TimerWorks

Interval timer

Work, rest, repeat. It advances on its own with a cue at every change, so you never touch it mid-set.

Work 1/8
00:00

Built to be ignored

An interval timer has one job that most fail at: working without being touched. If you have to look at the screen to know whether you are working or resting, or tap to advance a round, it is interfering with the session rather than running it. Here every transition is audible, the rounds advance themselves, and the ring colour tells you which phase you are in from across a room — green for rest, amber for work.

The alarm is armed by the same press that starts the first round, and the page says so before you begin. On an interval session that matters more than on a kitchen timer: a silent cue mid-set means you have no idea when to stop.

Common protocols

  • Tabata — 20 seconds work, 10 rest, 8 rounds. Four minutes, genuinely all-out.
  • Classic HIIT — 40 work, 20 rest, 8–12 rounds. The default here.
  • Boxing rounds — 3 minutes work, 1 minute rest, 3–12 rounds.
  • EMOM — set work to your minute and rest to zero; the cue marks each new minute.

Training combat sports? The rounds, drills and conditioning work on Amit's page is built for exactly this kind of session.

Other timers

Countdown timerSingle durations, bookmarkableStopwatchCount up with lapsPomodoroFocus blocks for desk work

Questions

What is a tabata?
A specific interval protocol: twenty seconds of maximum-effort work, ten seconds of rest, eight rounds — four minutes in total. It comes from Izumi Tabata's research on Olympic speed skaters, and the important detail usually lost is that the twenty seconds is meant to be genuinely all-out. At a comfortable pace it is just a short workout, not the protocol.
Can I use it hands-free?
That is what it is designed for. Set the work and rest lengths and the number of sets, press start, and put the phone down — every transition is marked by the alarm and the rounds advance on their own. Combined with full screen it works on a wall or a propped-up phone across a room.
Why does the ring change colour?
Green during rest, amber during work, so you can tell which phase you are in from across the room without reading anything. When you are mid-set and out of breath, a colour is legible and a word is not.
Does the alarm work with the screen off?
Not reliably, and no browser tool can promise otherwise — phones suspend background tabs aggressively to save battery. For interval training, keep the screen on with the tab in front; full screen mode also stops most devices from dimming as quickly.