Tabata timer
Eight rounds of 20 seconds flat out and 10 seconds rest. Four minutes, and they feel a lot longer.
10 s get-ready countdown, then go
Tabata settings
8 rounds of 0:20 work / 0:10 rest (4:00 total)
Keyboard: Space start/pause, R reset, F full screen.
Loads this timer in the app: 8 rounds of 0:20 work / 0:10 rest (4:00 total).
On a computer? Get SnapWOD on your phone and open this page there to load the timer in the app.
More in the free app
- Lock-screen timer and notifications: the clock keeps running with your phone locked or in your pocket.
- Scan the whiteboard: snap the gym board and SnapWOD builds the timer, multi-part workouts included.
- Gym TV mode: put the running clock on the big screen with a code.
What is a Tabata?
A Tabata interval is 20 seconds of maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times for 4 minutes in all. It is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, whose 1996 study on this protocol found big gains in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness from very short sessions.
In the gym it is usually done with simple movements you can go hard on safely: air squats, push-ups, sit-ups, rowing or the assault bike. A common way to score it is the lowest number of reps in any of the 8 rounds, which rewards holding your pace rather than sprinting the first two.
How to get the most from it
- Count your reps in each work period and try to keep the number within one or two of your first round.
- Use the 10 seconds to breathe and reset your position, not to walk away from the bar or mat.
- Several Tabatas back to back make a longer workout: 4 movements of 8 rounds each is 16 minutes. Set the rounds to 32, or run the timer again for each movement with a minute of rest between.
- Change the work and rest to make it your own: 30/15 or 40/20 are popular, and the interval timer has more room for that.
Workouts to try
More timers
Snap the board. Start the clock.
SnapWOD turns any workout on the whiteboard into a timer: EMOM, AMRAP, For Time, intervals and multi-part sessions. Free on iPhone and Android.