How long is a Tabata?
A Tabata is 4 minutes: 8 rounds of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest. One round is 30 seconds, so the length of any Tabata is the number of rounds times 30 seconds.
Tabata length by number of rounds
| Rounds | Work | Rest | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1:20 | 0:40 | 2:00 |
| 6 | 2:00 | 1:00 | 3:00 |
| 8 | 2:40 | 1:20 | 4:00 |
| 10 | 3:20 | 1:40 | 5:00 |
| 12 | 4:00 | 2:00 | 6:00 |
| 16 | 5:20 | 2:40 | 8:00 |
| 20 | 6:40 | 3:20 | 10:00 |
| 24 | 8:00 | 4:00 | 12:00 |
| 32 | 10:40 | 5:20 | 16:00 |
Tabata workouts made of several blocks
A longer Tabata session repeats the 4-minute block, usually with a different movement each block and a short break between blocks. With a 1-minute break:
| Blocks | Rounds | Breaks | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 0 | 4:00 |
| 2 | 16 | 1 | 9:00 |
| 3 | 24 | 2 | 14:00 |
| 4 | 32 | 3 | 19:00 |
| 5 | 40 | 4 | 24:00 |
Questions
How long is one Tabata?
4 minutes: 8 rounds of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest. Each round is 30 seconds.
How long is a Tabata workout?
It depends on how many 4-minute blocks are done. With a 1-minute break between blocks, 3 blocks take 14:00 and 5 blocks take 24:00.
Where does the protocol come from?
From a 1996 study by Izumi Tabata and colleagues in Japan, which used 20-second efforts on a cycle ergometer with 10 seconds of rest.
Is 20/10 the same as HIIT?
Tabata is one HIIT protocol. HIIT covers any alternation of hard work and rest, such as 40/20 or 30/30.
Timers for this
Other guides
- How long is a boxing round?
- EMOM vs AMRAP
- How many rounds of HIIT? Work-to-rest ratios and rounds
- Interval workout time calculator
- The Flowtime technique
General information, not medical advice.
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