Tabata Press & Core is a free intermediate-level TABATA workout lasting about 12 min. It uses Pike Push-ups and Sit-ups, needs no equipment, and can be scaled up or down for any fitness level.
Run this on a real TABATA timer with audio cues — free in the iOS app.
Get the appPush strength plus core. Cut reps a little early to protect quality across rounds.
Create custom, AI-generated WODs tailored to your equipment and fitness level. Enjoy smart timers and saved workouts.
Get the iOS AppThis is a Tabata session: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, eight times through for a four-minute block. The protocol comes from a 1996 study by Dr. Izumi Tabata and colleagues on Japanese Olympic speed skaters, and the intervals are meant to be genuinely maximal rather than merely brisk.
Count your reps in the first round and treat that number as the target for all eight. The conventional score is your lowest round, which is a deliberate check on going out too hard. If round eight is less than half of round one, you started too fast.
This session assumes you can already pace yourself across a full workout without your technique falling apart. The volume is higher and the rest is shorter than a beginner equivalent. If you are having to stop mid-set to recover, treat it as a signal to scale rather than a reason to push through.
Scaling is how this workout stays useful across a range of abilities. Pick the version of each movement that lets you keep moving at a steady pace, and note what you changed so the next attempt is a fair comparison.
Pike Push-ups — easier: raise your hands onto a step to reduce the angle. Harder: elevate your feet to shift more weight overhead.
Sit-ups — easier: anchor your feet, or reduce the range to a crunch. Harder: hold your arms overhead throughout, or switch to V-ups.
No equipment at all. Everything here is bodyweight, and floor space roughly the size of a yoga mat is enough. This one works in a hotel room, a garage or a corner of the living room.
Warm up before you start the clock. Five to ten minutes of easy movement plus a few light reps of each movement in the workout is enough, and it matters more on short, intense sessions than on long ones.