12-Minute Bodyweight Tabata Workout Series: Full Body + Cardio

Woop! Workout 4 out of 5. This is bodyweight tabata is a full-body workout and definitely cardio-heavy. If you missed the previous three workouts in this series, they’re targeting by muscle group but use the same format:

• Upper Body
• Lower Body
• Core

I had some issues with the video (note to self: make sure you’re actually in the frame before doing a full tabata of push ups and mountain climbers…) so bear with the choppiness of that second superset if you follow along at home.

12-Minute Bodyweight Tabata Workout: Full Body + Cardio

This workout is made up of three tabata supersets. For each tabata superset, set an interval timer for 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Or just follow along with the video. During the work intervals, you’ll alternate between the two exercises. In other words: 20 seconds Exercise 1 / 10 seconds rest / 20 seconds Exercise 2 / 10 seconds rest and so on. Rest as needed between tabata supersets, but try to limit it to 60 seconds if possible.

As with all workouts, make sure you’re properly warmed up beforehand. Always listen to your body, modifying or stopping as needed. I have a guided 5-minute warm up you can do as well as a gentler version of it with no jumping.

Tabata Superset 1

Snowboarders | This is essentially a rotating squat jump. Squat down, hips and butt back and down, weight in your heels. Bring your right fingertips towards the ground in front of you and look over your right shoulder. From here, you’re going to jump up and turn towards your right shoulder, rotating 180 degrees in air and landing back in a squat facing the other direction, this time bringing your left fingertips towards the ground and looking over your left shoulder. Repeat, rotating towards your left shoulder this time. A good way to think about it is you’re always looking ahead in the same direction, just changing which foot is in front.

High Knees | Maintaining good posture (don’t hunch forward!), run in place. Use your core to drive your knees up high as you do. Keep these quick! If you have knee issues or need to modify, march in place instead.

Tabata Superset 2

Hand-Release Push Ups | Start in a plank position and begin to bend your elbows as if you were doing a push up. Instead lower your body all the way to the ground. From here, lift your chest and hands off the ground, squeezing your upper back. Lower your hands back down to the ground by your rib cage and press your body back up into a high plank position. To modify perform on your knees.

Crossbody Mountain Climbers | Start in a plank position with hands stacked under shoulders, abs held in tight. Don’t let your low back arch down towards the floor. Pull your right knee across your body towards your left elbow, trying to make physical contact between the two if you can. Step the right foot back into your high plank and then repeat on the other side, left knee to right elbow. Your goal is to go fast but also to get the knee as close to touching the opposite elbow as possible. Don’t sacrifice the latter for speed.

Tabata Superset 3

Plank to Low Squat Snaps | Start in a plank position. From here, jump your feet up towards the outsides of your hands and as you do, release the hands from the floor so that you can snap up, landing in a low, wide squat position. Pause. With that same quickness, bring your hands back to the floor as you jump your feet back, landing in plank. The goal is to snap from plank to that low squat with momentum. This way there’s a brief moment when neither your feet nor hands are making contact with the ground.

Hot Feet | You probably know these best as a basketball or football drill. You essentially run in place as fast as you can while in a wide-leg squat position. With your feet a bit wider than hip-width apart, squat down. Staying low, you’ll quickly run your feet up and down. Stay on the balls of your feet and barely pick them off the floor so that you can maintain the speed.

xo Nicole

More from this bodyweight tabata workout series: