Tabatas: H.I.I.T. to the Extreme

As a huge proponent of high intensity interval training, I have no idea how I am just hearing about tabatas. I just visited Shape magazine's website and spotted the headline "The 4 Minute Fat-Burning Miracle Workout". I was intrigued...and skeptical. However, the basic premise makes a lot of sense. Typically my interval runs consist of a 5 minute warm-up, 30 seconds of intense run, followed by two minutes of recovery, repeated 15 times. I'm definitely out of breath and sweating like crazy at the end. Tabatas take intervals to another level by shortening the recovery period.
For whatever exercise you choose (it can be running, jumping rope, biking, even sit-ups), you go as far as your body will allow you to go for 20 seconds, followed by a 10 second rest period. You complete 8 sets and you're done. By done I mean you should be on the verge of cardio-induced death. It's only four minutes so it's really crucial that you push your body as far as humanly possible.
An intense four minute workout may seem too good to be true. The results speak for themselves, however. Tabatas are aptly named after Dr. Tabata, who thoroughly studied the efficacy of the workout. Researchers found that people who used tabatas five days a week for six weeks increased their maximum aerobic capacity by 14% and anaerobic capacity by 28%. Tabata training is even more effective than regular interval training, amazingly enough.
Honestly, I don't need any more convincing to be ready to try this workout. I have been struggling with my workouts lately. I've been working out, but having less time is really compromising my ability to increase my performance. I feel like I'm maintaining, but I'm always on a mission to try something new and improve. I think I have finally found a short supplementary workout for those days when I need to squeeze some good intense exercise in. Tomorrow morning I'm tackling tabatas head-on.