Tabata stretching

Until last night, I have been mentally counting to time the duration of my PE stretches. It occurred to me while doing Tabata squats, which I time with a Nike sports watch, that timing my PE stretches using the watch timer would prevent me from losing count and, since I normally stretch while watching television, allow me to sort of multi-task.

Anyway, the standard Tabata protocol is to perform a selected exercise in alternating intervals of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest, for a total of 4 minutes - 8 work intervals. I set my watch to count intervals of 35 seconds alternated with 10 seconds of rest. I used the extra 5 seconds to account for adjusting my grip.

Obviously, using a timer doesn’t change the efficacy of the stretch, it just automates the timing, which makes it more convenient for me. There are several sports timers available, including watches such as the Timex Triathlon and the Nike line of sports watches, as well as the Gymboss sports timer that gets rave reviews on several fitness sites.

Gymboss.com is the shit as an interval timer- never thought to use it as a PE timer as well.

Search Tabata here and you’ll find it’s come up as a fitness topic more than once.

Out of idle curiosity, why those particular intervals for your stretching

I normally do a 30 second stretch, but set the timer for an additional 5 seconds to allow transition time from the moment the timer alerts me that the work interval has started. This way, I am still getting at least 30 seconds of stretch time for each interval. The 10 seconds rest between intervals is just what I’m used to doing for fitness Tabatas and I guess I’m just a creature of habit.

I don’t have a Gymboss, but have heard nothing but high praise for it, particularly on Crossfit and Rosstraining forums. The only reason I bought the Nike, model Triax Speed 100, was because my Timex Triathlon died and I was in the market for a new sports watch, anyway.

Every one using a timer that I know loves them- I’ve more than one sports watch and multi-function stopwatch with interval timing function that have manuals an inch think that I just can’t get through.

Well worth the $20

Yeah, for only $20, the Gymboss can’t be beat. I paid about $80 for the Nike watch and sort of regret it, but like I said, I was in the market for a watch. I’ll get the Gymboss later.