest and to catch your breath. Then twenty seconds of that uber-fast, uber-intense, uber-everything activity. Ten seconds of rest again. And on it goes, till you've done eight sets, and are feeling, more or less, dead.

Working The Arms And Legs

One Tabata workout that works both your arm and leg muscle utilizes the mountain climbing exercise move and is called the Mountain Climber. Before you start doing it Tabata style, you'll have to learn how to do the mountain climbing exercise slowly.

Steps For Mountain Climbers

1. You start out in plank; straight arms, palms down flat on the floor, directly underneath your shoulders.

2. Your legs stick straight out behind you, and your feet should be hip-width apart.

3. Keep your toes curled under.

4. Contract your core, and tuck your tailbone under you. There should be a straight line from the top of your head to your heals, and your chin should be tucked in a little.

5. Now take your right knee and draw it to your chest, pulling it in with your abdominal muscles. Don't let your foot touch the floor, don't let your shoulders move. While keeping your straight line from head to heels-no swaying hips-- return that foot to the plank position.

6. Do the same thing on the left side.

So that's your basic mountain climber. Practice it a little; actually, practice it a lot, till you could do it in your sleep.

Now, when you do Tabata Mountain Climbers, you need to do this exercise really really fast; as fast as humanly possible, and you need to do that without losing your form.

Are you ready?

Get the stopwatch somewhere where you can see it easily from your plank position, or turn on your Tabata app on your smartphone. Then-ready, steady, go!

Twenty seconds of all-fire mountain climbers, legs moving as fast as they can go, arms smarting under the strain.

Stop! Ten seconds of rest, letting those muscles relax.

Now we're on again!

Quick intensity, as if your life depended on it. Keep those legs moving. One and one and one and one-faster, faster, till it is a blur. No slacking off. Keep it going as fast as you were for that first twenty seconds.

When your second period is done, you get another ten second rest. But not a second more, and then you go straight into ultra-high intensity mountain climber set three. You're not done until you've done eight rounds-eight rounds of intensity as high as you can rake up.

Then you can collapse. You deserve it. But tomorrow, remember, you're on again.

Jump Rope

Another great workout for the arms and legs is using a jump rope. No, this is not your kid's favorite toy, today, there are many great fitness models available for adults in various sizes to accommodate all heights.

Using the jump rope in a Tabata protocol means that you will be jumping fast and constantly for the entire 20 seconds of the intense intervals, then catch your breath for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times.

Suicide Runs

Suicide runs are also great for both arms and legs, though they work the legs more. For this routine you need to place two markers about 5 feet apart. This can be a rock, a book, a cone or anything that will sit still.

You will be running back and forth between the two markers very fast and touching each marker each time you reach it.

For Tabata, you will again do 8 sets of 20 seconds runs as fast as possible followed by intervals of 10 seconds of rest. By the way, this is a great exercise to do outside of the Tabata protocol as it really gets the heart racing, and the blood pumping for ultimate weight loss.

More Moves For The Legs

Box Jumps

Lunge Jumps

Squat Jumps

High Knees

Squats

Dumbbells Squat Jumps

More Moves For The Arms

Push Ups

Push Rows

Medicine Ball Slams

Chin Ups

Pull Ups


John Rivers, an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, and his wife Beth enjoy helping individuals reach their health and fitness goals. Their unique support style through social media is a very integral part of their accountability model. Find more info at HomeWorkoutsWork.com or sign up to Join their "private" Facebook group. "Friend" John today to start reaching "YOUR" goals.

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