How to use the online timer
Thirty seconds on, thirty off, ten times through. The even split is what makes this the usual entry point into interval work: the rest is long enough that the effort can genuinely be hard, and short enough that ten rounds add up to a real session. It is the format to start with before moving to anything with a shorter rest.
Because the recovery is generous, the work has to be committed — thirty seconds at a pace you could not hold for two minutes. Anything simple works: a bike, a rower, hill repeats, skipping. Keep this tab open where the changeover can be heard, since the count runs in the page and ends with it if the tab is closed.
Compared with a forty-twenty format, this one lets you go harder in each round at the cost of fewer total working seconds, and that is a real trade rather than a softer option. Whichever you use, keep it constant for a few weeks — the whole value of interval training is the comparison, and changing the ratio every session removes it entirely.
Common questions
How does this differ from forty-twenty?
The longer rest lets you work harder in each round at the cost of fewer total working seconds. That is a genuine trade rather than an easier option, and it suits people new to interval work.
Should I change the ratio between sessions?
Not for a few weeks. The whole value of interval training is comparison over time, and changing the ratio each session removes any way of telling whether anything improved.
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