30 Minute Cardio & Sculpting Tabata Workout is led by Equinox Tabata instructor Raneir Pollard and Anna Renderer is present. I was interested in this not just because it was from Popsugar and Anna, but Raneir Pollard has recently been popping up in my YouTube app feed for GymRa. He is doing a lot of tabata workouts lately. He has another tabata workout with Popsugar that is 45 minutes long. So I decided to start with this one to see what I think of Raneir. Well–I really like him! Lots of personality and he put together a great little tabata workout that I thoroughly enjoyed! This workout is structured in traditional tabata format: 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of recovery, 8 of these 20/10 cycles equals one tabata. Raneir does 5 tabata circuits in this workout with one minute of recovery between each tabata.
This workout requires a run through to determine how you want to approach it if you do it again in the future. Within a tabata, Raneir elevates the level of the exercise with the final version being the most intense. So the first time you do this workout, it won’t be an all out crazy tabata workout–except for the last few 20/10 cycles in each tabata. But when you do the workout again, you can do every 20/10 cycle at the most advanced level if you want–giving you a true all out tabata workout. Now, that applies to the cardio tabatas. Raneir also does bodyweight strength tabatas. Those can also be pretty intense. #2 you alternate push ups with burpees. Burpees are already intense but if you do your push ups on your toes at a brisk pace (with good form!), then you will still be elevating your heart rate to tabata level even with the push ups. The swimmer/plank tabata is probably the only tabata that your heart rate will lower regardless of what level you do but that’s okay because planks and swimmers are important core work, so it’s nice to have them in there as a working recovery.
Excellent and fun tabata workout. I will definitely be trying Raneir’s other YouTube workouts.
30 Minute Cardio & Sculpting Tabata Workout is 31:30 minutes long; 2 minute warm up and 4 minute stretch. No equipment needed except a fitness mat. There is an exerciser present showing beginner modifications.
- Jumping jacks variations (they increase in intensity as the tabata progresses–2 sets traditional jacks, 2 sets squat jacks, 2 sets air jacks, 2 sets squatting air jacks)
- Push up variations and burpees (starts w/ 2 sets of tricep push ups, 2 sets of burpees, 2 sets of wide push ups, 2 sets of burpees)
- Squat variations (narrow low squat and pulse–2 sets, 2 sets jump squats, wide/low pulsing squats–2 sets, 2 sets jump squats)
- 2 sets of swimmers (laying on stomach), elbow plank hold–2 sets, swimmers w/ breath stroke–2 sets, elbow plank while alternating reaching one arm in front of you–2 sets)
- Knee pulls w/ runner arms–2 sets each leg, repeat but this time add a hop–2 sets each leg
For more info on Popsugar and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
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