Tabata for pushups, sit-ups and pull-ups page

[Rob from NJ]

Anyone have experience with using the Tabata protocol for pushups, sit-ups and pull-ups? I’d like to start bodyweight resistance training 3-5 days a week using those exercises in Tabata format, making the total workout only 12 plus minutes. Not sure if it would be better each at a time or in circuit format.

[iniQuity]

Dude - no. Focus on quality of movement. I don't even want to hear why you'd want to condense your workout to 12 minutes.

For starters, I'm pretty sure you're not going to be able to do a full 20 seconds of pull-ups if you're doing them as fast as you can like tabata suggests, unless your numbers for pull ups are already above 15. So you're going to have shitty quality especially as you start to gas out. Same goes for push ups.

Sit-ups, I guess here you can knock yourself out. In my opinion sit ups are kind rather mindless and your time is better spent doing anything else (planks, leg lifts, etc) but they would lend themselves better to a tabata scheme.

If time is of the essence, I would do one or two tough sets of pull-ups and push-ups (weighted) to get the most out of your workout - Body by Science style.

[Rob from NJ]

Thanks, yeah, I guess that pull-ups wouldn't fit this format well. My thought behind the pushups was that even though the numbers would drop towards the 8th set I would be able to get in 75-100 quality push-ups.

[inesenite]

Depends on your goals. Crossfit often uses tabatas for metabolic conditioning workouts - squats, burpees, knee hugs (wider range than sit-ups), wall balls etc. I haven't seen any pull-up tabatas so far and I agree with iniQuity that your form has to be spot on and you'd have to be able to do a lot of them before doing a tabata. May be if you do kipping pull-ups with the right technique, it's doable.

[Rob from NJ]

Yesterday I did a Google search for Tabata exercises and saw a Crossfit website that a had a pdf to track results of these 3 exercises (and squats). It just said pull-up on the pdf so maybe they were referring to the kind you mentioned.

[jfreaksho]

If that's the program you're leaning towards, then I'd push you towards SimpleFit. Lots of people here have had good success with it.

[Rob from NJ]

Thanks, I'll check out SimpleFit. And I viewed your profile and by the Groups listed you may like to know that I became Primal in December 2011 after I heard Mark interviewed by Tom Woods on the Peter Schiff Show. The message of Liberty fits well with being Primal...