Tabata timer.
20 seconds as hard as you can, 10 seconds of rest, 8 times. Four minutes. Press Start.
Free · runs in your browser · no sign-upGet ready
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Three short beeps count down each change; a long beep starts the next phase. The page keeps your screen on. If you lock the phone or switch apps, the browser can stop the beeps. The Interval Timer app keeps beeping with the screen off.
What is a Tabata?
A Tabata is 8 rounds of 20 seconds of very hard work with 10 seconds of rest between them: 4 minutes in all. It is named after Izumi Tabata, whose 1996 study had trained athletes ride an exercise bike this way, at an effort well above what they could hold for a minute. After six weeks their aerobic and anaerobic fitness had both gone up.
The key word is hard. The study's riders were exhausted after 7 or 8 rounds. If you could easily keep going at the end of round 8, it was a good interval workout, but not a Tabata in the original sense.
How to do a Tabata
- Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes. A Tabata from cold is how people pull muscles.
- Pick one movement you can do fast and safely when tired: bike sprints, rowing, burpees, squat jumps, mountain climbers, kettlebell swings.
- Press Start. The timer gives you 10 seconds to get ready, then beeps you in and out of all 8 rounds.
- Count your reps in each round. Your score is the lowest round, which shows if you started too fast.
- Cool down for 5 minutes.
Want more? Do two or four Tabatas with a different movement each, and rest one minute between them. The “2 Tabatas” and “4 Tabatas” buttons set the rounds; press Pause when a block ends to take your minute.
Tabata or HIIT?
Tabata is one kind of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) with a fixed shape. Other HIIT plans use longer work and longer rest, such as 40 seconds on and 20 off, so you can hold good form for longer. If you are new to hard intervals, start with the 40/20 timer and move to Tabata when you can keep your reps steady.
Why the app, if the page works?
A web page runs only while its tab is open and the screen is on. Phones pause background tabs to save battery, so a browser timer can go quiet when you lock the screen or open your music app. This page asks the browser to keep the screen on, and it plans every beep ahead on the audio clock, so it stays on time while you can see it.
The Interval Timer app runs as a proper Android service. In our test on a Galaxy S23 it played 241 of 241 beeps in a 30-minute workout with the screen off and the phone in deep sleep, and the gaps between beeps were never more than 11 ms off. See how we measured it.
Questions
How long is a Tabata workout?
4 minutes: 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Add a warm-up and a cool-down.
Is Tabata good for beginners?
The timing is simple, but the effort is very high. Beginners do better with a lower effort or longer rest at first, for example 40 seconds on and 20 off.
How many Tabatas should I do?
One true Tabata is hard enough for many people. Two to four, with a minute of rest between them, is a common class format.
Can I do Tabata without equipment?
Yes. Burpees, squat jumps, high knees and mountain climbers all work. Pick a movement you can do safely when you are tired.
Does the timer beep with my phone locked?
A browser can stop when the screen locks, so the page keeps the screen on. The Interval Timer app beeps with the screen off.