September Fitness Challenge
Daily fitness challenge for the month of September focused on the Tabata workout structure.
Daily Challenge
As a functional fitness coach of several years, I run a community-based fitness group outside of my gym. We discuss goals, meet weekly for outdoor workouts, and tackle a new daily challenge each month.
The intent of these daily challenges is to create productive habits and induce both mental and physical adaptations. The at-home exercise is never more than ten minutes - often less. Short, achievable tasks provide an opportunity to still earn the day when your plans get disrupted.
Consistency will always produce better and more lasting results than intermittent intensity.
Anyone can find a few minutes to do something beneficial for themselves.
That’s all you need to begin seeing progress.
The Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID) Principle is an exercise physiology concept that demonstrates the more you do anything, the better you get at that specific thing.
The body’s ability to physiologically adapt and optimize performance based on what we consistently put it through is amazing. Even more impressive is the mind’s plasticity in response to stress.
Machine learning for humans.
Fitness serves as a vehicle for resilience training, with the physical benefits secondary to the mental skills developed.
Showing up daily isn’t easy but it’s how lasting change is formed.
Enhance resilience by consistently embracing self-created challenges.
September Daily Challenge: Tabata
A standard Tabata set is twenty seconds of intense work followed by ten seconds of rest for eight rounds.
Therefore, one set is only four minutes.
Pick one movement pattern and use this structure to get after it in a short period of time.
Tabata workouts enhance:
Aerobic AND anaerobic capacity
Movement proficiency AND efficiency
Stamina AND speed
Muscular endurance
Cardiovascular fitness
Metabolic health
Resilience
Stacked skill development opportunity for functional fitness and developing the skill that is resilience.
Technique & Modifications
Unmodified Tabata workouts involve just one exercise throughout an entire set.
Exertion level should be at 90% meaning nasal breathing or the ability to say more than one word is difficult to impossible.
The recovery periods are only ten seconds. I suggest a few deep nasal inhales followed by full mouth exhales before getting ready to go again.
Focus on what you can control - your breathing and mindset.
This month, the choice is yours. You’ll see in the modifications that there are countless ways you can start and control variables to make this challenging workout structure initially accessible to anyone. The goal is to just show up and try your best at a reasonable starting point.
Pick an exercise (or a handful of exercises if modifying) that you want to improve in. I suggest bodyweight movements or very low resistance forms of exercise for chosen modalities. If you own a stationary piece of cardio equipment, you will be amazed at how exhausted you can make yourself when approaching this workout as designed.
The beauty of this structure is that it doesn’t take long but it will undoubtedly cause adaptations in your mind and body that make you better in multiple ways objectively and subjectively.
To add an extra layer of challenge, count your reps in the first round and then do everything you can to get at least that same number or better for each subsequent round. Your score per set is your lowest total reps. This keeps you honest when you get to the point of wanting to stress test yourself and measure improvement.
For your chosen movement(s):
Maintain form throughout the rounds
Focus on effort maintenance rather than going too hard in the early rounds
Modify reps before breaking during periods of work
My favorite app for Tabata:
Select Tabata in the app and then adjust parameters to:
Progression Guide
For beginners:
Start with a lower exertion such as reps that you can complete while breathing through your nose to set a baseline
Alternate between two different movements within a set
Example: push-ups on odd numbers rounds and rows on even
Pick a different movement on alternating days to encourage recovery such as upper body on odd days and lower body on even
Do a Reverse Tabata with shorter work rounds and longer rest rounds
Standard Reverse Tabata would be ten seconds of work and twenty seconds of rest for eight rounds
Start with modifications of a movement such as quarter squats and progressively increase difficulty to full air squats as you become comfortable
For intermediate/advanced:
Count your reps and do your best to maintain that count each round
Complete two sets of Tabata broken up by one or two minutes to still finish in less than ten minutes
Here are my current Tabata personal records for some different movements:
Burpees: 10
Leg up-downs: 11
Kick outs: 22
Big flutter kicks: 42
Jump squats: 23
Plank up-downs: 14
Russian twists: 42
Jump rope (singles): 56
Jump rope (double unders): 32
This month, I’ll be focused on double unders. I’m able to get 34 reps in 20 seconds when I’m completely fresh. My goal is to see if I can get there for 8 rounds. The challenge of double unders is both physical and mental. If I lose focus for a second, mistakes are likely. When fatigue is building, this becomes especially challenging. I’ve only been able to get 32 reps for all 8 rounds once in my life so let’s see if 30 days of trying can move the needle. This will be ceiling training for a technical exercise I wasn’t able to do at all not too long ago.
As always, compete with yourself yesterday. Even if you miss the mark, who cares? You’re still getting better and always have the next day to try again.
Quality of movement is more important than quantity of repetitions. Become comfortable with the technique first, then increase your volume.
If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast.
Show up and do your best.
Battle your internal resistance and get that small win.
Everything feels easier when you occasionally make things a little harder on purpose.
High Intensity Interval Training
Michael Easter and Brady Holmer just had a fantastic conversation on the benefits of movement vs the detriments of inactivity.
Listen to or read it here:
As they illuminate, you don’t need to train extremely hard and often to be physically healthy.
Consistent activity will always trump intermittent exercise.
Fitness cannot be maintained by intermittently checking an exercise box.
The best way to maintain or build endurance is to move as much as possible throughout the day.
Assuming a generally active lifestyle, there are many ways to specifically train to improve your gas tank and overall fitness.
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is characterized by intervals of high exertion followed by brief periods of recovery. It’s a way to assess and expand your capacity for intense exertion. For those who don’t have a lot of time for focused training, HIIT offers a way to do more with less.
The Tabata workout structure is a specific protocol and efficient way to execute HIIT. It’s worth noting the proper preparation and initial cautious execution is imperative for those not used to training at high exertion levels.
HIIT is one of the most challenging ways to test yourself and Tabata is one of the most extreme protocols within HIIT.
The listed modifications are key for beginners.
One set of Tabata is not going to cause significant improvements for an otherwise inactive person. It will, however, beneficially supplement an active lifestyle.
Endurance is your ability to go far and speed is your ability to go fast. Tabata workouts are my favorite way to improve my capacity to go hard for longer. Pinpointing a particular skill or movement patterns I want to improve, I’ve found a few sets of Tabata a day can dramatically improve my objective and subjective performance in less than a month.
Productive skill development within fitness makes the task exponentially more beneficial.
Stacking valuable inputs in training adds quality to the limited quantity of time we have throughout the day.
This is self-care.
The primary purpose of all of this - resilience development physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Get Ready
I’m posting this a day early so everyone, including my international friends, can prepare to start strong on day one at their own skill and comfort level.
Track your reps and modifications only to set a goal for the following day. The outcome doesn’t matter as long as you show up and put out.
Consistent effort leads to improved performance over time.
How will you respond when you don’t feel like it?
These are the days that matter most.
These are the days that change you.
These are the moments you see what you’re made of.
This is how resilient mental states are developed.
Embrace the challenge of discipline to optimize the skill of resilience.
Deliberate discomfort daily can lead to improved comfort elsewhere forever.
By the end of September, if you consistently complete this challenge regardless of modifications, your capacity, proficiency, efficiency, and overall physical health will be improved.
Use a brief fitness routine to insert control and success into every day.
Self-care through self-challenge.
A few minutes a day can change your life.
*Special Offer*
Join our community and earn a 15-min phone call with me to discuss your fitness or life goals:
Complete the challenge for more than half the month.
Bonus giveaway for anyone who completes it every day.
In our community chat, we'll hold each other accountable by posting a ✅ after completing each day's challenge. Timing and modifications don't matter—just show up and do your best.
To claim your 15-min call, share your story at the end of September:
Share a reflection on your progress (either in the community chat or privately with me) and then I’ll confirm your ✅ count.
Join our community, and let's improve together.
Disclaimer:
The content provided is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to making any decisions or changes relating to your health. Kyle Shepard is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use of the information in this publication.
I hear my Assault Bike (aka The Bike from Hell) calling. I’m going to have to continue the Core Workout. It keeps my abs slightly sore and is slowly, and I mean slowly, improving my lower body mobility.
I'm in. Both my jump rope and boxing bag are dusty and lonely.