Sitting in Starbucks I was pondering what kind of fitness tip I could provide my readers with this week, when I glanced over into my gym bag to see my trusty Gymboss interval timer clipped in it’s usual place (the inside pocket).   Perfect!  I can’t believe I have not told you all about one of my favourite gadgets that I use on a daily basis in client sessions and during my own training sessions.  Of all the fitness equipment on the market these days, it is easy to get confused and overwhelmed about what is the best and what will be most effective in helping YOU reach YOUR personal fitness goals.  If you are looking to increase the intensity of your workouts, decrease wasted time in the gym, and forget about counting sets and reps; then the Gymboss interval timer is something you should seriously consider.  I have tried a lot of different interval timers and stop watches, but the Gymboss has by far been the best yet. 

Here are the features:

• Very small appearance (looks like a pager) with a tough rubber-like coating making it water and shock resistant
• Ability to track 1 or 2 intervals, anywhere from 2 seconds up to 99 minutes
• Stopwatch feature
• Has beep and vibration alert, or both
• Ability to repeat intervals up to 99 times
• Has a clip that attaches to your clothes
• Available in a variety of colors (pink, silver, black, and green)
• Takes one AAA batter

Features I wish it had:

• Lacking a “lock” button, which means I occasionally hear a loud beeping noise coming from my bag because it has been turned on by accident. 
• Does not have an “off” button, once you’re done with the device it turns off after a certain amount of time, this does not save battery life as efficiently as it could if you could just turn the device off right away.

Ways to use the Gymboss Interval Timer 

This nifty little device can be used in all areas of fitness such as interval training, MMA, martial arts, kick boxing, strength training, cross fit, boot camps, or any kind of cardiovascular exercise.  I personally use my timer while skipping rope to time intervals.  The vibrate function is great because I can have my headphones on, Gymboss clipped to my shirt, a certain number and length of intervals I want to perform programmed into the device, and I can skip away changing speeds and skipping patterns along with the vibration alert.  Once I have completed my desired number of reps it will do a really long repetitive vibration to let me know my workout is done!  This saves the need to stop my workout frequently to check my watch or try and remember to count my intervals.

Another great use for the Gymboss is to count rest times during strength training sessions.  For example, if I decide I want to rest only 30 seconds between sets of an exercise then I set my Gymboss to 30 seconds and each time I finish a set I press the button.  Once my 30 second rest time is up the device will beep or vibrate to notify me rest time is up and it’s time to get working again.

Here is an example of how I use my Gymboss:

They can be purchased online and retail for $19.95.

Email Michelle@CORE-Condition or click on the banner to the right for more information about purchasing the Gymboss and videos about how I incorporate it into my workouts.

Michelle Roots BA Kin, CSCS, PES

www.CORE-Condition.com