Fitness
Tabata Timer
The original protocol: twenty seconds of maximum effort, ten seconds of rest, eight rounds, four minutes total.
Tabata Timer
4:00
Ready
- Ends at
- —
- Elapsed
- 00:00
Settings
Space start or pause · R reset · F full screen
What this one is for
- 4 minutes, 8 rounds
- 20 seconds on, 10 off
- Maximum effort, not moderate
Four minutes, eight rounds, twenty seconds on and ten off. The protocol comes from Izumi Tabata's 1996 research and was designed around maximum effort, which is why extending it misses the point. It opens at 4:00; change that with the chips under the dial.
Worth knowing
- Twenty seconds maximum effort, ten seconds rest, eight rounds, four minutes.
- From Dr Izumi Tabata's 1996 research; it is meant to be genuinely unpleasant.
- One block is a session. Three, with rest between, is a hard one.
Getting the most from the tabata timer
- Warm up before the clock mattersTwo or three minutes of easy movement first. The block is for working, not for getting ready to work.
- Set the effort, not the distanceTime-based work holds up on a tired day because the finish line does not move.
- Come down slowlyWalk or breathe it out for the last minute rather than stopping dead when the alarm goes.
Related timers
Questions people ask
What exactly is Tabata?
A protocol from Dr Izumi Tabata's 1996 research: eight rounds of twenty seconds at maximum effort with ten seconds of rest, totalling four minutes. It is meant to be genuinely hard.
Can I read the tabata timer from across a room?
Yes. Full screen scales the digits to fill the display, which is legible from the floor or the far side of a garage.
Will the alarm cut through music?
At normal volume, yes. There is also a soft option if you are training somewhere quiet.
Is the tabata timer free to use?
Yes, for personal and commercial use, with no sign-up and no limit. Use it in classrooms, gyms and streams without asking.