New to HIIT? Try this 30 min beginner Tabata workout by Jaime Teo

A huge proponent of “anything is better than nothing” when it comes to exercise, fitness personality Jaime Teo regularly takes to Instagram (@jmeteo) to show how she gets quick and efficient workouts done at home.

From 12-minute circuit training to doing planks and squats in her bathroom, Jaime’s world of fitness hacks will give you no reason to claim that you’re too busy/unfit/lack equipment to work out.

Her workouts focus on dynamic body weight exercises with a good dose of cardio, so you can be sure of hitting your maximum heart rate zone while activating your major muscle groups: core, glutes and thighs.

FYI, Jaime also credits HIIT workouts to giving her body *definition*.

Here, she leads a beginner-friendly Tabata workout, which is great for anyone new to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), easing into an exercise routine, or just looking to take things a little easier. Shape editor Estelle Low demonstrates the non-jumping and easier variations in the bottom half of the video.

Be warned: Easier doesn’t mean relaxing. The moves are basic, so the onus is on you to execute them at top effort and speed to feel the burn. Remember, work at your own maximum, not anyone else’s.

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Let’s recap, what’s Tabata?

Tabata workouts are a type of HIIT done at 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest for eight rounds per exercise.

“HIIT workouts have been proven to be more effective in improving the cardio and muscular systems of our bodies in a shorter time than moderate-intensity exercises that take longer,” says Jaime.

There are many ways to play around with HIIT intervals, for instance 40-20 and 30-15. But for those who are just starting out, we love how accessible the 20-10 Tabata work-rest ratio is. All you need is to go all out for 20 seconds (just 20 seconds!), and you get to rest for 10 seconds.

Do that for eight times and you would have completed one Tabata cycle, which takes four minutes. Sounds doable, right?

Tabata is super scalable

The beauty of Tabata lies in its scalability. After you’re done with a four-minute cycle, you could add on another four-minute cycle, and another, depending on how long and intense you want your workout to be. If you have just 20 minutes, you could do five back-to-back Tabata rounds.

And if you have 30 minutes, you could do six rounds without additional rest between each round, or five rounds with a minute’s rest in between.

As you get familiar with the Tabata style and start thinking about creating your own workout, feel free to focus on different body parts, or to increase or decrease the intensity according to your mood, says Jaime.

Beginner Tabata workout

Total duration: 30 minutes

What you need: An exercise mat and training shoes

How it works: Do each exercise twice at 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, in the following order. Rest for 1 minute after completing each cycle, before moving on to the next. For simplicity, cycles 1 and 3 are the same, while cycles 2 and 4 are the same.

Warm-up: Big arm circles, front and side kicks, low lunges with torso rotations.

Cycle 1 (4 minutes)

20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest

• Jumping jacks x 2
• Squats x 2
• Inchworms x 2
• Curtsy lunges x 2

Rest for 1 minute.

Cycle 2 (4 minutes)

20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest

• Push-ups x 2
• Fingertip to toe jacks  x 2
• Bicycle crunches x 2
• Shoulder taps x 2

Rest for 1 minute.

Cycle 3 (4 minutes)

20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest

• Jumping jack x 2
• Squats x 2
• Inchworms x 2
• Curtsy lunges x 2

Rest for 1 minute.

Cycle 4 (4 minutes)

20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest

• Push-ups x 2
• Fingertip to toe jacks  x 2
• Bicycle crunches x 2
• Shoulder taps x 2

Rest for 1 minute.

Cycle 5 (4 minutes)

20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest

• Side-to-side shuffle and tap x 2
• High knees x 2
• Standing crunches (left) x 2
• Standing crunches (right) x 2

Cool down: Do your own stretching, or our favourite cool-down exercises here.