I do alot of Tabata Kettlebell and jump rope training and this little guy is great for that, You are able to set the minutes, seconds, hours, and you also can set two different training intervals at the same time!. This is great and your workouts can flow effortly. This timer has many good features, like the one just mention above, the newer vesion V2.0 has a stop watch feature, it will count your rounds automatically for you, but there's a manual feature if you want to count down yourself!. The bell is loud enough that if you'll playing your own music you can still hear it, The Gymboss is small but not flimsy and comes with operating directions, but what if you need more directions, you can actually go to the gymboss website and download more directions...but this timer is simple to operate and mostly likely you won't need it. The Gymboss can be free standing, but also does come with a handy built-in belt clip. The battery is also included...so this timer is ready to go right out of the box!!...it comes in 2 colors pink and silver, I have the pink one...it has really helped me in my workouts, HIGHLY RECOMMEND Gymboss HOT PINK SOFTCOAT
I like this interval timer for these reasons: not too many buttons and not too complicated to enter intervals, times, etc.
I do not like it for these reasons: The lettering that is raised on the plastic (near the buttons to tell you what they do) are not colored-they are the color of the plastic itself. Yes, I guess after using it enough, you would eventually remember where everything is located, but this fact makes it very difficult for the first few weeks, plus I am far-sighted (aah-old age setting in : ) so I really have difficulty reading the button's functions. I still don't remember half the time which function is for what because I only interval train 2x's a week.
I also wish the vibration was a bit stronger. Unless you have the timer actually resting on your skin, say, as opposed to the outside of your work shorts/pants, etc., then you barely feel it, especially when you are having a hard work out and are a bit distracted with catching your breath during intense interval training. It does beep, but I don't use that feature because I wear headphones and can't hear it beeping anyway, really rely on the vibration.
I don't know how I ever lived without this timer! I teach interval style group exercise outdoors. The timer makes everything so easy and class runs more smoothly than ever. With interval exercise being one of the most time efficient effective methods of working out everyone should have one of these. Even walkers could benefit from using one. The only draw back is that the screen gets scratched up quickly.
I could hear the alarm over my ipod with the alarm on low and the GYMBOSS clipped to my hat, near my ear. I was doing a 30/30 run/walk. Unfortunately, it only cycles 99 times, so, on a 1 hour run, I had to restart it. That was easy to do, but unless you know what cycle you're on, you can go for awhile before you restart it. This would not be a problem if the intervals were longer for the same time limit. I'm 66, and I figured out how to program it fairly easily.
The small instruction page that comes with the device needs improvement. There is no picture or diagram at all. Thus, you can't tell where the battery should go. I unscrewed the back of the unit before I saw there was a battery compartment with its own removable cover. In the process, the buttons came off the unit, and had to be carefully replaced. Once the battery is in, without a diagram you don't know which button is "Change", "Next", or "Start". The instruction page says in tiny letters, "Please see our website Gymboss.com for expanded printable directions..." but should say, in large, bold type, "See Gymboss.com. Throw these instructions away." (Though the site doesn't tell you where the battery compartment is either! And the video could use a couple of pointers to clarify the part where the buttons are being presented.)
Once you DO learn to operate the unit, it's not bad. The defaults are kind of strange. Like, why does it default to 10 repetitions? And why 2 intervals? Also, I can never remember what "BL", "BH" and "V" stand for, so I'm confused when I see it. I'd just use "BEEP" and "VIBE". There's enough room on the display. For the soft beep I'd use a smaller font size.
Once you do learn to operate the unit, it seems to do its advertized funtions.
I'll update this review, to describe durability, once the units' recipients, ages 5 & 10, have had a chance to break them...in! ;)
Update: the units have been dropped a number of times and survived.
I like this product. It definitely helps with my workout routine when I am doing interval training. the vibrate option is okay...prefer the high beep with or without ipod in ears. If your music is down, you can hear it. But definitely worth using for group training...love it.
I bought the Gymboss to keep track of intervals while training for a half marathon & I love it! By using the Gymboss I no longer have to keep looking at my watch or, worse yet, try to figure out how to set the "lap timer" function on my watch. The Gymboss is very easy to set up & use. The fact that it came with only 2 lines of written instructions (and I stll figured it out)is a testament to how simple it is. The only "negative" is that the buttons are not clearly marked; the lettering on each button is the same color as the body/button. I would suggest they make the letters a contrasting color. Other than that, it's all good!!I have already recommended it to several friends & they also love it.
This product is very easy to set up and use. So far working well with my interval training during cooler and dryer weather. Looking forward to seeing if it holds up to the summer training season, when its exposure to moisture increases. The instruction manual is simple and very easy to understand. Transition from set up to use was easy and quick! When running with a group, the alarm is loud enough so that all members can keep in step, that's been helpful in preserving the coaches' voices. - Timer - Pink - Gymboss - Fitness'
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