How to use the online timer
Thirty seconds of work against thirty of rest, ten times over, is the plainest interval format there is. Equal halves make it easy to hold in your head and easy to compare week to week, which is why it has been the standard starting point for runners and cyclists for decades. Nothing about it is clever; the value is entirely in the repetition and the honesty of the effort.
Even ratios allow a harder work period than uneven ones, so treat the thirty seconds as genuinely fast rather than merely brisk. On a track, that is close to a hard controlled pace; on a bike, a gear that is difficult to hold. The count runs inside this tab, so leave the page open — closing it ends the intervals wherever they happen to be.
The clearest sign the pacing is right is that the last interval is roughly as fast as the first. Starting too hard and fading through rounds three to six is the most common way this format goes wrong, and it teaches nothing. Note down what you managed and compare it next time; that comparison is most of what interval work is actually for.
Common questions
Why an even work-to-rest ratio?
Because equal halves let you work harder in each interval and make sessions easy to compare week to week. It is the plainest format there is, which is exactly why it has lasted.
How do I know if the pacing was right?
The last interval should be roughly as fast as the first. Starting too hard and fading through the middle rounds is the most common mistake, and it makes the session much less useful.
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