10 Minute Tabata Workout That Just Might Kill You

(Disclaimer: This 10 minute Tabata workout is hard and should not be attempted unless you have at least a few months of training experience. I take no responsibility if you puke, pass out or die as a result of attempting this workout.)

Picture this.

Your at the gym spending probably your 12th hour this week on the treadmill doing tedious cardio and just going through the motions.

You’re probably watching the latest Taylor Swift vs Katie Perry MTV music battle on the big screen when you think to yourself.

“where the hell did I go wrong with my life”

Time to step up your game don’t you think?

I know why your here.

You want a ridiculously hard 10 minute Tabata workout.

The kind of workout that will literally make you sweat blood and tears before leaving you crumpled in in a helpless heap on the floor.

A workout that will make you question why you ever decided to set foot in the gym in the first place.

What Is Tabata – The 4 Minutes Of Hell

Now, if you’re already a Tabata freak then you’ve probably no doubt read this exact same description on a million other websites. If this is you then you can just go ahead and skip to the workout.

If not then here’s a quick breakdown.

Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) based on a 1996 study performed by professor Izumi Tabata.

The study had Olympic Speedskaters perform 20 seconds of intense exercise (performed at 170% VO2 Max) followed by 10 seconds of rest for a total of 4 minutes (8 cycles).

The exercise was performed on a mechanically braked cycle ergometer.

Not only did this study show greater increases in VO2 Max compared to athletes who performed only steady state cardio. It also showed a great increase in anaerobic capacity.

Long story short. It’s 4 minutes of brutally hard exercise that will leave you crying in a curled up ball in the corner of the room.

The Real Tabata Protocol

Now, the REAL Tabata method is beyond what 99% of the population can even handle.

When most people say they are doing Tabata, what they are really doing is just following a 20/10 interval training method.

There’s nothing wrong with this way of training and it’s still a brutally evil workout.

But working at 170% of your maximum oxygen consumption is simply unsustainable for most.

Hence, YOU’RE NOT DOING REAL TABATA

A real 10 minute Tabata session is physically impossible.

I just wanted to make this clear before we dive into the workout

10 Minute Tabata Workout – 20/10 Intervals

So here’s how we’re going to break this down.

I’m going to be giving you Six 4-minute Tabata workouts that can be used interchangeably to create a brutally hard 10-minute workout.

You can simply choose any two of the workouts that I list below to create your workout.

You’re going to be resting 2 minutes between each Tabata workout to allow partial recovery before proceeding to the next Tabata.

Here’s an example:

Workout 1:

20 Seconds Work
10 Seconds Rest
Repeat x8

2 minutes rest

Workout 2:

20 Seconds Work
10 Seconds Rest
Repeat x8

Total workout time: 10 minutes.

The Six Tabata’s

Tabata 1: Pure Pushup Challenge

For this Tabata where going to be working to variations of pushups that we will alternate every interval

The pushups we’re going to be using are:

Wide Grip Pushups
Close Grip Pushups

Which looks like This:

20 Seconds: Wide Grip Pushups
10 Seconds: Rest
20 Seconds: Close Grip Pushups
10 Seconds: Rest
Repeat x4

This is a pure chest and tricep killer.

The reason we change hand positions between every interval is to allow partial recovery of the main muscles used in the previous interval before jumping into the next.

Wide grip pushups place more stress on the chest while close grip pushups place more stress on the triceps.

You’re still going to feel a major burn regardless of how you do the set. But doing it this way will help you avoid complete failure and allow you to finish the Tabata.

Tabata 2: Lower body Crusher

For this Tabata where going to purely on the legs. But make no mistake this is pretty intense

The exercises we’re going to be using are:

Jump Squats
Alternating Jumping Lunges

Which looks like This:

20 Seconds: Jump Squats
10 Seconds: Rest
20 Seconds: Alternating Jumping Lunges
10 Seconds: Rest
Repeat x4

This is one of my personal go to get workouts when I want to fit in a quick leg workout.

And I’ll be honest, It hurts like hell afterward.

Good luck!

Tabata 3: The Push-Pull Method

For this Tabata where going back to the upper body. We’re going to be using a pulling exercise followed by a pushing exercise.

The exercises we’re going to use are:

Pull-ups
Parallel Bar Dips

Which looks like This:

20 Seconds: Pull-ups
10 Seconds: Rest
20 Seconds: Parallel Bar Dips
10 Seconds: Rest
Repeat x4

Now, for argument’s sake, I’m going to allow a little leeway on this one. I know for some people it can be hard enough doing just a few pull-ups or parallel bar dips.

So if your not quite at this level yet. You can go ahead and swap the chin-ups for inverted rows. And swap the parallel bar dips for bench dips.

Now you have no excuses.

Tabata 4: Burpee Hell

As the name suggests. We’re going to be doing burpees.

And it’s going to be HELL

Here’s the Tabata breakdown:

20 Seconds: Burpees
10 Seconds: Rest
Repeat x8

Depending on your fitness level you can do these either with or without the pushup.

I personally do them without the pushup as I feel it can distract from the cardio element of the exercise and slow me down.

But That’s just me.

Tabata 5: Heavy Core

For this Tabata where going to be hitting the weights. While simultaneously smashing out our core to pieces

The exercises we’re going to use are:

Deadlifts
Landmine 180’s

Which looks like This:

20 Seconds: Deadlift
10 Seconds: Rest
20 Seconds: Landmine 180’s
10 Seconds: Rest
Repeat x4

It’s important NOT to load the bar up too heavy with these exercises.

Pick a weight that’s challenging, but will allow you to get through the 4 minutes with good form and posture.

The last thing you want to do is pass out mid deadlift.

Tabata 6: Punch Out Drill

I left this one until last because for it to work it requires access to a heavy punch bag.

What your going to be doing is a non-stop 1-2 punch out drill for the entire Tabata.

Which looks like This:

20 Seconds: 1-2 Punch Combination
10 Seconds: Rest
Repeat x8

It might look easy but after the first few intervals, you’re gonna start feeling your arms burn with intensity.

Remember to fight through the pain and keep going for the full 4 minutes to get the maximum benefit.

Creating Your 10 Minute Tabata Workout

Personally, and for the sake of your well being. I recommend you create your 10 minute Tabata workout with an upper lower split.

So, for example, You might do the pure push-up Tabata follow by the burpee hell Tabata.

This will allow you to completely smash one half of your body before moving on to the other.

Now, this is only my opinion.

You’re the master of your own destiny and you can do whatever the hell you want.

But the thought of plowing through 4 minutes of intense burpees followed by jumping squats and alternating jump lunges makes the lactic acid in my legs build up just thinking about it.

I’ve never tried it.

And I probably never will.

By the way, if you do attempt this be sure to send me the video. I’d love to watch you crumble into a million pieces while you’re trying to pick yourself up of the floor.

How Many Calories Does A 10 Minute Tabata Workout Burn

To be honest, not as many as you might think.

Most websites will claim that Tabata burns 13.5 calories per minute which on the surface seems quite high considering it’s only 4 minutes.

Obviously, your calorie burn will depend on a few factors such as your height, weight, age, and gender as well as the intensity of the exercise.

But consider this…

When compared against regular cardio such as running, skipping or boxing. The calorie burn for Tabata isn’t a great deal higher.

For example, I regularly track some of my longer cardio workouts. I often perform a regular shadow boxing routine consisting of ten 3 minute rounds with 1-minute rest in between rounds.

40 Minutes total.

In this time I burn I burn an average of 476 calories.

This works out to be 11.9 calories per minute.

I work hard but the workout intensity is no way near as bad as a Tabata workout. If it was then I would not be able to sustain it for the full 40 minutes.

The workout simply is not long enough to have any real weight loss benefits.

If your goal is simply to burn calories than you’re going to have much more success with longer less intense workouts.

Great For Conditioning Bad For Weight Loss

On the contrary, the conditioning benefits of Tabata far outweigh the negatives

And there’s no doubt in my mind that if you perform regular Tabata intervals 2-4 times a week. You will be able to run faster, jump higher and have 10x the energy and drive that you wouldn’t be able to achieve otherwise.

It just has that effect.

Other Benefits Include:

Aerobic Conditioning – Improves your ability to perform a long continuous activity. Example: Distance Running
Anaerobic Conditioning – Improves your ability to perform short bouts of intense activity without oxygen. Example: Throwing punches while sparring in a boxing ring.
Accelerates FAT LOSS & Preserve Lean Muscle– Helps your body burn calories from fat while preserving lean muscle.

If you want proof, just take a look at an endurance athlete compared to a 100m sprinter. It’s clear to see the difference in body composition from short intense workouts.

Do you have a favorite 10 Minute Tabata? Let me know by sharing your thoughts in the comments below…