What a Tabata is
A Tabata is a short, hard interval workout: twenty seconds of all-out effort, ten seconds of rest, eight times in a row. That is four minutes of work, and done properly it is much harder than it sounds. It is named after Izumi Tabata, a Japanese sports scientist who studied the protocol in the 1990s.
The format works with almost any exercise you can do flat out and stop at once: sprints on a bike or a rower, burpees, squat jumps, kettlebell swings, mountain climbers. The point is intensity, so pick a move you can push hard on without your form falling apart.
How to use this Tabata timer
Press Start and the session opens with a one-minute warm-up to finish yours, not replace it: time to choose your move and get your heart rate up. Then the eight rounds begin. The voice calls each round, a soft tick keeps the pace, and the last five seconds of every work and rest period are counted out loud, so you never need to look at the screen. A one-minute cool-down closes it out, just under six minutes in all.
Prop the screen where you can see it if you like, but you do not have to. The scene is Skyline, a city seen from up high, with a little wind and a low hum underneath.
Three tips for a harder, safer Tabata
Warm up properly
All-out work on cold muscles is how people get hurt. Do five minutes or so of easy movement first, then use the warm-up minute to finish it and pick your move.
Pace the first round
If round one is truly maximal, rounds six to eight fall apart. Aim for the same number of reps in every round, and count them, so you can see the drop-off and keep it small.
Pick one move, or alternate two
A single move makes your effort easy to track. Alternating two that work different areas, such as squat jumps and push-ups, lets one muscle group recover while the other works.
Who it is for
People short on time who want a real workout, and anyone adding intensity to their cardio. Four minutes of work fits into a lunch break, or onto the end of a longer session as a finisher.
It is hard by design. If you are just starting out, or have a heart condition or an injury, build up with something gentler first, such as the beginner full-body session, and check with a doctor if you are unsure.