A reader writes:
I plan on trying Tabata Intervals with the college team that I coach this year. I am curious about something though. Have you read anything suggesting that short rest between high intensity reps will cause a conversion of fast twitch muscle fibers to slow twitch muscle fibers? I didn't see anything in the material you cite that discusses what kind of muscle fibers the Tabata Intervals favor. I have read that adequate rest is required between reps to devellop fast twitch muscle fibers. Check out:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark26.htm
I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject.
My lame, non-response:
I couldn't find anything that specifically addressed Tabata intervals and muscle fiber recruitment. I'd be curious to know if you found anything. Based on the article you site, it sounds like throwing in a "speed day" where you train strictly for speed (short bursts, long rests) might mix in well with the Tabatas. But I have no idea.
Another consideration would be the type of training you want to do for Ultimate. While it is true that blazing speed is a huge advantage, you don't want to train for that at the expense of endurance. Along those lines, I did find this article comparing the Tabata interval with another that does 30 seconds work followed by 4 minutes rest:
