Push yourself to find yourself (Mensfitness.com)

You're panting and wheezing, gasping for breath, and wondering how it is you're still standing because you've lost all feeling in your legs. You're cursing the Gods above, or maybe the clock, which you're positive has all but stopped. You're sweating--drenched! You are doing Tabata. 

Despite your battle cries of pain, you're doing it right. Tabata is a killer seven-minute workout that requires no equipment, only you and your body weight. Many people are scared to try it because they don't know what it is or how to do it.

Tabata, also known as 1E1, was designed as a highly specific and controlled style of training to be used for high performance athletes. Dr. Izumi Tabata created it in 1996 for professional speed skaters in the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.  Until that point, more and longer exercise sessions had been considered better. 

Dr. Tabata found the opposite to be true: his method was 20 seconds of exercise at 170% VO2max with a rest period of 10 seconds, performed seven times continuously. This, he found, was the most effective way to increase both anaerobic and aerobic conditioning in athletes already in top performance. 

As far as "anaerobic" and "aerobic" are concerned, the former describes exercise that doesn't require you to breathe; namely, shorter and more power-oriented exercise like an Olympic lifter performing a squat. Aerobic exercise, by contrast, requires you to breathe. A triathalon is the most brutal example.

And "VO2max" is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during exercise. Put another way, it is the moment during exercise when you are breathing as hard as you possibly can. Some call it pure torture, but athletes are constantly trying to increase their VO2max, as it is one of the most effective ways to boost fitness levels.

Tabata is an efficient way for already-fit athletes to improve their anaeorobic and aerobic abilities. But it is also a great exercise for deconditioned (out of shape) individuals to get fit and burn fat for a full 24 hours after their workout. For both types of gym goers, Tabata-inspired training increases a person's Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) for 24 hours after training. Basically, this means people are burning more calories for the rest of the day, even after they've left the gym, as opposed to only burning calories during a traditional cardiovascular workout, like spinning or running. 

At this point, Tabata probably sounds miraculous to people looking to lose weight as quickly as possible. However, the workout is extremely challenging -- both psychologically and physically. You'll know you're in the right zone when your heart is jumping out of your mouth, your lungs are burning, and your muscles have turned to Jell-O.  

If you're still willing to take this on, you will be pushing yourself harder than you ever thought possible. After you've finished, the sense of pride and accomplishment is so strong, it ought to be enough to get you to your second round the next week. 

Amelia DiDomenico, Assistant Fitness Manager and trainer at Crunch Sunset, said, "My first HIIT training experience opened my eyes to my personal fitness. It introduced me to the type of intensity that creates results. Up until that point, I would do exercises at a moderate intensity level for longer periods of time but I realized that I could work so much harder. Safeguards are put in your body that tell you to slow down and to stop pushing; this is the only way to extend those boundaries."

DiDomenico revealed that Tabata can elevate a traditional gym-goer into an "athlete for life." If you only have a few minutes to work out, Tabata is one of the most efficient and effective ways to "turn LESS into MORE."

And it's not just the '20 seconds on, 10 seconds off' sequence that makes Tabata so great--the psychological training that comes with pushing yourself to your maximum capacity is sure to boost your confidence and self-worth.  

Due to Tabata's intensity, DiDomenico said it should only be used once a week or bi-weekly, in a properly designed exercise program. Most beginners will not be doing "real" Tabata, but rather a "Tabata inspired high intensity interval training (HIIT) series." HIIT training is the same concept as Tabata, but the active period of exercise can be anywhere from 30 seconds to four minutes, and the VO2max isn't quite as high- between 95-170%. 

There are plenty of Tabata apps to download onto your phone or iPod and use at the gym.

To get you started on an incredible journey, expert trainer Amelia DiDomenico has provided a few unique Tabata-inspired recommendations:

Squat/Lunge combo (expect sore glutes in the following days)

-jump squats x20 seconds, rest 10 seconds

-killers (switch lunge jumps) x20 seconds, rest 10 seconds 

Repeat seven times, transition into air squats and/or reverse lunges if necessary. 

Pushups (expect sore lats in the following days)

-Seven rounds of 20 seconds of full range of motion (ROM) push-ups as fast as you can. Drop onto knees if necessary.

Side Lunge/Curtsy Step Up (expect sore legs/glutes and in particular "THASS," thigh+ass)

This series requires a bench to curtsy step onto.

-Side lunge x15 seconds each side and switch, rest for 20 seconds as you transition

-Curtsy step ups x15 seconds each side, rest for 20 seconds as you transition

Repeat seven times

Burpee/TRX Row Combo (expect sore upper back in the following days)

Requires a TRX.

-Burpees for 20 seconds/rest 20 seconds as you transition between 

-TRX rows for 20 seconds 

Repeat seven times

DiDomenico's final words:

Form is always important. Good form + consistency = results. 

"We are what we do repeatedly. Excellence, then, is not an act but, a habit"

-Aristotle

Reach Editor Madeline Morris here or follow her on Twitter here.