BY GREG BROOKES
History of Kettlebell Tabata Workouts
Made famous by Mr. Tabata but developed by the Japanese Speed Skating Coach, this type of training uses short periods of intense exercise followed by a short rest period of half the work interval. Famously, 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.
The Tabata protocol is then cycled a number of times, usually 4-8. Tabata Interval Training has been proven to increase your Aerobic and Anaerobic threshold much quicker than steady state cardio lasting 60 minutes.
Kettlebell Tabata Workouts or HIIT kettlebell workouts only work well if you use the correct kettlebell exercises, they need to be full body movements and intense. Try these basic drills to get the hang of things:
10 Kettlebell Tabata Workouts
1– Swing Tabata Workout
- Two Handed Swing – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 5 – 8 Times
Benefits – the kettlebell swing is the most effective full body kettlebell exercise both for fat loss and full body conditioning. No matter what your level from beginner to advanced you can always get a lot out of this basic swing workout.
Variations – try changing the weight each round, so you can start light and go heavier or move from heavy to lighter.
2– Bob & Weave Tabata Workout
- Bob & Weave – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 5 – 8 Times
Benefits – the kettlebell bob and weave encourages lateral or sideways movement that is often neglected in workouts. The bob and weave will not only increase your cardio capacity but will also develop good strength and mobility in the legs and hips.
Variations – switch up your speed and depth on each round. The deeper you go the move glute activation you will get and the faster you move the more cardiovascular you will find it.
Video tutorial of the kettlebell Bob & Weave exercise:
3– Squat & Press Tabata Workout
- Two Handed Squat & Press – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 5 – 8 Times
Benefits – the squat is a classic full body movement and by adding the press at the top you get full body conditioning from head to toe. Depending on your speed you can really get your heart racing with this exercise too.
Variations – try changing the weight each round from lighter to heavier and vice versa. On the lighter round work on increasing your speed. Count how many repetitions you perform each round and try and stick to that number or better it.
4– Single Handed Swing Tabata Workout
- Swing Left Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Swing Right Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – once you have mastered the two handed swing tabata workout then you can progress to this one. Using just one hand puts more strain on the shoulder joint and also pulls the body into rotation so you get more core activation.
Variations – try working on different speeds and heights with each round. Swinging nice and low will enable you to quicken your pace whereas head height will give you more hang time.
5 – Clean Tabata Workout
- Clean Left Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Clean Right Hand – 20 secs
- 10 Seconds Rest
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – the clean is a full body movement that when performed at a good pace will really elevate your heart rate and strengthen your hips, legs, core and back.
Variations – choosing the correct weight for your cleans is very important. Try to go as heavy as you can manage and then really drive and work those hips. I remember performing a very tough workout of 60 seconds of 32kg cleans many years ago.
6– Thruster Tabata Workout
- Thruster Left Hand – 20 secs
- 10 Seconds Rest
- Thruster Right Hand – 20 secs
- 10 Seconds Rest
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – a full body exercise that is as tough on your cardio as it is on your full body strength.
Variations – once you have mastered the standard thruster you can progress to the twisting thruster that uses a rotation at the top of the movement.
Video tutorial of the kettlebell Thruster exercise:
7– Lunge & Press Tabata Workout
- Reverse Lunge & Press Left Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Reverse Lunge & Press Right Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – the reverse lunge will develop some serious single leg strength and condition the legs and glutes intensely. When you add in a press you gain the benefits of more core involvement and shoulder conditioning as well as cardio.
Variations – once comfortable with the lunge and press exercise you should try and increase the speed. Performing the lunge slowly will not see you getting the correct benefits from the tabata protocol.
8– High Pulls Tabata Workout
- High Pulls Left Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- High Pulls Right Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – high pulls are the prime candidate for tabata workouts, they are fast and super cardiovascular. You will also get lots of activation of the muscles in the back of the body as well as the hips, glutes and legs from this exercise.
Variations – try changing weight each round to see how it impacts your high pulls speed
Video of the kettlebell High Pull exercise:
9– Snatch Tabata Workout
- Snatch Left Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Snatch Right Hand – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – the snatch is an advanced kettlebell exercise but excellent for tabata workouts due to its intensity. You will get a good full body workout and conditioning from this format but 30 seconds would probably be better.
Variations – experiment with different snatch techniques, you can use a corkscrew method to bring the kettlebell down or try snatching from a dead stop at the bottom of the movement.
10– Double Lunge Tabata Workout
- Double Lunge Left – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Double Lunge Right – 20 secs
- Rest – 10 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – double lunges are tough on the legs, you can expect to be sore from this exercise and have your cardio seriously tested.
Variations – if the full movement is too intense you can always put your foot down briefly between forwards and backwards lunges.
Video of the kettlebell Double Lunge exercise:
New to kettlebells? Then see my beginners guide to kettlebell training here
Now Increase the Workout Intensity
You should now have a good understanding as to how the Tabata Protocol works. Now go through these workouts again but change the intensity to 30 seconds work and 15 seconds rest.
I would not recommend that you go any higher than 30 seconds of work. You should keep the work and rest periods brief to encourage full commitment and maximum effort for every round.
5 Bodyweight & Kettlebell Tabata Workouts
Next, sticking to the Tabata protocol you can integrate some body weight exercises to increase the intensity even further. Try the following combinations by alternating the exercise after each rest period. Repeat each drill 4 – 8 times on a 30/15 work to rest ratio.
1– Swing ‘n’ Push Ups Tabata Workout
- Two Handed Swing – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Push Ups – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – adding push ups to this workout means you hit the only area that swing are not able to address, the chest. You will also find that getting up and down off the floor also drastically increases the heart rate.
2– Squat ‘n’ Burpees Tabata Workout
- Goblet Squats – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Burpees – 30 secs
- 15 Seconds Rest
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – squats and burpees both work the squatting movement pattern so you will find this overload tough on the legs. Plus, cardio is heavily addressed by both the burpees and the getting up and down from the floor.
3– Squat ‘n’ Climbers Tabata Workout
- Squat & Press – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Fast Mountain Climbers – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – as if squatting and pressing was not enough adding floor based fast mountain climbers cranks your heart rate up even higher. You get some great core activation from the fast mountain climbers too!
4– Swings ‘n’ Thrusts Tabata Workout
- Two Handed Swing – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Squat Thrusts – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – another full body blast that is tough on the core muscles and cardio as well as the shoulders. If you get through this workout then you will be doing very well.
Video tutorial of the Squat Thrusts exercise:
5– Bobs ‘n’ Knees Tabata Workout
- Bob & Weave 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- High Knees – 30 secs
- Rest – 15 secs
- Repeat 4 Times
Benefits – you’ll be glad of the bob and weaves during this workout because your heart will be racing from the high knees. Another full body workout that takes in some nice lateral movement for the legs and glutes.
Tabata Conclusions
Kettlebell tabata workouts are very effective for both beginners learning a new exercise and for the more advanced athlete looking to be efficient with their time.
Short bursts of intense exercises followed by brief rest periods is psychologically easier to deal with than longer durations of exercise. Tabata workouts have also been proven to drastically improve your cardiovascular threshold and burn fat more effectively than slow steady rate cardio.
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