Having reached 100 Million YouTube views with Tabata Songs, we set out to create a catalogue of Home Tabata Workouts that could be easily filtered and accessed through mobile app, smart TV and web browsers.
Though YouTube is amazing, we wanted a better way for users to sort and filter the workouts, rather than just being forced to see whatever video is currently winning the YouTube popularity contest. The result… TABATA+
THE BACKSTORY: STARTING TABATA SONGS
Ten years ago, while traveling as a touring musician, I found myself doing workouts in the most random places. Parking garages, playgrounds, stairwells and the smallest of hotel rooms. Though there wasn’t often a whole lot of time or space for workouts, I tried to carve out a workout every day in order to help dodge the back pain I started experiencing from the long periods of sitting on by butt in a van.
At the time Wayno, my bandmate and now longtime business partner, was training for his first marathon. We started hitting workouts together on and off the road. Sometimes it was a slow run through whatever city we happened to be in. Other times we were in a hotel gym. Sometimes it was a short High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout in a hotel parking lot. This was when we discovered TABATA, the famous HIIT protocol consisting of 20 seconds of work, followed by 20 seconds of rest, for a total of 8 rounds (4 minutes).
Parking Lot Workouts
I specifically remember doing TABATA sprints in a hotel parking lot in New Hampshire. The goal was to run as fast as we could for those 20 second intervals. We were using my watch as our timer, which meant I had to look at my watch while running as fast as I could… while gasping for each next breath! In that same parking lot workout, we did TABATA push-ups. Again, using my watch as our timer. While this was a little easier, I found myself hanging my head down and totally compromising my form in order to see when we could rest. Timing the workouts was as much of a challenge as the workout itself!
We found a few timer apps we could use, but at that time on the iPhone, most apps required that you choose either music or the app. And we needed music!
Another go-to sprint workout of mine at the time was to choose a song that I liked, jog during the verse and then sprint during the chorus. I remember running to a song by the band State Radio when I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to create song that is set to the Tabata timing…?
Our First “Tabata Song”
I pulled out some music gear and created “Hip Hop Tabata,” which would eventually become our first Tabata Song (and is still available to download/stream). I took it to Wayno and asked him to add in some parts and help me record a vocal… which we recorded in his parents kitchen!
We tried out a workout with the song in my backyard and it was… AWESOME! We decided to create a few more songs, call the project Tabata Songs, and put it out there to the world. We released “Tabata Songs Volume: 1” in July of 2011 on iTunes.
Shortly after the release, we decided to put out some Tabata Songs videos on YouTube. While the original idea behind our Tabata Videos was simply to show how different people utilize the music in their workouts, viewers started looking to us more and more for workouts. We had the opportunity to collaborate with some amazing athletes. Olympians like Dmitry Klokov and Aleksy Torokhtiy as well as CrossFit Games athletes like Brooke Ence and Mat Fraser (Now 5x CrossFit Games Champion).
VIDEOS, VIDEOS & MORE VIDEOS!
By 2020 Tabata Songs had millions of monthly streams and had reached 100 Million YouTube views. We decided that while continuing to release new music every month, we would commit to releasing one video every week for the entirety of 2020.
COVID-19
Well, as 2020 went, of course, this things called COVID-19 came along. We quickly received countless requests for more follow-along style workout videos that could be done with minimal equipment at home. So we committed to posting a workout/video per day for 30 days (thinking this COVID thing might last 30 days!). We partnered with athletes all over the world including 2x CrossFit Games Champion Annie Thorisdottir to bring simple but challenging Tabata workouts to our viewers for this 30 Days of Home Tabata Workouts.
Upon the completion of our 30 Days, we started asking you, our viewers what we could create to help keep you motivated and fit at home. Among the many responses, the most popular were: More videos! Longer Videos! Full programs! More Dumbbells! More Kettlebells! More Bodyweight workouts! Clearly you wanted… MORE!
So we began. What started as project consisting of daily and weekly Tabata workouts quickly became much more complex. Our original goal of 52 videos in 2020 became 200 videos!
Though YouTube is amazing, we wanted a better way for users to sort and filter the workouts, rather than just being forced to see whatever video is currently winning the YouTube popularity contest.
So we decided to create our own web-based workout video catalogue. Something that would allow users to easily choose a workout based on their available time and equipment. And we figured… while we were at it, we might as well make it available on mobile devices and smart TVs as well. Thus, TABATA+ was born!
We spent the rest of 2020 and much of 2021 planning, filming and developing the app. And we are proud to share that TABATA+ is officially on web, iOS, Android & ROKU!
So What is TABATA+ ?
TABATA+ (Tabata Plus) is a follow-along Tabata Workout Video App.
Filter workouts by:
-Length
-Equipment (Bodyweight, Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Resistance Bands)
-Level (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Available on:
-iOS
-Android
-ROKU
-Web Browsers
Who is TABATA+ For?
TABATA+ was specifically created for people who:
-Workout at home
-Have limited time
-Have minimal or no workout gear
Our goal with TABATA+ is to provide an endless array of follow-along Tabata workouts that you can do anywhere with minimal equipment and time at a low-cost.
HOW MUCH does it cost?
-TRY IT FOR FREE!
-After the 7 Day Free Trial the cost is $14.99/month or $99 per year.
This is just the beginning! We are adding new content every week, and are already putting together some longer form workout programs!
Will you try it?
I’d love to know what you think!
-Jay Driscoll
Co-Founder of TABATA+ / Tabata Songs
