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UK Security Expert Discovers Tabata Protocol

Continually maintaining a decent fitness level is hard work for anyone. It is ten times more difficult for a police officer involved in operational duty and shift work. I know, because I was that person for thirty years. Like many officers out there, I worked away at strength resistance exercises and aerobic exercise for decades. The aim was to be both strong and fit, so that my body would always be able to manage the rigours of those sudden foot chases, which culminate in a struggle to restrain the suspect. Sadly, again like many other officers, many times the weariness brought on by night shifts, onto late shifts, often knocked the resolve we all need to get to the gym.

Towards the end of my career, through the website of a strength & fitness guru Clarence Bass, I stumbled across the writings of a Japanese scientist called Izumi Tabata. I was both doubtful and intrigued with the research because he was suggesting that an optimum level of aerobic and anaerobic fitness is achievable with just a four minutes workout. Surely what he was espousing couldn’t be true. Everyone knows that you have to pound away three times a week for about forty minutes, to even maintain a modicum of fitness.

With nothing to lose, I tried out the Tabata protocol on a Concept II rower. The first time I performed it after my strength training in the gym. What a mistake that was! I managed six sets of 20 seconds rowing with ten seconds rest and felt ill as I stumbled out of the gym. I had found that there is a price to pay with high intensity aerobic interval training – it is hard work.

I had the perfect method of testing out Dr. Tabata’s research on myself. I was required to take a fitness test every year and one aspect of the test was the bleep test, where having performed a certain number of lengths of a prescribed distance, the ‘bleeps’ get closer together requiring the runner to move faster to meet demand.

About ten months prior to the test I halted all aerobic activities due to a serious incident which left me injured. Out of the hospital for several weeks I still had trouble moving about, but I could row. So I commenced including a session of Tabata’s on the Concept II rower twice a week, as part of my rehab training--and thereafter.

The physical test came and I easily ran to over 12 minutes [staying ahead of the ‘bleeps’ longer than younger colleagues] and, importantly, recovered quickly afterwards. The repeated high intensity intervals, with short rest periods, appeared to have also improved my recovery capacity.

A big advantage of the Tabata protocol is its flexibility; you don’t need a gym – you can arrange a workout even in your own back yard. (See photo below) All you need is an ability to time yourself. Over the past few years I have tried working on a punch bag, running wind sprints across a gym, free standing squats, a stationary cycle, the Concept II rower, and even the clean & press with a barbell.

This photo shows Martin doing the barbell clean and press in his back yard.
He does ten sets of ten reps, with 30 seconds rest in between! (Photo taken a few days ago by his daughter)

In Dr. Tabata’s original experiment the study group exercised every day. Don’t try it – you will require at least two days to recover in order to perform well the next time. [We recommend once or twice a week, not more.]

One aspect which I know to be true is that hard exercise is a stress reliever – the sense of accomplishment you feel after a hard workout is definitely a good way to deal with worry and anxiety.

So, if you are ever in a quandary over which training method is best, try Dr. Tabata’s way. You'll enjoy high-intensity intervals; they're challenging and leave no time for boredom. [Check with your doctor if you are new to training or have any health issues.]

Martin Cooper

[Martin Cooper is a retired UK Police officer. He still requires a high level of fitness due to being involved in Close Protection operations. He consults on Personal Safety issues within the UK and internationally. www.mdcconsultants.co.uk ]

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