How to Time Interval Training Without Staring at Your Phone
Interval training is fundamentally a timing problem. Here's how to set up a sequence that runs itself so you can focus on the workout.
Interval training — HIIT, EMOM, Tabata, circuit work, whatever flavour you prefer — is fundamentally a timing problem. The whole point is to work for a defined period, rest for a defined period, and repeat with precision.
Most people time this badly. Not because they're careless, but because the tools are annoying enough that they cut corners.
You start the interval, put your phone down, pick it up to check, set the next timer, put it down, repeat. Every transition is a friction point. Every time you touch your phone mid-workout, you're pulling yourself out of it.
Here's how to set it up so the timer handles itself.
Example: a standard HIIT circuit
Let's say your session is:
- 40 seconds work
- 20 seconds rest
- 6 rounds
- 2-minute break at the halfway point (after round 3)
That's 14 timer segments in total. With phone alarms, you're setting 14 alarms or manually restarting a timer 14 times. With a chained sequence in Tempo, you set it up once.
Building the sequence
- Open timertempo.com
- Add a timer: "Work" — 00:40
- In the Then dropdown, chain it to: "Rest" — 00:20
- Chain Rest to another Work — 00:40
- Continue: Work → Rest → Work → Rest → Work → Mid-break (2:00) → Work → Rest → Work → Rest → Work → Rest → Work
Label them clearly. "Round 1 — Work", "Round 1 — Rest", etc. if you want to track exactly where you are. Or just "Work" and "Rest" if you prefer simplicity — the sequence position is visible in Focus mode.
Save the sequence to your library under a name like "HIIT 6x40/20". Next session, load it in one click.
Staying focused during the session
Once the sequence is running, you have two options for visibility:
Focus mode gives you a fullscreen view of the current timer with a "Next: ..." indicator showing what's coming. You can prop your laptop or tablet at the edge of your workout space and glance at it between reps.
Picture-in-Picture pops out a small always-on-top mini window. If you're watching form videos or following along with something on YouTube, the timer stays visible in the corner of the screen while the video plays. Chrome/Edge desktop only.
Tabata
Tabata is a common special case: 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, 8 rounds, total 4 minutes.
Build it once in Tempo:
- 8 alternating Work (0:20) and Rest (0:10) timers, chained
- Save as "Tabata"
Next time: one click, hit start, done.
EMOM
Every Minute on the Minute work is slightly different — you do a set amount of work and the remaining time in the minute is your rest. The variation is that rest time fluctuates based on how fast you complete the work.
For this, use the stopwatch with lap recording. Start it when the minute begins, hit lap when you finish the work. Each lap shows you split time (how long the work took) and cumulative time (how far into the session you are). Set a separate 60-second countdown looping alongside it to keep the minute structure.
The real value
Interval training is about pushing your limits within defined time constraints. The timer should be invisible infrastructure — something that runs in the background and tells you when to go and when to stop. It shouldn't require your attention.
A sequence that runs itself removes one more thing from your mental load during a workout. That's worth something.