Wednesday, June 25 — 💥 HIIT Tabata · Session 5
Complete execution guide for Tabata Session 5 — Tuck Jumps, Tricep Dips, Bear Crawl Hold, and Reverse Lunge with Knee Drive. Four 4-minute Tabata blocks (20s on / 10s off × 8 rounds each), bodyweight only, ~30 min total including warm-up and cool-down, with embedded video demos for every exercise and a 3-tier beginner/intermediate/advanced scaling table.
Four exercises, four 4-minute Tabata blocks, zero equipment. Today's session is the most upper-body-heavy HIIT you've done yet — tricep dips and bear crawl holds balance out the cardio and lower-body work from tuck jumps and reverse lunges with knee drive.
Session at a glance
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabata — 20s work / 10s rest × 8 rounds per exercise |
| Exercises | 4 (tuck jumps, tricep dips, bear crawl hold, reverse lunge + knee drive) |
| Core Tabata block | ~16 min (4 min × 4 exercises) |
| Warm-up | ~6 min |
| Cool-down | ~7 min |
| Total session time | ~29–30 min |
| Equipment | None — bodyweight only |
The Tabata protocol calls for maximum effort during every 20-second work window. 1 Eight rounds per exercise at that intensity is genuinely hard — especially rounds 6, 7, and 8. Plan for it.
Warm-up (6 min)
Don't skip this on a HIIT day. Tuck jumps are plyometric, and cold knee joints don't appreciate surprise explosions. Run through either warm-up below — both are validated and proven reliable for this channel.
Option A — MadFit HIIT warm-up (6:37, higher intensity, better match for today's explosive work):
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Option B — Kaleigh Cohen dynamic warm-up (lower-impact, good if you're stiff coming off Tuesday's 2.75-mile run):
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By the end of the warm-up, your hips should feel loose, your core should be switched on, and your heart rate should already be elevated.
Main Tabata block
Set your timer
Cue up the Tabata Songs timer before you start. It calls the 20s/10s intervals with audio cues so you don't have to watch a clock — freeing up your attention for form.
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Complete all 8 rounds of Exercise 1 before moving to Exercise 2. Rest 60–90 seconds between exercises.
Exercise 1: Tuck jumps
Target: cardio / plyometric | Interval: 20s on / 10s off × 8 rounds = 4 min
How to do it — per the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM): stand with feet hip-to-shoulder width apart, pointed straight ahead. Squat slightly as if sitting in a chair. Jump up, bringing both knees toward the chest; aim for thighs parallel to the ground. Land softly, keeping feet, knees, and hips pointing straight ahead. Repeat. 2
Key form cues: soft landing with bent knees (not locked), chest upright throughout, arms drive upward to generate lift.
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Exercise 2: Tricep dips
Target: upper-body strength (triceps primary) | Interval: 20s on / 10s off × 8 rounds = 4 min
How to do it: sit on the edge of a chair, bench, or low table. Place hands beside your hips, fingers forward. Slide your hips off the edge. Lower until elbows reach 90°, then press back up. Keep your back close to the chair — the farther your hips drift forward, the more shoulder involvement and the less tricep isolation. 3
Key form cues: elbows track straight back (not flared), shoulders stay down and away from ears, chin neutral.
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Exercise 3: Bear crawl hold
Target: core isometric (full-body stabilization) | Interval: 20s on / 10s off × 8 rounds = 4 min
How to do it: start on all fours — hands under shoulders, knees under hips. Lift knees 2–3 inches off the ground so only your hands and toes are touching. Hold. That's it. The challenge is staying completely still: spine neutral, hips level, no rocking. 4
Key form cues: don't let your lower back arch or round, keep breathing, and resist any urge to let your hips rise. The 20-second hold will feel short until about round 5.
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Exercise 4: Reverse lunge with knee drive
Target: lower-body strength + balance | Interval: 20s on / 10s off × 8 rounds = 4 min
How to do it — as demonstrated by Cincinnati Children's Hospital: stand with feet together. Step one foot back into a lunge, lowering until both knees are near 90°. Drive the back knee forward and up to hip height as you return to standing. Control the movement — this is not a hop, it's a deliberate drive. Alternate legs each rep. 5
Cincinnati Children's notes: "Reverse Lunge to a Knee Raise is a great exercise to help strengthen the lower extremities and improve balance. This lower-body exercise can help to prevent injuries and improve leg stability." 5
Key form cues: front knee stays over the ankle (not caving inward), chest upright, drive from the glute on the return.
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3-tier scaling
Every exercise scales. Pick the row that matches your current level and stay there for the full session — the goal is consistent effort, not ego-checking on a single set.
| Exercise | Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuck jumps | Low squat jumps (no knee tuck) or squat-to-stand | Full tuck jump, land soft | Max height, minimal ground contact time |
| Tricep dips | Feet flat on floor, knees bent | Feet flat, legs extended | Feet elevated on second chair/box |
| Bear crawl hold | Hold for 10s per interval (5s rest built in) | Full 20s hold each round | Full 20s hold + controlled breathing, no compensation |
| Reverse lunge + knee drive | Reverse lunge only (no knee drive) | Full reverse lunge with knee drive, controlled tempo | Add a small hop at the knee-drive peak |
Beginner note: if tuck jumps are too much on tired legs after Tuesday's run, swap them for squat jumps or standard air squats. The Tabata format still delivers a serious cardio stimulus at the lower-impact variation. 1
Cool-down (7 min)
Your hip flexors took a beating in exercises 1 and 4; your triceps and shoulders need flushing from exercise 2. Either or both cool-down options below cover all four.
Option A — MadFit full-body cool-down (7:05, standard):
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Option B — Group HIIT 5-minute cool-down (5:47, HIIT-specific, new this session): 6
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Hold each stretch a beat longer than feels necessary. Thursday is a 2.0-mile recovery run — the more you loosen up tonight, the better those legs will feel in the morning.
Up next: Thursday, June 26 — Hal Higdon Novice 5K, Week 6 Day 2
2.0 miles, easy. Thursday's run is the shorter bridge in this week's 2.75 / 2.0 / 2.75 structure — a recovery run designed to keep you moving without adding fatigue before Saturday's longer effort. Conversational pace, Talk Test, walk breaks welcome.
Cover photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels
References
- 1ACE Fitness: Tabata Training — The Science and Benefits
acefitness.org
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- 3EnviroFit Gym: Bodyweight Tricep Bench Dips
youtube.com
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