Tabata Timer: Free Online Tabata Workout Timer
Run the classic Tabata protocol, 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds, or repeat it for several 4-minute sets with rest in between.
TL;DR
A Tabata timer runs 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds, 4 minutes in total, the exact protocol from the original Tabata study. This timer defaults to that pattern and lets you repeat it for multiple sets, with rest between sets, a big clock, beeps and a shareable link for your setup.
Tabata
0:20
Total Time: 4:00
Settings
Your screen stays awake while the timer runs, in browsers that support it.
Log Your Training After Tabata
PR Streak catches every set as a possible PR the moment you log it, and starts your rest timer automatically when you finish a set, with a countdown on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.
What Is Tabata Training?
Tabata training is a high-intensity interval protocol built around 20 seconds of all-out work followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for 8 rounds, a total of 4 minutes. It comes from a 1996 study by Tabata and colleagues, who had subjects on a cycle ergometer repeat this pattern at about 170% of VO2max, five days a week for six weeks.
That original study found real gains from just 4 minutes of work a day: VO2max rose by 7 ml/kg/min and anaerobic capacity rose by 28%. The protocol has since become a template lifters apply to bodyweight circuits, kettlebells and cardio machines, not just cycling.
How to Use This Tabata Timer
Hit start and the timer runs the default 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds, with a 10-second get-ready countdown first. A big clock shows the phase and time left, with a round counter, and beeps mark the last 3 seconds of every phase plus each switch.
Want more than 4 minutes of work? Set your sets field above 1 and add a rest between sets, 60 seconds by default, so you can run several Tabata blocks back to back with a real recovery in between.
Pause, resume, reset or skip any phase in one tap, run it full screen, and copy the link to save or share your exact setup.
Is Tabata Training the Same as a HIIT Workout?
Tabata is one specific HIIT protocol, not a synonym for every high-intensity workout. Its work and rest times are fixed by the original research: 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Other HIIT formats use longer work and rest windows. Switch to the interval timer if you want to set your own ratio instead of Tabata's.
True Tabata-style work is meant to be all-out, not a moderate pace held for 20 seconds. The original study's high-intensity group trained at about 170% of VO2max, an effort level well above what most circuit-style "Tabata workouts" actually use.
How Many Rounds and Sets Should You Do?
One set of Tabata is 8 rounds, 4 minutes of work in total. Repeating 2 to 4 sets, with a minute or so of rest between them, stretches a single Tabata block into a longer conditioning session without changing the core 20-on, 10-off pattern.
Because true Tabata intensity is very high, it doesn't need to run long to be effective. Match your rest between sets to how much recovery you need before the next block starts strong.
Rest, Recovery and Your Next Session
Tabata's 10 seconds of rest is deliberately short, designed to keep your effort near maximal across all 8 rounds, unlike the longer rest lifters use between heavy strength sets. Research on resistance training rest periods found that 3 minutes of rest between sets produced greater strength and muscle gains than 1 minute of rest in trained lifters, a very different rest length for a very different kind of set.
That's why this site has a separate rest timer built for the longer, goal-based rest windows strength training calls for (see how long to rest between sets), alongside this Tabata timer's fixed 10-second interval rest.
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Tabata timer?
A Tabata timer runs the Tabata protocol automatically: 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds, 4 minutes in total, with a get-ready countdown, a big clock and beeps so you don't have to watch a stopwatch.
How long is a Tabata workout?
One Tabata set is 4 minutes: 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Many workouts repeat several sets with rest in between, which this timer supports by setting sets above 1 and adding a rest-between-sets time.
Is Tabata training effective?
The original 1996 study found that repeating 20-second, all-out efforts with 10 seconds of rest, seven or eight times a session, five days a week for six weeks, raised VO2max by 7 ml/kg/min and anaerobic capacity by 28%.
What's the difference between Tabata and a regular interval timer?
Tabata is one fixed protocol, 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds. The interval timer lets you set any work and rest length and any number of rounds, including Tabata's own numbers.
How hard should Tabata work intervals be?
As hard as you can sustain for all 8 rounds. The original research used an intensity of about 170% of VO2max, an all-out effort, higher than the moderate pace many shorter "Tabata-style" workouts actually use.
Can I use Tabata for strength training?
Tabata's 10-second rest is built for short, all-out conditioning efforts, not heavy lifts. Strength work benefits from much longer rest; one study found 3-minute rests built more strength and muscle than 1-minute rests. Use the rest timer for that kind of set.
Can I turn Tabata into a longer workout?
Yes. Set the sets field to repeat the 8-round, 4-minute block multiple times, with a rest between sets (60 seconds by default) so each new set starts with real recovery.
Sources
- Tabata I. et al. (1996), Med Sci Sports Exerc 28(10):1327-30, "Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max"
- Schoenfeld BJ et al. (2016), J Strength Cond Res 30(7):1805-12, "Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men"
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