You may have guessed from the ringing silence around here that I have been up to something.  Indeed, I’ve been traveling for the last two weeks – 11 days in New York, 2 days in LA, and now 3 days in San Francisco.

The trip was a mix of business and pleasure, and my schedule has been full and hectic.  Nutrition has been challenging, and I definitely haven’t been able to workout the way that I usually do, but I figured out a great way to sneak in an ass-kicking workout with only a 16 minute commitment.

Enter the Tabata.

The tabata is a training method that gets you to your pain cave in a mere 4 minutes.  String four of these 4 minute butt-kickers in a row and you’re a bigger jock than I am if you’re not weeping by the end.

Rather than reinvent the wheel here, I’ll point you in the direction of some great articles that explain the tabata method in greater depth:

• Tabatas over at Testosterone Nation (Be sure to have a good laugh at this site.  It’s a riot!  Despite that, this article is fantastic and includes photographs that show you how to do a thruster, which is one of the best activities that use for the tabata)
• Tabatas from Men’s Fitness
• Ross Training on the Tabata Protocol

Be warned – tabatas are anything but easy.  But for an effective, efficient, and fast workout I’ve yet to run across anything better.  This is a good one to file away in your list of tools to prepare for how to keep your fitness level roaring over the cold winter months that are fast approaching since these can be done in your home with little or no equipment.

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