One of the best ways to train for any sport is with Tabata drills, especially martial arts. Its short-busts/short-rest format simulates the type of activity one would see in realistic combat. According to thinkcombat.net, “Tabata Drills are the Holy Grail of workouts.” Oladisun “Junior” Tuyo-Scanlan of Penn Training and Fitness Center in Hilo, Hawaii, training facility of BJ Penn, has put together a Tabata Drill that has left even the lightweight champion gasping for air.
A regular Tabata Drill is 20 seconds of an intense burst of an exercise followed by a 10 second rest. You try to do as many reps as possible in the 20 seconds, and you repeat the cycle 8 times making it a 4 minute workout.
But Junior’s work-out is not that easy. Before you even begin your drills you complete 10 quarter mile sprints as a warm up. Then you don’t just do one Tabata Drill you do four of them. Normally a drill has one exercise but Junior has you alternate between two. The first drill is 20 seconds of punching the bag or pads, then a 10 second rest then 20 seconds of air squats. Do as many as possible in the 20 seconds, alternating back and forth for 4 minutes. The next drill is similar only instead of punching and air squats, you do mountain climbers. The next two drills are also punching followed by push-ups and the last drill is with burpees.
Since you are doing multiple drills its okay to wimp out and do the first two drills at only 60 percent or so and the second two at 80-90 percent. That is if you don’t pass out first.
