Ultimate Tabatas and Kettlebell Training

By Pamela MacElree

By now you all know just how much I love active rest periods.  I have an insanely busy schedule, and if I let it get the better of me, I’d never get in a decent workout.  To avoid that scenario, I make sure that on my busier days I maximize my time by shortening rest periods, adding in active rest periods, and focusing on full body exercises.

One of our all time favorite exercises the first day of every month at Urban Athlete is Bottom-to-Bottom Tabata Squats.  Instead of completely resting during the 10 second rest period, everyone sits in the bottom of the squat for 10 seconds.  After a few rounds of this, you really start to feel the muscles in your legs.

In the video below I use the Ultimate Tabata interval workout music track with Swings and apply the same theory, perform Kettlebell swings for 20 seconds and rest in the bottom of the squat of 10 seconds.  On a really busy day, I’ll do this for the full four minutes, then a set of Kettlebell push presses alternating sides, and lastly Kettlebell snatches.  Including the 1 minute rest period between Tabata rounds it’s only a 14 minute workout, but one that’s extremely effective,  you can’t beat that.

Give it a try, and let us know how it goes.
PS- Pamela Mac, Jason C. Brown, and I are in the process of putting together a product called KETTLEBELL KOAS which will feature custom kettlebell interval workout music powered by Workout Muse… it’s gonna be awesome!
PPS- If you haven’t seen the latest episode of HELP! MY WORKOUT SUCKS! to collect your free Halloween Bootcamp Workout Manual and Halloween interval training music, please click the image below: