Tabata workouts for beginners have proven to be an excellent HIIT workout for fat burning. The Tabata (named after the Japanese scientist who discovered it) workout is a superb high-intensity interval training workout that is great for both beginners and experts.
The Tabata workout involves four minutes of an intense workout session, which is broken down to 20 seconds of exercising and 10 seconds of rest. Within 20 seconds of effective workout moves, you can do any moderate to a high-intensity workout, and to get the best results, the Tabata workout should be continued every day for at least six weeks.
The Tabata workouts for beginners may not be as tough and challenging as some workouts that require you to lift heavy barbells and dumbells for hours, but it’s super effective and also easy to master.
To get started with the Tabata workout, do any of the following exercises for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and go on another 20 seconds round of workout session and so on.
1. Jumping Jacks
This whole-body exercise may remind you of your childhood, but it’s a very effective way of getting your whole body moving and burning some fats in the process.
The Jumping Jacks is a cardio exercise that can help you improve stamina and balance, keep your heart healthy, reduce stress, and ultimately lose weight. This exercise engages your calves, hip and shoulder abductors, and your core muscles.
How to do Jumping Jacks:
- Stand upright with your legs together and your hands by your sides with your palms facing your body and engage your muscles. This is the starting position
- Push your heels against the floor and jump into the air, extending your arms above your head.
- Land firmly on both feet with your arms coming down by your side, just like in the starting position
- Continue this jumping for a few minutes
2. Squat Jumps
Squat jump is a little more challenging than the standard squats. It’s an excellent way to put your entire body into work and burns calories like crazy. Although it focuses more on your leg muscles and lower back, it also engages your core muscles.
How to perform the Squat jump:
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your chest up and your upper straight
- You can either place your behind your head with your elbows out or let them hang freely by your sides
- Lower yourself into a squat by pushing your butt backward and bending your knees. Remember to spread your knees as you bend them, and your knees should be in line with your toes
- Then push your feet against the floor and in one swift movement jump as high as you can
- When you land, immediately go into the squat and jump again
- Continue the Jump Squat for a few minutes.
3. Burpees
Burpees workout engages the entire body, and it’s excellent as a cardiovascular workout. However, mastering the moves may be challenging, especially if you’ve never done it before.
The trick to mastering this somewhat complicated workout is to start by learning how to do a basic burpee. And once you master the basics, try a variation that will increase the intensity of your burpees’ move.
How to do the Burpees:
- Stand with your feet at a shoulder-width distance apart and your arms at your sides.
- Lower your body into a squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees
- Place your hands on the floor right in front of you, and just inside your feet.
- Shift your weight onto your hands.
- Jump to softly land on your hands and feet in a plank position.
- Your body should form a straight line from your head to heels.
- Press up with your arms and jump your feet forward.
- Jump straight upwards with your arms overhead to finish the move
- Repeat the exercise for a few minutes.
4. Kettlebell Swings
The kettlebell swing makes it to our list of Tabata workouts for beginners because it is an excellent workout for the muscles of the butt, legs, and lower back. It’s also a perfect kettlebell workout for weight loss.
If you’re new to this kettlebell workout, then it’s best to begin with a light bell and master the kettlebell swings with it before proceeding to swing with much heavier bells.
How to do the Kettlebell swing:
- Stand with feet slightly wider than both shoulder-width apart.
- Hold a kettlebell each in front of your body with your two hands, arms straight down.
- Now, with a slight bend in your knees and a flat back, hinge at your hips and swing the kettlebell back through your legs.
- Continue by using that momentum to stand and swing the kettlebell out in front of your body, up to shoulder height.
- Thrust your hips forward, and engage your glutes and core as you try to stand up straight.
- When the kettlebell hits shoulder height, your knees should be straight, and glutes contracted in a full hip extension.
- Allow the kettlebell to swing back down through both legs.
- Continue for a few minutes.
5. Bicycle Crunch
The bicycle crunch is an excellent exercise for activating the rectus abdominis (the abdominal muscles), which helps to tighten your midsection, giving you a flat tummy and slim waistline.
This exercise is excellent for both beginners and fitness experts, and it requires no equipment. The bicycle crunch not only tightens the ab muscles, but it also engages your core muscles, which makes it great as a full-body workout.
How to do the Bicycle crunch:
- Lie with your back on the floor
- Place your hands behind your head and elbows flared
- Contract your ab muscles and lift your right shoulder off the floor without pulling your neck and bend your left knee and bring it towards your right elbow
- Twist your torso and try to touch your left knee with your right elbow
- Bend your right knee and lean your body to try to touch it with your left elbow
- Continue the exercise and keep alternating the movement (right knee and left elbow, left knee and right elbow)
6. Box Jump
The box jump is an excellent whole-body exercise that targets your core muscles and all the muscles of your lower body.
It’s effective for burning fat and toning your muscles. It also helps to improve explosive strength, balance, and stability; this is why it is on our list of best Tabata workouts for beginners.
Box jumps also improve coordination and sports performance. You’ll need a box to perform the box jump.
How to perform the Box Jump:
- Get a box or a sturdy chair/bench that you can land on and is strong enough to support your whole body
- Stand facing the box with your feet roughly 5 inches from the box. Your feet should be hip-width apart and your body upright with your chest and chin up.
- Lower your body again by pushing your hips backward and bending your knees. With your hands flared by your sides, push your feet against the floor and in a swift move, lift your whole body into the air
- At the top of the jump, propel your body forward to land on the box. Make sure you land softly on your feet
- Step down from the box and jump again
- Continue this exercise for a few minutes.
7. Mountain Climbers
Mountains climbers is great for building core strength and agility, it’s an excellent workout for the whole body, and it helps in fat burning and muscle toning.
How to perform Mountain climbers:
- Start in the high plank position; your palms should be placed on the floor directly beneath your shoulders and your toes holding your legs up
- Draw your right knee under your torso, keeping the right foot off the ground.
- Return your right foot to starting position.
- Switch legs and bring your left knee under your chest. Keep switching legs as if you’re running on a spot but with your palms placed on the floor.
- Quicken the movement and continue for a few minutes.
8. Lateral Bounds
The lateral bound is a great exercise for engaging and working out the muscles of your lower body. It’s a power exercise that focuses on developing agile and sturdy legs for increased stability and balance.
How to perform the Lateral bounds:
- Lower yourself into a squat by pushing your butt backward while bending your knees.
- Jump off your outward-facing leg as far as possible before landing.
- Once you land, immediately push off in the opposite direction, returning to your original start position.
- Continue back and forth for several repetitions.
9. Push-ups
Push up is one of the most popular bodyweight workouts in the world, and it’s great for and athlete. It is even better as one of the Tabata workouts for beginners!
The Push-up move engages your triceps, shoulders, and core muscles. As a runner, this exercise will help you build stronger muscles for agility and speed. Strong arms drive more power into your legs as you propel them forward, increasing your running speed.
How to do Push up:
- Start in the plank position, your palms should be placed on the floor directly beneath your shoulders, and your toes should be digging into the floor with your heel up.
- Push your palms into the floor and lift your body, your spine should be horizontally straight, and your gaze should be on the floor. And your whole body should be resting on your toes and your palms.
- Engage your core muscles and slowly start lowering your body by bending your elbows (only your elbows), your back, hips, and head should be on a straight line and your eyes focused on the floor.
- Pull your body back up by straightening your elbows.
- Continue to move your body up and down only by bending and straightening your elbows for some minutes.
10. Squat Thrust
The squat thrust is very similar to the burpee, and just like the burpees, it engages the whole body. You can call the squat thrust a beginner version of the burpee, but this doesn’t mean it’s super easy to master.
The squat thrust is excellent for burning fat and toning your muscles, and it primarily targets the glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves plus the core and shoulders muscles.
How to do the Squat thrust:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides.
- Lower into a squat position and place your hands on the floor.
- Kick or step your legs back into a plank position.
- Jump or step your legs forward to return to a squat position.
- Return to the standing position
Final Thoughts
These Tabata workouts for beginners are an excellent way for anyone to lose weight fast and are straightforward to master.
If the Tabata workout is new to you, it’s good you take it slow at first. Try not to overdo it, and ensure you take adequate rest. The exercise involves 20 seconds to active workout and 10 seconds of rest.
Make sure you always pause to catch your breath and get some rest after every 20 seconds of an active workout. Also, pay attention to your body, it’s much better and more rewarding to start slow and gradually gain momentum over a few days to weeks.
And as you build more powerful muscles, your endurance level increases so you’ll be able to up your game and go for much longer. Eventually, you’ll find yourself much trimmer than you ever thought possible.
