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Jay's Fencing Blog

Why Interval Training is so important in fencing

Posted by Jay Vadnais on

As an athlete, one should always practice and train as close to the speed of the sport in competition as possible. Interval training "H.I.I.T Training" High Intensity Interval Training or popularly known as "Tabata Training," allows athletes to accomplish great success in a relatively short period of time.

What is Tabata Training?

The Tabata Method was developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese physician and researcher. He conducted a study using an interval-based training model. His objective was to see if athletes could benefit from a 20/10 session repeated eight times. It breaks down as followed: 20 seconds of all-out exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This adds up to four minutes total.Loading

Correlation between Tabata and Fencing

It consists of the following actions:

1. Explosive actions mimicking the fencing movement of an attack
2. Rest Periods, giving time for muscle to rest and prepare for the next set of mimicking the recovery
3. Eight Sets of exercises builds endurance and strengthening in the muscles

How to do it:

For example: Max effort of 20 seconds of hamstring (leg curl), then rest 10 seconds. Max effort of 20 seconds of squats, then rest 10 seconds. And then do that whole cycle again for four minutes.

The exercise can vary depending on the focused area. It is not limited to only a select few exercises. Here are some other substitutions to consider, just to name a few: Medicine Ball thrust, Burpees, Sit ups, Pull ups, Crunches, Bicep curls,Triceps dips and/or Sprints

Tabata timer is free app that can be found at the apple store or google play for androids

Disclaimer:

1. As with any sport, consult your physician before starting any new exercise regiment.

2. There is always a greater risk of injury when you're doing high-impact, high-intensity exercise, so properly warming up is important.

3. Tabata training is not for the faint of heart, you will experience soreness until the body acclimates to the new exercise regimen.

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