(This article originally appeared in the 9 October 2012 edition of the StrongFast Planet newsletter.)
One of the most popular training routines making the rounds these days is "High Intensity Interval Training", or "HIIT." It involves short bursts of very hard work ("high intensity") interspersed with short rests ("interval"). The intervals are measured in seconds, as high as 60 (yes, I know, that's a minute) and as low as 10. They are described using a work-to-rest ratio; for example, 30 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest would be written as 30:15.
The origins of today's fascination with HIIT date back to a 1996 study led by Dr. Izumi Tabata that compared two groups of cycling athletes. One group rode for 60 minutes straight (yes, I know, that's an hour) while the other rode 8 20:10 intervals for a total of four minutes of training. The result showed the interval group getting better results than the steady-state group. Awesome! So awesome, in fact, that the term "Tabata Intervals" or just "Tabatas" has taken root in the training lexicon. And why not? Four minutes instead of an hour? What's not to like?
The venerable pushup has long been a staple of exercise routines and for good reason. It's easy to do most anywhere (do not try them in pools of molten lava) and provides a good workout to the triceps, shoulders, chest, and core stabilization muscles. There are also hundreds of variations of the pushup, most to make it harder or work some part of the body more intensely, and some to make the movement easier for those not quite ready to do the real thing.