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A CrossFit gym timer is a must-have for any gym owner, instructor, or someone who works out at home. It ensures that you track time and complete all the exercises within the required time for better results and to save time that you would use to check your watch or phone.
This device offers a visual and auditory alert that accurately indicates when to take rest, get active and stay active. Here you will learn various things about having a CrossFit gym timer, operating it, and the advantages of investing in one.
Types of CrossFit Gym Timers
CrossFit gym timers can be divided into 3 categories depending on size, functionality, and price. The three categories include;
1. CrossFit Gym Timers
These are large timers that are visible across the room. They feature count up, count down, and interval settings to cater to the needs of various individuals. Additionally, they are mainly remote operated as they are wall mounted to enable visibility by everyone. These models are high-end options on the market as they feature lots of extra features for customization and to cater to a wide range of needs by users.
2. Home gym timers
The home gym timers give you count up, count down, and interval settings. However, they are not as large as the CrossFit gym timers. They are remote-controlled and slightly cheaper than the CrossFit gym timers.
3. Personal gym timers
These are models with a smaller size than both CrossFit gym timers and home gym timers. However, its functionality has basic features like interval settings, count up and count down for customization. They are highly portable and competitively priced compared to the other two.
4 Factors to Consider When Buying a Gym Clock or CrossFit Gym Timer
- Price
With the numerous options on the market when buying the best CrossFit gym timer, you need to narrow down your options by setting your budget. You will find high-end options, which offer all bells and whistles. Nonetheless, some of the features that come with them may not be useful for you. When determining what you want to spend on a CrossFit gym timer, consider if the extra features will be of help to you. If not, then go for a competitively priced product with decent quality and necessary features.
- Mounted vs. unmounted gym timer
Here is another major point of consideration when buying a CrossFit gym timer. When deciding between buying a mounted or uncounted CrossFit gym timer, consider how you use it and the available space on your wall. The market offers you, numerous models of both categories, therefore, you will have a lot to choose from when buying one.
If you only work out on a single spot every day, you can go for a mounted CrossFit gym timer as you will not need to keep moving it occasionally. However, if you work out indoors and outdoors interchangeably, it is advisable to buy a product that you can easily move around with depending on where you will be working out at.
Besides, before buying a CrossFit gym timer, think about the available wall space. If you have enough space to mount the product, then go for a mounted model. Nonetheless, if there is limited space on your wall, consider getting a product you can place on your shelf as you work out.
- Plug-in vs. battery-powered or rechargeable gym clocks
The market offers you CrossFit gym timers with the plug-in, rechargeable, or battery-powered designs. There is a convenience aspect that comes with CrossFit gym timers that feature both the rechargeable and battery-powered models design. This is because you can carry them with you wherever you go outdoors without worrying about a power supply.
Additionally, it allows you to plug-in other necessary appliances that you might need when working out including music gadgets, heaters, or fans. The plug-in CrossFit gym timers on the other hand offer you easy maintenance because it does not need you to buy batteries every once in a while. You also do not have to be conscious about charging the device every time before use.
- Types of workouts you need it for
Before buying a CrossFit gym timer, think about the workouts you do often. Your workouts will dictate if a simple model will work for you or if you need a product with extra features. Simple gym timers will be suitable for weightlifting and powerlifting among other similar workouts.
This is because these workouts only need you to know the exact time reading, how long you will be working out before taking a rest and how long the rest will be. However, with other workouts like CrossFit, you will need more than that. A model that will allow you to perform AMRAP workouts, workouts for time, and EMOM workouts will come in handy.
If you are currently undertaking HIIT workouts, boot camp workouts, and circuit training, you should invest in a product that allows you to customize its settings to regulate when you get active, resting, or when to transition between the two.
What is the Best CrossFit Timer App to Use in 2023?
For the best CrossFit workouts, you need to keep track of time. This is why you might need to get the competitive CrossFit timer apps available today. With a great app, you can enhance independent workouts performance even without a coach. Therefore, look for a user-friendly, precise, and smooth app that will monitor timing as you work out without getting in the way of the mid-exercise flow.
If you are a beginner who is not app-savvy, you can download SmartWOD as it gives you simple navigation, and features large and colorful buttons to enhance your ease of use.
Besides, Timer Plus is a great app for those who solely perform Tabata workouts. However, if you are looking for an app that can give you simple navigation, beginner-friendliness, bonus features such as video recording, and a timer for different workouts, Captime is the best app for that.
It is available for both Android and iOS users, gives you voice activation to minimize mid-workout disruption, has an ergonomic design, and gives you high accuracy levels.
How Do You Set a Timer on Intervals?
Setting a timer on intervals involves a simple process that even beginners can easily learn. Nonetheless, the process depends on the CrossFit gym timer that you are using. For specific instructions on how to set a timer on intervals, consult your user manual for precise directions. Nonetheless, here is a general process of setting up a timer on intervals.
- Choose your desired template from the options available.
- Select circuit timer from the options presented
- Create a name for the timer interval
- Enter the desired number of sets
- In the exercise section, set the duration of your first exercise
- Scroll down to the options section and edit the duration of the rest between intervals
- Edit the duration of rest between sets as well
- If you are focusing on Tabata style, make sure you turn on the Tabata style button
- For back-to-back exercises, keep adding exercises on the exercise section to your desired number of workouts
- Click the preview bar to make sure you have done everything as you desire
- Tap Create button to complete the process
- Tap the name of your timer to start it off
The Benefits of Owning a CrossFit Gym Timers
- Simplifies group workouts
With a CrossFit gym timer, it gets easy to coordinate group workout sessions. Everyone in the room can easily see the timer from a distance when mounted on the wall and can clearly hear the buzzers when working out, making it easy to control a large group when exercising. This way, the instructor can ensure that the group runs on time to avoid inconveniencing incoming groups.
Additionally, the CrossFit gym timer ensures that the group members hold themselves accountable by monitoring time while working out. It also ensures that everyone is doing exercises together with the rest of the group without getting lost or lagging behind.
- Great for metabolic conditioning workouts
A CrossFit gym timer comes in handy for metcons, which are mainly moderate to high-intensity exercises that need great concentration. Keeping your eye on the time while performing metcons allows you to keep the right pace with much ease. Having a timer also saves you a lot of time that you could use to take breaks when checking your watch or even phone.
- Suitable for competitions
If your gym is about to host fitness or CrossFit competition, then you must have a CrossFit gym timer. It enables all the athletes to track time in order to complete all the workouts on time. Additionally, having a CrossFit gym timer creates uniformity, where every participant is competing using the same timer.
- Timing Tabata workouts
For Tabata workouts, you need to set 20 seconds for exercising and then rest for 10 seconds. This is supposed to happen for four minutes and therefore, a timer directs you appropriately by alerting you when you need to rest or get active.
Using timers or even stopwatches available on your smartphone is not the same as buying a CrossFit gym timer because unlike CrossFit gym timers, the others do not allow you to set distinct time intervals.
Final Thoughts
CrossFit gym timers are valuable investments for anyone who does circuit training, HIIT workouts, CrossFit, Tabatas, and other interval workouts.
They help you track time and keep yourself accountable when working out alone, however, it also comes in handy when a group of people is working out together at the same venue.
With a CrossFit gym timer, you can easily focus on working out without checking your watch or phone in the middle of the session. Get yours today and transform your workout routine to be more fun and productive.
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