Tabata timer 20/10 x 8
20 sec work, 10 sec rest, 8 rounds. 4 min total. Starts with a 10 sec get-ready count.
Space start/pause R reset Esc stop
Settings
20 sec work, 10 sec rest, 8 rounds. 4 min total. Starts with a 10 sec get-ready count.
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What this one is for
This is the Tabata timer as Izumi Tabata actually ran it: 20 seconds flat out, 10 seconds off, eight times, four minutes total. The 1996 study used speed skaters on bikes at 170 percent of VO2 max, which is the part everyone forgets when they call a leisurely circuit "Tabata".
Pick one movement you can go hard on for 20 seconds without technique falling apart. Burpees, air bike, kettlebell swings, sprints on a hill. The rest is too short to recover, so round 6 onwards is where the protocol earns its reputation.
The timer gives you a 10 second get-ready count, beeps on every switch, ticks for the last 3 seconds of each block, and keeps your screen on. Space starts and pauses it.
02
Good for
- Air bike or rower finishers
- Burpees when you have four minutes and bad intentions
- Hill sprints with a walk-back that fits in 10 seconds
- A single-movement kettlebell swing block
03
How it runs
20 sec work, 10 sec rest, 8 rounds. 4 min total. Starts with a 10 sec get-ready count. Press Start, or hit Space. The digits turn green while a work block runs and grey on rest.
Sound is on by default: a rising pair for work, a falling pair for rest, a tick for the last three seconds and a three-note finish. Mute with the speaker button. The screen stays on while the timer runs and the tab title shows the time left.
Change anything in Settings under the timer. The last setup you used on this page is remembered in your browser.
Questions people ask
- Is one 4 minute Tabata enough?
- If you do it at the intensity the protocol calls for, one round leaves most people on the floor. Tabata’s subjects did it four days a week alongside one steady-state session. If you finish feeling fine, the intensity was not there.
- Can I do two exercises, alternating?
- You can, and lots of people do, but it is closer to a HIIT circuit than the original protocol. Alternating lets you go harder per rep because each muscle group gets 40 seconds off. Both are fine. Just be honest about which one you did.
- What is the 10 second countdown at the start?
- A get-ready phase so you are not fumbling for the phone when round one starts. Set it to 0 in the settings if you do not want it.
- Does the timer work with the screen locked?
- The timer keeps accurate time from timestamps, so when you unlock it will be on the right round. But the beeps only play while the page is open, so keep the tab in front. The timer requests a screen wake lock so the phone should not lock on its own.