Tabata Explained: The 20/10 Protocol

Four minutes. Eight rounds. The most famous interval protocol in fitness.

Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval training with a strict recipe: 20 seconds of all-out work, 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times (exactly 4 minutes). It's named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, whose 1990s research with Olympic speed skaters found the protocol improved both aerobic and anaerobic capacity remarkably fast.

The rules that make it Tabata

• 20 seconds of work at genuinely maximum effort. The intensity is the point.
• 10 seconds of rest. Barely enough to reset, which is also the point.
• 8 rounds, no more, no less, for the classic protocol (though apps let you customize).

Good Tabata exercises

Pick movements you can push to near-max safely when exhausted: burpees, air squats, mountain climbers, kettlebell swings, bike sprints, rowing. One exercise for all 8 rounds is classic; alternating two (e.g., squats/push-ups) is a popular variation.

The timing problem: 10 seconds is not enough time to look at a clock

With intervals this short, glancing at a stopwatch mid-burpee ruins the effort, and by round five your brain can't be trusted to count to eight anyway. A proper Tabata timer has to tell you what phase you're in without being looked at.

Running Tabata with What's My Set

What's My Set includes a Tabata timer (part of the Pro upgrade) built around exactly that:

1. Choose Tabata and confirm your work/rest/round settings (the classic 20/10 × 8, or your own variation).
2. Hit start. The app runs the rounds automatically. No tapping between phases.
3. Hear and see the difference. Work and rest phases get distinct audio cues and distinct visuals, so you always know which one you're in, even face-down between rounds. If you use Differentiate Without Color, phases are distinguished by more than hue.
4. Watch the round count, not the clock. Time remaining in the current phase and the round number are shown in large, easy-to-read type.

It works on iPhone, iPad, and standalone on Apple Watch, so a garage-gym Tabata needs nothing but your wrist. Prefer minute-based rounds instead? See what an EMOM workout is.

Four minutes. Zero clock-watching.

Download What's My Set free for the set counter and rest timer; the Tabata timer with automatic rounds and unmistakable work/rest cues is part of the Pro upgrade.

Free set counting · Tabata timer with Pro