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Timer

0:15

8 rounds · 20s work / 40s rest

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A routine of named steps, each with its own length, run in order and repeated.

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      Space
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      F
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      R
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      Read next: Tabata for beginners: how to build up to the full 20/10 in six weeksAll 8 timers

      Beginner Tabata timer with scaled intervals

      The standard Tabata is four minutes at close to maximum effort, which is a genuinely poor first session. Scaling the rest rather than the work keeps the shape of the protocol while making it survivable.

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      The short answer

      Scale a Tabata by lengthening the rest, not by easing off during the work — a 20/20 for eight rounds keeps the intensity that makes the protocol work while giving you time to recover. Build toward the standard 20/10 by shortening the rest over several weeks, and treat being able to hold the same output in round eight as the sign you are ready to move down.

      How to use it

      Three steps to a timer on the wall

      1. Step 1: Choose a time

        Pick a preset or set your own. The timer remembers what you used last on this device.

      2. Step 2: Press start

        Start the timer, then press F or the fullscreen button to fill the screen.

      3. Step 3: Run the room

        Space pauses, the up arrow adds a minute, R resets. Fullscreen shows the timer alone, with no ads and no navigation.

      Running it well

      Four things worth knowing

      • Scale the rest, never the effort

        A Tabata done at a comfortable pace is four minutes of moving and does nothing the protocol was designed to do. Keep the work hard and give yourself more recovery between rounds.

      • Halving the rounds is the other honest scale

        Four rounds at the real 20/10 teaches you what the intensity should feel like, which eight easy rounds never will.

      • Pick a movement you can do badly when tired

        Squats, a bike, or running on the spot. Anything technical degrades under fatigue into something that risks an injury rather than building fitness.

      • Ten seconds is not enough to change exercise

        Keep one movement for the whole block. Switching mid-block spends the rest on walking between things.

      In the room

      Built to be read from the back row

      A timer that only works on the person running it is not doing the job. The digits scale to the screen, the colour changes before the end, and fullscreen shows nothing else at all.

      A teacher presenting to a classroom of students
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      Photo by Quilia on Unsplash

      No ads on your big screen

      Ads pay for this page, and they stay on this page. The moment the timer goes fullscreen there is nothing on screen but the time — no banners, no navigation, no surprises in front of a room.

      • Fullscreen shows the timer alone
      • Ad sounds can never clash with the alarm
      • Saved times stay on your device — no account
      • Works with an ad blocker, and offline once loaded
      FAQ

      Questions people ask

      Anything we've missed?

      Tell us

      Is Tabata suitable for beginners?

      The format is; the standard intensity usually is not on a first attempt. Start with longer rest or fewer rounds and keep the work genuinely hard — that is the part that makes it work.

      How do I build up to a full Tabata?

      Lengthen the rest and shorten it over several weeks: 20/40, then 20/30, 20/20, 20/15 and finally 20/10. The presets above are in that order.

      How do I know when to move to the next step?

      When your eighth round looks like your first. If output drops sharply across the block, stay where you are for another week or two.

      Is four minutes really enough?

      At the intensity the protocol calls for, yes — it is hard rather than short. At a comfortable pace it is neither, which is why scaling the rest rather than the effort matters.

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