The Best Timers blog
Practical guides on getting timing right — in the kitchen, at the desk, in the gym, at the piano and before bed. Every article is written to be useful on its own, and links to the tool that does the job.
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The Right Tempo by Music Genre: What BPM Actually Tells You
From 60 BPM ballads to 220+ BPM blast beats, what tempo ranges genres actually use, and why the number is a starting point rather than a rule.
How to Steep Tea Properly by Variety, Minute by Minute
Green, white, oolong, black and pu-erh each need a different water temperature and steep time. Exact minutes, and why oversteeping turns tea bitter.
Timing Homemade Bread Fermentation: Autolyse, Bulk Rise and Proof
Fermentation runs on temperature, not the clock — why the poke test beats a stopwatch, and how autolyse, bulk rise and final proof each need their own timer.
Cooking Homemade Pizza: Oven vs. Pizza Stone Timing
A home oven and a fully preheated stone are two different cooking regimes. Real preheat and bake times, and why an underheated stone ruins the base.
Pasta Al Dente: Why the Time on the Packet Is Almost Always Wrong
Package times are averages from a lab, not your kitchen. Why al dente really means tasting, not counting, and the timing rules that actually get it right.
How to Time a Boxing or MMA Training Round
Standard round and rest lengths for boxing, Muay Thai and MMA, how to structure a full session around them, and what happens in the corner minute.
Rest Between Sets: Why 90 Seconds Isn't Always Right
Rest length depends on the goal, not habit. How long to rest for strength, hypertrophy and endurance work, and why "resting until ready" backfires.
EMOM, AMRAP, For Time: CrossFit Clock Formats Explained
Four clock formats, four different games — EMOM, AMRAP, For Time and RFT explained with worked examples, plus how each one behaves on a timer.
How to Time Interval Running: 300m, 400m and 800m Splits
How to turn a goal race time into 300m, 400m and 800m target splits, structure the recovery between reps, and time it all without checking a watch mid-rep.
HIIT vs Tabata vs CrossFit: What's the Real Difference?
Tabata is a HIIT protocol, HIIT is not a CrossFit workout, and CrossFit isn't an interval format at all. A clear map of the three, and how to pick one.
What Time Should I Go to Bed? Sleep Cycles, Explained
Count backwards from your wake time in 90-minute cycles, and add fifteen minutes to fall asleep. Bedtime tables, and where the rule stops being true.
Tabata: The 4-Minute Protocol, and What Most Gyms Get Wrong
Twenty seconds on, ten off, eight rounds. What the 1996 study actually measured, why almost no gym class qualifies, and how to run the real thing.