Before we get to the twist, though, let's start with the basics: a normal Tabata work out consists of 20 seconds of work where you do as many reps as you can, followed by 10 seconds of rest. You do this for 8 rounds in a row for a single exercise. Then, you repeat the pattern for a different exercise. Traditionally, you end up doing 5 different exercises, so it works out to exactly 20 minutes of high intensity exercise.
The twist for this particular WoD was that instead of rest after some of the exercises, you had to hold a rep. This meant that rather than getting a chance to catch your breath, you were working some muscle in between your 20 second bursts. I've heard this called an "active rest" before, but whatever you call it, it makes the workout harder.
This is one of those work outs that is guaranteed to tire you out (if you're not tired at the end, you didn't push hard enough), so be good about your form. It's easier to get sloppy near the end, but try to resist that temptation.
WoD
- 8 rounds of: 20 seconds of push ups, 10 seconds of a very low plank
- 8 rounds of: 20 seconds of jump lunge, 10 seconds of rest
- 8 rounds of: 20 seconds of sit ups, 10 seconds of 45 degree sit up hold
- 8 rounds of: 20 seconds of up downs, 10 seconds of rest
- 8 rounds of: 20 seconds of air squats, 10 seconds of holding a squat
Exercises
- Push Ups
Bring your chest to the ground for every single rep, and when you come up, make sure your arms are fully extended. - Low Plank
From a push up position, lower yourself so that you are about two inches off of the ground. Keep yourself there without moving up or down for the full ten seconds. - Jump Lunge
Start by doing a regular lunge: bring one leg forward in a straight line, and then bend your knees so that both your knees are bent at 90 degrees. The back knee should be close to the ground, and your front knee should directly over your front foot (otherwise you're putting undue stress on your knees). One cue that can help some folks is to treat your lunge like you're going straight up and down with your front leg. Your knees don't quite have to touch the ground (you might get burns/scrapes that way), but come as close as you can to that. If you need extra support, you can use your hands to push up off of your lead leg.
Instead of standing up from that position, jump up in to the air. You want to switch which leg is forward and which leg is in the back in mid-air. When you land, go right into your next lunge. Essentially, you're just jumping from one lunge to the next. Same rules apply on subsequent lunges: keep your front foot farther forward than your front knee, and go all the way down. Keep jumping between each lunge.
Scale down: Do regular lunges. - Sit Ups
Keep your feet in butterfly position (heels touching each other), since that isolates your abs. Come up to about 45 degrees for each rep – it forces your abs to stay contracted, so it works them harder. Any more or any less, and you're doing less work. - 45 Degree Sit Up Hold
This is a little bit like a V-Up, if you're used to those. Lay down on the ground, and extend both your arms and legs away from your body. Raise both of them to about a 45 degree angle, then hold yourself in that position for 10 seconds. - Up Downs
This exercise is similar to a burpee, without the push up or the jump. From a standing position, drop in to a squatting position on the floor. Kick your feet out so that you're in a push up position, then bring your feet back in to a squatting position. Lastly, just stand up; to keep yourself from cheating, stand tall when you come back up. That'll force your to get full extension on your reps. That's a single rep. - Air Squats
Make sure that when you go down, your thighs are at least parallel to the ground. If you can, squat farther down than parallel, so that your bottom ends up closer to the ground than your knees. You want to keep your weight on your heels the whole time, that will help ensure you keep a good lumbar curve & will help with any potential balance issues. For some people, it helps to look up at about 45 degrees to ensure you're not leaning forward & straining your lower back. To ensure this happens, you can throw your hands up to 45 degrees and focus your eyes on your hands on each rep. - Squat Hold
It's fairly simple: do a squat but don't stand up. Essentially, you're holding the bottom of a squat (hence the name) for as long as possible. Make sure you keep good form on that squat; in particular, keep a good lumbar curve.
You can set your feet as far apart as you like, so long as you squat deep enough for your thighs to be slightly lower than parallel to the ground. That means that your knees should be higher off the ground than your butt.
Lastly, don't rest your hands on your knees. It's easier that way, and you want to hold a legit squat for as long as possible.
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