For my fellow instructors: SAMPLE Tabata Program

Part of my quest with this new site was to share what I love to do, one of which is designing my class programs.

Don’t ask me why or how; since I started focusing on private coaching and my teaching “tour” of the Equinox SoCal clubs, one thing I’ve found myself extremely passionate about is creating class programs that work. I create class program design probably the same way a writer whips up articles; it’s a typical part of my daily grind and I just love it.

NOT JUST FOR INSTRUCTORS

By the way, this is a program ANYONE can use for their personal workouts. All you need is a timer with which to keep track of the interval periods. This program requires nothing other than your body weight, proper technique, and a timer. If you use an iPhone or iPad, you can even download an app called Tabata Pro ($2.99 on iTunes). It lets you integrate your workout music with the timer, allowing for lower volume during rest, or even changing songs or stopping the music when you should be resting. This is the program on my iPad that my students and I rely on to keep us honest with our work/rest time.

INTENT

My intent in posting this is to pass along program and exercise ideas that you may find useful for your own class or workout. My process is as follows: I create an initial program, test it out, switch it up with a different and new program, then I keep things in rotation with little tweaks here and there until I personally feel that 75% of the program could be easily used as a base. The other 25% is then about add-on moves or schemes that make the original program different to the students.

That said, here’s the TABATA class I used for 45 minutes in Pasadena this morning. It was a big hit, even to a handful of beginners in the class! I’m always a fan of big smiles pasted on beet-red, sweaty faces. As I’ve tweeted earlier today, it makes me happy to make someone smile

TABATA program you can get ideas from, or even personally use in your own class or workout

Enjoy!

Please let me know if you have questions on any of the exercises. Trust me, I do this workout on my own, and I’m DRENCHED at the end of it.