If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best garage gym timer is, then I’d recommend the GymNext Home Flex Timer as the best one.
There are a lot of variables that go into getting an effective workout, among them being exercise selection, intensity, and rest times.
Many people don’t time their rest periods, but the ones who do tend to get greater results and improve their fitness faster.
If you’re working out at home, as many people do for convenience, then using the best garage gym timer can really benefit you in reaching your goals faster.
This is especially true if you’re doing high-intensity interval workouts, which is a great way to burn the most calories and fat!
Here are the top garage gym timers we’ll be reviewing:
- Ledgital Interval Timer
- GymNext Home Flex Timer
- EU Display Programmable Interval Timer
- BTBSign Interval Workout Timer
- Pellor High Fitness Training Timer
What Are the Benefits of the Best Garage Gym Timer?
The best garage gym timer can offer 3 main benefits: efficiency, better results, and workout effectiveness.
Time Your Workouts for Efficiency
When you’re able to time your workouts it makes them that much more efficient.
Often if you’re only relying on how ready you feel to jump back in you can run the risk of resting too much or too little, and losing out on the benefits of pushing your system past its comfort zone.
Better Results
There are certain rest times between sets that are the most beneficial for eliciting specific adaptations such as:
- increased strength
- more power
- improved muscular endurance
- ability to use oxygen more efficiently
This is why you’ll get better results if you track your rest times between exercises, sets, or rounds during a cardio circuit using an interval timer.
Manage Intensity
The best garage gym timer can help you to manage your intensity by helping you set and execute rest times consistently.
Many of them come with remotes that you can use from across the room so that you can move around with ease.
Plus, your rest times directly affect the intensity of your workout.
For instance, if your goal is to build muscle then studies have shown that resting for 30 seconds up to a minute during moderate-intensity exercise signals your body to produce more growth hormone.
Growth hormone benefits:
- anti-aging
- muscle building
- muscle repair and recovery
- improved athletic performance
However, if you want to improve your muscular endurance then resting for 20 seconds up to 1 minute is more effective.
The Best Garage Gym Timer Attributes
All garage gym timers are not created equal. Depending on the type of workouts you’ll be using one for, it may behoove you to look for certain features.
Let’s go over a few of the main ones to look for.
Number of digits
The standard number of digits is about 6. There will generally be 2 digits for the interval label, 2 digits for minutes, and 2 for seconds. Some timers include 2 more digits for hundredths of seconds.
Phone app
Some products will allow you to use your phone or smartwatch as the remote control by setting it up through the app, which can relieve some pressure as far as potentially losing the remote.
It’s also helpful for manipulating the settings and tracking your stats easily like heartrate, intervals completed, etc.
IR remote control
Most garage gym timers will come with an IR remote control so that you don’t have to worry about running back up to the timer to control the settings.
This allows you to give your workout 100% focus.
Programmable
This is an important feature if you’re going to do specific interval workouts such as Tabata style, or FGB workouts where you’ll have specific time intervals that change often throughout your workouts.
It’s also a helpful attribute in that it makes it easier for you to get right to your workout by pulling up saved settings rather than having to create new settings each time.
Bluetooth pairing
If you like to workout with music and potentially sync it to your workout intervals, then this can be a fantastic feature to look for.
Some gym timers will let you pair them with your headphones or external speakers for convenience.
Size of LED display
Garage gym timers come in a variety of sizes with 1.3in-1.8in being the standard height, and about 11in-15in in length.
Modes
There are generally about 5 standard modes consisting of interval mode, stopwatch, basic clock mode, countdown, and count-up.
The best garage gym timers may also have specialty modes for specific interval settings such as Tabata and FGB.
How to Choose the Best Garage Gym Timer
When choosing a garage gym timer to suit your needs there are a couple of things you may want to consider.
What kind of workout will you be doing?
Specific interval workouts may require certain presets.
For example, you’ll be doing more than one type of interval workout then you may want to choose a garage gym timer with the ability to save multiple program settings.
Which features will you need?
If music and speakers are important to you then you may want to look for a garage gym timer with Bluetooth pairing.
However, if you have a hard time seeing from far away, then the size of the timer may be of more value to focus on.
Deciding which features are most significant will go a long way in helping you decide which product will benefit you the most.
What’s the Best Way to Use a Garage Gym Timer?
The best garage gym timers are fantastic tools for getting the most out of your at-home or garage gym workouts.
They’re often used for interval training, which is generally cardio-based but can also include a resistance training element.
Main Types of Interval Training Workouts
- Interval training – mixing low to high-intensity bursts of exercise with rest periods
- HIIT – high-intensity interval training, when you alternate short periods of intense exercise (usually anaerobic) with less intense exercise or rest periods
- Tabata – 8 rounds of high-intensity exercise for 20 seconds, interspersed with 10 seconds of rest, that lasts for 4 minutes
- FGB – Fight Gone Bad workout, usually about 5 minutes of work with one minute of rest at the end, this goes for 3 rounds where you try to get as many reps as you can each round
The Best Garage Gym Timers Reviewed
Ledgital Interval Timer
The Ledgital Interval Timer is 13in long, 3.5in wide, and 1.3in tall. It’s big enough that you can see the display from up to 20ft away which is perfect for a garage workout.
It’s compact and suitable for indoor use which makes it ideal for the home, work and for the gym. This timer uses a US standard plug with a 4-foot long cord.
With multiple functions and counter options, this is a pretty versatile timer.
It includes an interval timer with training and rest-interval settings, a wall clock that displays hour and minutes in 4 digits, a countdown and count-up timer, as well as Tabata and FGB functions.
A remote is included, which requires 2 AAA batteries. The batteries are unfortunately not included as the product is shipped from China, so postal policies don’t permit their inclusion in the package.
Some other notable features are the ability to save 10 programs with up to 9 work/rest intervals per program, 5 levels of brightness adjustment, a buzzer sound that can be disabled, and 10 seconds of preparation time before intervals start.
Pros
- very bright LED screen with large print
- easy to program
Cons
- short lifespan, just a few months
- hard to hear in noisy environments
GymNext Home Flex Timer
The GymNext Home Flex Timer offers the most expensive timer on this review list, by far. However, the price may be worth it for the specialty features you’ll get.
This is the only product on the list that you can control with your smartphone, tablet or smartwatch using the free mobile application for iOS and Android.
Using the app, you can view your heart rate, intervals, rounds, time-elapsed, and manipulate the settings.
The app also works with Bluetooth or external speakers, automatically fading your music in and out at the end of each round to make the indicator sounds more noticeable. Bluetooth will work up to about 100ft.
You can use this timer for the following workouts: CrossFit, 7-minute workouts, boot camps, and other interval training styles.
The LED display is 2.3 inches and has an adjustable 85db buzzer for clear notifications between rounds.
You can also configure it for preparation times, round warnings, and a 3-second lead up between rounds.
With 6 different modes, and an unlimited capacity to save custom workouts you’ll definitely be able to use it for a wide variety of workouts.
The modes consist of standard, round, interval, Tabata, EMOM, and laps.
The GymNext timer also includes wall brackets so that you can easily mount it.
Pros
- great for saving non-standard workout settings
- better than Rogue gym timer
- easy to sync with multiple phones to use as remotes
Cons
- HR monitor doesn’t pair with apple watch
- the app has some bugs that may need to be fixed
- buzzer volume is very loud and you can’t turn it down
EU Display Programmable Interval Timer
On the lower end of the price spectrum for this list, the EU Display Programmable Interval Timer still offers a significant amount of features.
The measurements are 11in in length, 4.3 in wide, and 1.5in tall which makes it easy to see from a distance.
The display has 6 digits and 10 levels of adjustable brightness that can be set using the IR remote control.
The remote is functional from up to 33ft so if you’re working out in a large garage, this may be a useful feature for you to consider.
Timer options include countdown and count-up modes, stopwatch, 12/24 hour clock mode, and preset interval counter functions for boxing, Tabata, EMOM, and MMA.
You can also program up to 10 custom workouts, and enable or disable sound prompts and a 10-second preparation time setting.
As a whole, this product includes an LED timer, IR remote control, USB connector for charging, USB to DC5521 cable that’s about 6.6ft long, brackets and screws for mounting, and a user manual.
Pros
- works great in a 2-car garage
- customer support is excellent
- very bright display and loud
Cons
- need the instructions to fully be able to use all of the features
- short lifespan, often malfunctions or stops working after about 6 months
BTBSign Interval Workout Timer
The BTBSign Interval Workout Timer is the only one of the items on this list to include hundredths of seconds on the high-contrast LED display, so it’s one of the more precise timers with 8 digits.
Its measurements are 13.6in in length, 3.9in wide, and 1.6in in height.
You can set 10 seconds of preparation time, and program/store workouts with work to rest ratios, rest time and number of rounds.
The BTBSign timer will also beep between interval transitions to keep you aware of when to switch exercises or rest.
It comes with 5 different modes and is pre-programmed for Tabata, and 2 FGB settings for 3 or 5 rounds.
The standard modes include 12/24 hour clock mode, interval timer, countdown, count-up, and stopwatch mode.
This product also includes a remote control for operation.
Pros
- customizable intervals
- easier to read than tablet or other device
- easy to use, even for kids to operate
Cons
- the remote may not work well, some buttons stop working after first use
- customer service not responsive
- not very durable
Pellor High Fitness Training Timer
The Pellor High Fitness Training Timer is another moderately priced option that offers pretty basic features. However, as far as garage workouts go, it will be able to get the job done.
It’s the only product on the list to offer 3 different height options for the LED display. You can choose from 1.5in, 2.3in, and 4in.
There are lots of different options for interval mode, which is just 1 of the 5 timer modes also including countdown, count-up, stopwatch, and clock-mode.
The included remote control will work up to about 16.5ft, which is plenty if you’re working out in your garage or at home.
It also comes with wall mounts and screws so that you can mount it easily. There’s a 6.5ft cable attached so that you can plug it into the wall.
Instructions are included for set-up and operational use.
Pros
- works like the ones in CrossFit gyms
- timer is very visible
- easy to use if you read the instructions
Cons
- doesn’t track work sessions
- not an intuitive user interface
- remote is complicated with too many buttons not clearly labeled
Winner of the Roundup
Although all of the interval timers mentioned on this list will help you to further your at-home garage workouts, there is a clear winner as far as my research has shown.
The GymNext Home Flex Timer may be one of the pricier options, but the features might make you forget about the price after you’ve tried it.
Being the only product that lets you pair it with your devices, it’s highly convenient and user-friendly.
The stats that it allows you to track like heart rate can drastically improve the efficiency of your workouts so that you’re working just hard enough to get the benefit and most training adaptations from what you’re doing.
The app is easy to download and use, plus it enables you to use Bluetooth headphones and speakers so you can listen to whatever you’d like while working out.
Your music won’t drown out any commands or prompts because the app will automatically adjust the volume during indicator sounds to let you know when it’s time to switch exercises or rest.
The LED display is also one of the biggest offered, which makes it easy to see clearly from far away.
This product also has the most mode settings.
While other garage timers generally offer about 5 standard modes, the GymNext Garage Timer offers 6, with lap-mode being the additional one that isn’t usually included.
All in all, the GymNext Interval Timer definitely packs the most punch as far as this type of product is concerned.
