
The World's Fastest Workout – Quick 4 Minute Workout  - qoshibotu
http://www.tinyhearts.com/7-minute-workout-quickfit/
======
scythe
>Tabata workouts are 5 times more effective than traditional cardio workouts.

 _sigh_

The Tabata protocol is nothing of the sort:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabata_protocol#Tabata_regimen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabata_protocol#Tabata_regimen)

The Tabata group had a 40% larger increase in VO2 max -- not five times as
much!

The now-famous 7-minute workout is based on the following article, which is a
_good_ article, from the American College of Sports Medicine:

[http://journals.lww.com/acsm-
healthfitness/fulltext/2013/050...](http://journals.lww.com/acsm-
healthfitness/fulltext/2013/05000/high_intensity_circuit_training_using_body_weight_.5.aspx)

It should be noted that, for individuals who have already achieved some degree
of athleticism, the authors state clearly -- and this is _never_ reproduced in
pop journalism:

> Total time for the entire circuit workout is approximately 7 minutes. _The
> circuit can be repeated 2 to 3 times._

Now, let's crunch some easy numbers for a second: there are 12 30-second
intervals with 11 10-seconds rests between them, this is 7:50 min:sec, and
with a short (~30s) break in between it's _at least a 16 minute workout_. Not
seven.

Though, personally, I've been doing it for a while, and the one circuit is
still pretty tiring. I'm hoping to move up to two in a couple weeks or so,
like, maybe. Ultimately, the time is the least of your concerns. High-
intensity circuit training is hard: if you're motivated to do HICT, time will
not bother you, believe me.

The 4-minute version does not seem to have any scientific literature behind it
-- if I had to guess, it's just six of the exercises from the 7-minute
workout. I would also strongly suggest warming up before any sort of HIIT,
because rhabdo is real and it's not a risk worth taking -- if you get dizzy,
_stop_.

------
sukuriant
They say it's scientifically proved, a lot. What are those journals /
scientific studies, especially for the cardio part of the exercise? It seems
too good to be true in a "this isn't actually good, but instead dangerous"
sort of way, in my not-educated-in-fitness mind.

~~~
throwawaymsft
[http://journals.lww.com/acsm-
healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/050...](http://journals.lww.com/acsm-
healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/HIGH_INTENSITY_CIRCUIT_TRAINING_USING_BODY_WEIGHT_.5.aspx)

But honestly, if you think 20 seconds of pushups, lunges, and running place
are "dangerous" I'm not sure what to say (seems like we all survived gym class
just fine). Just go at a reasonable pace, and if you get exhausted, or if
something hurts, take a break.

~~~
sukuriant
Sudden, intense motion at regular, yet infrequent intervals and without any
preparation between them seems like a great way to tear a ligament or tendon
to this uneducated person.

Of course, I'm always thinking about the wonderful injuries that I can get
being a weekend warrior, and that's going at it super hard at infrequent (yet
regular) intervals.

~~~
throwawaymsft
Sure, for weightlifting, maybe -- but bodyweight exercises like squats and
pushups? About the same chance as tearing something when picking up a phone
you dropped on the floor. Like anything, just go at a reasonable pace. (I'm
not a fitness expert, but exercises like this _were_ the warmup in whatever
class I would be in, no "preparation" to do a pushup or squat.)

~~~
sukuriant
You're not weightlifting when you tear an ACL skiing or snowboarding. It just
seems like a poor idea.

------
acconrad
Oh god... so much wrong with this.

Tabata workouts have always resonated with supplementary fat loss workouts -
workouts you do in addition to a regular strength program. They're always
recommended to be done with front squats because of the full body demand, as
well as relatively light weight required. Doing a 4 minute push up tabata is
not going to tax your entire body nearly as much as a front squat tabata.

I figured that in a place like HN that has the wherewithal to understand that
things like fitness are not quick-and-easy fixes, that they take a lifetime of
eating well and exercising, and yet we're still plagued with the "get rich
quick" schemes. There's no shortcuts to a healthy body.

------
wandermatt
Free version is 7 minutes, but in-app purchase eliminates 3 of those minutes?

~~~
Glide
Seems like two separate apps.

------
Artemis2
Isn't that 4-minutes workout available on the web? How am I supposed to
workout without an iPhone/Android?

------
yeabuddy
relevant:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byEkJ3zRTcY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byEkJ3zRTcY)

~~~
binarytrees
Damn you beat me to it!

