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You are right, its 8 sets of 20 seconds or exercise with 10 seconds of rest in between sets. The video below is one of the simplest I could find on the tabata. They look a bit goofy doing the tabata air squats, but its because they are going as fast as they can possibly go.
The two most important factors in doing tabatas are:
1. It MUST be full intensity (i.e., as fast as you can possibly go) with full range of motion. This is key and is why the Tabata is so effective in burning fat and improving health.
2. You MUST keep note of your "score" (i.e., how many reps you do on each round/set). This is how you will know that your fitness level is improving and it will also really keep you motivated to continue to workout hard.
I cannot stress enough the fact that for those ten seconds you must go as hard and as fast as you possibly can while maintaining proper form. If you are working at just 75%-85% of your max effort then you are not doing a Tabata.
Its is a TREMENDOUS motivating factor when you do your tabata exercise and compare your current score to what you have done in the past. When you see that your health/fitness level is improving it just does something physically/mentally/spiritually to you that really makes you feel GREAT.
I am just curious... I know you have to keep proper form and what not, but I have no doubt doing it this way makes it MUCH tougher to keep the proper form, as you are going SO fast. Couldn't this end up causing injury if you got even the tiniest bit complacive? Especially if you introduce some kind of resistance?
However, I can DEFINATELY see how one could achieve phenomenal results doing this. You are raising your heart rate so much, it would be similar to how HIIT works. Seems like anything you do in rapid succesion with exercise with very little downtime is beneficial, especially from a fat burning, weight loss standpoint.
I am just curious... I know you have to keep proper form and what not, but I have no doubt doing it this way makes it MUCH tougher to keep the proper form, as you are going SO fast. Couldn't this end up causing injury if you got even the tiniest bit complacive? Especially if you introduce some kind of resistance?
Complacency should play no part in a workout. If someone is "complacent" while working out then they are not really working out then. There is no more risk of injury with this than any other type of exercise. I think that a certain few people think that "going fast" means risking injury and that is not the case here.
Overall, proper form is urged so that people dont cheat just to improve their scores. Sometimes, a person while doing tabata squats, wont squat down all the way, or if doing tabata pullups, wont get their chin above the bar, etc. You want to have FULL reps on this workout.
The only time Ive ever used weights on a tabata is with kettlebell swings or dumbbell thrusters. When doing these (as with all exercises) proper form is paramount and is priority over just trying to "get through the workout".
Pullups
pushups
squats
situps
heavy bag punchouts
wing chun chain punching
dumbbell thrusters
kettelbell swings
Double under jump ropes
Alternating leg (i.e., jogging in place jump ropes)
High knee lifts (similar to jogging in place but lifting the knees AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE)
Burpees
Complacency should play no part in a workout. If someone is "complacent" while working out then they are not really working out then. There is no more risk of injury with this than any other type of exercise. I think that a certain few people think that "going fast" means risking injury and that is not the case here.
By complacent, I am meaning more towards when someone has been doing it for, lets say a few weeks to a few months, they get used to the routine (of that particular exercise, not necessarily the order of it), and they may not stretch as well, or have an off day going, their minds wandering... and then they are going so fast, they lunge or move the wrong way or a bit too much, causing injury.
Yes, you are correct that you should never be complacent, but it does happen to people. People workout in all kinds of conditions, whether mentally or physically, and sometimes their minds may not be 100% focused (perhaps 95%?), and things happen. Introducing excessive speed to a workout only up's the ante on getting injured, rather than slow and methodical.
I have no doubt the Tabata workouts are wonderful, and have huge benefits over traditional workouts. I am not downing it in anyway. Just be cautious, and if your mindframe leaves you in any doubt, I would do something slower for that particular workout. Risking injury should always be a NO GO, even though you certainly can get injured doing a slow workout as well. Just use common sense, and logic.
So Tabata HIIT can be done with Tabata squats with no weight? What about Burpee? i've seen that term tossed in with HIIT before.
And I'm going to say it because it's been lingering on my mind but can a bodyweight squat and a burpee really be that effective for fatloss in HIIT? I've seen people say Burpee's will give you a killer workout but it just doesn't look that way.
So Tabata HIIT can be done with Tabata squats with no weight? What about Burpee? i've seen that term tossed in with HIIT before.
And I'm going to say it because it's been lingering on my mind but can a bodyweight squat and a burpee really be that effective for fatloss in HIIT? I've seen people say Burpee's will give you a killer workout but it just doesn't look that way.
Tabata squats are better done with just air squats (i.e., no weight).
Have you ever done a burpee? If you are doing the tabata correctly, you will feel like dying by the 4th round of tabata burpees.
No, I've only done HIIT with Sprinting and I wanted felt like my heart and chest were going to explode.
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There is no more risk of injury with this than any other type of exercise. I think that a certain few people think that "going fast" means risking injury and that is not the case here. 
