Skip to main content

Afterburn (EPOC) and Tabata

I’ve recently learnt about Tabata and how this can help me optimise the time I spend on exercising. Reducing it down to less than 5 minutes a day! So of course I had to give it a go.

I started this on 19th December 2011 so it’s still early days. Let’s see if this can replace the longer runs I would normally do with Sprocket.

I decided to do this with my trusty exercise bike (seriously this has been probably the item which has been the best value in terms of exercise equipment – I bought it around 1995 for over $200 from Rebel Sport and I’m still using it regularly!). So I exercise in quick intervals of 20 seconds going as fast as I can and then 10 seconds of slower cycling. To make it easier I downloaded an Android App (Interval Timer AD) to help me identify the end of the 20 or 10-second ‘stints’. I wonder why the 20 seconds seems so long and the 10 seconds so short Winking smile.

I do this for 8 cycles and after I can feel it. I can feel the ‘Afterburn’ and my heart rate is accelerated. Actually I should grab my heart rate monitor and see how my heart is going (although I never really understand where I need to be etc and have to look it up every time).

The Afterburn (or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen consumption – EPOC - is the technical term) lasts for quite a while! Apparently this will help my calorie burning which is why I only have to do the 3 minutes and 50 seconds of exercise (the last cycle doesn’t need the 10 seconds of ‘rest’). I still walk or run with Sprocket in the morning before I do this Tabata so between the two I should lose some fat from this Smile

After the 3 mins 50 seconds I am a total sweat ball! And have been sitting on the couch doing some eye exercises for 5 or so minutes. I use the interval timer for that that too but any timer will do. Another benefit of the Interval Timer AD app is that it logs the exercises for me and I can save the timer ‘settings’ and load them up.

If you are thinking of doing Tabata or interval training I would definitely recommend using an app as you really don’t want to try and think or count whilst going all out. On the bike I’ve found that I reduced from “level 4” intensity to “level 3” and now have set the bike to “level 2”. It’s hard! But the good thing is that it only goes for less than 4 minutes! I’ve yet to do it more than once a day and this morning I skipped it as my calf muscles were feeling tight.

Comments

Terren said…
lol out of curiosity, hows your tabata training going?
i have just kinda started.

Popular posts from this blog

Fitness Passport membership locations on a map

My Fitness Passport membership is now live!  Woohoo!  So I get access to a heap of gyms and pools and classes.  For someone who isn't interested in a gym membership I'm not quite sure why I have joined!!  Peer pressure. I'm very fortunate that I have the opportunity to join this type of membership as then I can go just about anywhere in NSW.  The membership site gives you a list of them but I had no idea how close they would be to either work or home so I copied and pasted the details into a Google Sheet and then put them in a Google Map.  I thought it may be useful for others too. You can access the map by this link too:  ​ https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=10hH5PtKlBzeEzV6AoLev4vxqNoDxzR6y&hl=en&usp=sharing

Sauna at home and Vivid Dreaming

Due to the current situation where we are all at home and most public places are now closed I've invested and bought myself a sauna.  I got a Valo 2 person sauna and it's been great so far.  I purchased it for ~A$1600 (before a price rise due to the exchange rate).  If you are reading this in early April 2020 they may still have stock here of the same model:  https://www.luxoliving.com.au/Valo-2-Person-Canadian-Hemlock-Carbon-Fibre-Sauna-Cabin I had looked at a number of sites for a sauna that would fit into my 1 bedroom apartment and more specifically on my balcony.  I briefly thought of a 1 person sauna but I'm so glad I got a bigger sauna as it's already a bit like a confinement space and to have a smaller space again I think would be a bit too claustrophobic.  Originally I had thought to buy the sauna from Appliances Online due to my previous great experiences but the delivery timeframe was too far away so I cancelled my order and ended up buying it from Luxo Livi

The Croissant Diet Experience with a CGM - Sept 2020

I've been on the bandwagon of The Croissant Diet (TCD) for a little while.  Maybe 6 weeks or so.  And I thought I should document things a bit. There was a great summary by Brad Marshall on Twitter on what The Croissant Diet actually is: Eat LOTS of long chain Saturated Fat and avoid PUFA like the plague. Also avoid MUFA. If you want to eat some starch, go for it! But smother them in SatFat. That’s the whole thing, really. — FireInABottle (@fire_bottle) September 21, 2020 What I'm eating: Meat - beef or lamb mostly as this is low in PUFAs and high in stearic acid. Fats for cooking - tallow or butter.  Enhanced with stearic acid.   Eggs - cos they are a great whole food.  Usually cooked in tallow or butter (enhanced with stearic acid if I remember). Butter Cream for tea Coffee - usually black Low carb "carbs" -- Atkins crispbread and Woolworths Macro bread. These have vegetable oils so not great but I try and overwhelm it with lots of butter.  But generally not some