Comments on: What Are Tabata Sprints?

By: mike harshberger

mike harshberger — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:01:29 +0000

I am a college rugby player. I agree that these don’t sound any more beneficial than “sprint the straights, jog the corners” or “sprint for as long as possible and then jog until you get your breath back and then repeat for a certain amount of time.” In fact, when I read that Tabata sprints are beneficial with 8 minutes of training, I get real skeptical. I need 80 minutes of sprint endurance for rugby. Am I really going to see an improved capacity to perform 80 minutes of sprints from an eight minute sprint workout?

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:43:57 +0000

So, I tried Tabata Sprints for the first time yesterday – good lord, the pain!

I feel like I performed very well, as I was doing the back-and-forth approach to gauge my performance on running back to where I started

But afterward I felt like my eardrums wanted to burst, and that my teeth were being pulled out of my gums.

My jaw felt sore, and I could’t take full, deep, breathes until about 10 minutes after I was done.

I’m ok now, but just curious if this sort of sensation is normal.

I’ve been doing Primal for a good 5-6 months now, and love it, but I’ve hit a plateau with my physique.

I’m in good shape, but I want to be more cut up, so I’m thinking of upping my sprints to 2-3 times a week – so this felt like the optimal way to do it.

I’ve also no incorporated the heavy lifting into my lifestyle yet – but I do spent a lot of time training Muay Thai and conditioning for that. Which is whyI find it hard to find more time.

Perhaps my not lifting heavy weights it contributing to this plateau as well?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:21:07 +0000

Actually, there’s a movement within Army and Marine circles to promote more “sustained low-intensity punctuated by extreme high-intensity” workouts, a la Primal, since that is exactly what soldiers actually experience in combat environments — Hours of foot patrol (or vehicle patrol), punctuated by the need to sprint from cover to cover or clear buildings, all while wearing 50-80 pounds of gear.

I wish I had known about Primal and Crossfit when I was an active duty Infantry soldier a few years ago!! I wouldn’t have done the boring “do some situps and pushups and then run 6 miles” PT routine every morning that most Army platoons fall into.

By: Keith Thomas

Keith Thomas — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:33:36 +0000

I’ve never seen actual documentation of it. However, as I think I’ve stated, the ONLY time I’ve ever been ripped up in my life, and I started bodybuilding at 16, was in my early 20s, and I did 30:30’s. I gained some 16 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks on a 1250 calorie diet at the time. So, my personal anecdotal evidence would seem to confirm what you’re saying. But that’s speculative.

By: Angelo

Angelo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:36:21 +0000

This stuff kills you! In a good way. I do it with a jump rope as it’s too cold outside right now here in Dutchieland, but it still takes a couple of minutes to get your breath back afterwards!

By: 17 Reasons Why I’m NOT losing weight « My Journey To The Unknown

17 Reasons Why I’m NOT losing weight « My Journey To The Unknown — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:06:09 +0000

[...] from plenty of low level aerobic activity and a couple of strength training sessions each week. Sprinting is often overlooked, but it’s one of the Primal Blueprint Laws for a reason. Nothing shreds you [...]

By: CrossFit 1776 - Williamsburg Strength and Conditioning - Williamsburg, VA » Squat, Bench and Indoor Sprint

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:10:45 +0000

By: Brent

Brent — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:23:12 +0000

Don’t be so anal, dude.

By: Running Barefoot « Things I Am Learning

Running Barefoot « Things I Am Learning — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:20:30 +0000

[...] day, I decided to do something even more daring. I decided to run. I had been reading about Tabata Sprints where one runs flat out as fast as he can for 20 seconds and then walks slowly for 10 seconds [...]

By: Primal Cookies – Nut and Cherry « Sweat.

Primal Cookies – Nut and Cherry « Sweat. — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:06:03 +0000

[...] that causes one to spike insulin, cause a rush of energy with usually nowhere to go (except on Sprinting days, of course), and are just another excess piece of nutrition that we really do not need. As much as [...]