Gymboss Interval Timer and Stopwatch - Violet/Pink Metallic Gloss

Easy to program....but instructions aren't much good.

I just bought yet another GymBoss interval timer, this time in pink. I have used these for over 2 decades, but I don’t have a gym membership. But I do have ADHD. When my kids were little, I came up with a thing I called “Work/Play/Work/Play”. (I learned much later that it is basically the Pomodoro Method, a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the same time I started doing it with my kids.) I used “WPWP” with them, but I have mostly used it for myself, and still do now in my sixties. It was a pain to use a regular kitchen or watch timer because it had to be set again and again. Then my sister told me about GymBoss. What a life changer! It’s so easy to set or change the times and the instructions are on the back of the GymBoss so can’t forget how to work it. It can be loud if I am at home alone or a silent reminder in my pocket if I’m not. I can set it for short or longer intervals depending on how difficult the task is for me to do that day (ADH motivation fluctuates based on many factors.) I make the first setting for the “work” chunk of time and the second for a shorter “play” time. I set it to loud and vibrate if I am home or just vibrate if I am not. I set the reminder for 1 second if I am working on something that needs little concentration but 5 seconds if I know it will be difficult to break my hyperfocus. The BEST thing is I set the number of times to repeat to 99 so I never have to reset the time again. I just stop the timer repeating when I am done for the day. Glorious!! Work can be cleaning, laundry, homework (when I was in college) - what ever needs to get done. Play can be whatever I want to do as a break - listen or dance to music, play a game on my phone, read a book, eat a snack, lie on the couch staring at the ceiling. And when the GymBoss goes off, I switch tasks. True, when I have multiple tasks that need doing, I use the second time period to work on a second task (work on washing dishes for the first interval and sweeping the house as the second) but I always throw at least one period if “play” each hour. And when I have a work day when I know there are deadlines I must meet, my GymBoss is in my pocket, silently reminding me to take breaks to get a drink of water or take a short walk, but otherwise stay focused at my desk. I know there are official Pomodoro timers on the market but I never bothered to even check them out because I already had my GymBoss. I don’t know if they are expensive or wonderful - I just know for me the GymBoss will be my choice until they stop making them. Why did I need to buy a new one then? Because over the last year, I have misplaced all my old ones. Or lent them to a family member and forgot to ask for it back. Or put it in a safe place so I wouldn’t lose it. Why a pink one? So I can tell it apart from the others when/if I ever find them again.

This is actually the second Gymboss interval timer I have bought. And it's not because my first one broke - because it didn't! I bought my first one almost 5 years ago from the Gymboss website. I believe it is a first generation model to be honest. And it still functions as well as it did the day it arrived. The issue is that I take mine everywhere I go. This includes when I go on travel so I can continue to run my intervals and do my HIIT workouts. However, it means that my step-daughter doesn't have one. Since she is new to running - having this interval timer with us when we go out on our training runs is essential. But when I go on travel, it means that she stops doing her runs. Last weekend was her first 5K. As a reward for sticking with the run, even when it got hard, I decided I'd get her her very own Gymboss timer. I'm thrilled they have more colors now because purple/pink are some of her favorite colors. Add the shiny enhancements and this was a win for both of us. Now she loves her Gymboss as much as I do. These timers are easy to set up, durable, and lightweight. They vibrate hard if you set it to that, and the beep is loud enough to hear over my headphones. I set mine to both vibrate and beep as a safety precaution, but I've never had an issue in 5 years of running in all types of weather. I highly recommend these little devices if you are in need of a serious interval timer.

Purchased this to help me with walk/run intervals for my next race. I clip it at the top of my shirt so that I can hear the beeper. It also vibrates. You can set the intervals and how many times they repeat. I have used it for several races and the battery is still going strong. East to program and easy to start. Great for a race pacer to use.

I'm diagnosed ADD with meds but if you're in the same boat you know those are tools that help but no magic bullet. Self discipline is still required and this timer helps me maintain focus. I have it set on odd intervals so it just goes off whenever. If I'm in a meeting that's dragging on it's a good nudge to recap action items and hang up. I thought about getting white which is more medical and wouldn't stand out so much in an office setting but decided to go for purple and pink to make me happy and wanna use it. It's very useful that the timer attaches to my body because I wander away from other timers. Another thing to note is that the vibes are quite strong. It's a discrete way of using this in an office setting if you need to.

Several months ago I bought a pricey running watch for the specific purpose of using the interval timer. The watch worked fine, and was easy to use, but the timer beep was very quiet, and if there was any noise or traffic sounds near me, I was unable to hear the beeps at all. Since the timer was the primary reason for me purchasing the watch, it became useless to me. I saw the Gymboss Interval Timer on a running site, and later found it on Amazon, and decided to give it a try. It was very easy to set up and use. I love that it has an option for a quiet or loud beep volume, and best of all, it also has a vibrate option, which is a great alternative to the beeper. You can also use both beep and vibrate if you choose to do so. I also appreciate the large clear display. This item arrived sooner than promised. This is a purchase I am glad I made.

Used for marathon training. Great battery life. Easy to change time/ratios if needed. Appreciated the vibrate and/or noise option for when I also had music going and couldn’t hear the alarm.

This is my second time purchasing a Gymboss Timer, my first one died after years of very heavy use. I use mine for interval training on my runs. I like the options for the timer beeps, the ability to set two different timers, and how compact it is. It's small enough that I can clip it to my sports bra strap and have no issues with bouncing or impairing my movement. Will continue to purchase these timers!