Tabata vs. HIIT: What’s the Difference?

April 29, 2019 | Luis Echeverry | Personal Training

Rowing Tabata HIIT Workout Differences Driven Fit

One of the questions we get asked all the time is about Tabata vs. HIIT, “What is the difference and which one is the better workout?” The simple answer is that both workouts are excellent for your body! In fact, Tabata is a form of HIIT. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, and people are loving it because it’s fast, effective, and fun. Tabata is a form of HIIT that involves 4-minute rounds during your session. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at both Tabata and HIIT workouts.

HIIT Workouts

Want to stay in shape, but you’re still rockin’ that excuse that you’re ’too busy’ to exercise? HIIT is great because it provides an excellent workout in a short period. HIIT workouts are known for their intensity!

At one of our South Tampa HIIT classes, you’ll experience short bursts of powerful movement, followed by regular short rest periods. The goal is to push yourself to your limit for a short period, rather than spending long increments of time doing cardio such as jogging or cycling. Known for its ability to burn fat, HIIT is making waves in the fitness world.

After a great workout, your trainer or massage therapist at Driven Fit+ SWS can help your recovery with a hand-held massager (perfect for those rests between exercises) or a therapeutic massage at our wellness studio.

Tabata Style Workouts

Tabata is a style of HIIT. It was developed in 1996 by Japanese professor, Dr. Izumi Tabata. It was originally created as a way to train Olympic speed skaters, but today it’s becoming an extremely popular form of exercise in gyms across the world.

Did you know? Tabata was developed to train Olympic athletes in 1996.

Tabata focuses on the same movement for four minutes where HIIT routines include a variety of exercises and time increments.

With Tabata, it goes like this:

Workout (HARD.) for 20 seconds.
Rest for 10 seconds.
Repeat these intervals 8 times

This gets you four minutes of high impact training. At just 10 seconds, Tabata’s rest period is shorter than most HIIT workouts. You will burn out those muscle groups and also be working on mental muscles too.

Let’s HIIT It

There are many variations of HIIT, Tabata being one of them. They have their differences, but both are excellent forms of exercise that offer weight loss and toning results. Both do a great job of getting your heart rate up, burning fat, and zapping calories.

Up for a challenge? Try one of our Full Body Blast group personal training classes at Driven Fit + Sponaugle Wellness Studio in South Tampa! Each class is different but always involves some form of HIIT training. We promise a high-intensity fun, and challenging full-body workout each and every time! Call or text (813) 440-3016 for more info!