The best free rest timer for the gym.

Why rest timing matters for training

If you have ever trained without timing your rest periods, you have almost certainly rested inconsistently. Some sets you went again after 60 seconds because you felt ready. Others stretched to four minutes because you got distracted. Both patterns make it harder to know whether your performance from session to session reflects your actual fitness or just how long you rested.

Consistent rest intervals are a foundational variable in resistance training. The research on rest period length — summarised in sources like Schoenfeld et al. (2016) and the ACSM's exercise prescription guidelines — shows that different goals benefit from different durations: shorter rests tend to elevate metabolic stress, while longer rests allow more complete recovery between heavy compound sets and tend to support greater strength output. The specific duration matters less than keeping it consistent so you can compare performance across sessions and make meaningful progression decisions.

Inconsistent rest is particularly damaging for auto-regulated training. If you log eight reps at a given weight, the system can only suggest a sensible next step if that performance was produced under similar conditions. A set done after 90 seconds of rest and a set done after three and a half minutes tell you different things — but they look identical in a log.

For a deeper look at the evidence on rest period selection, see our guide on rest between sets.

The problem with using your phone clock

Most gym-goers who time their rest at all use one of three methods: glancing at the phone clock, using a standalone stopwatch app, or setting a timer manually each time. All three share a core problem — they require you to do something manually every single set.

• Phone clock. You note the current time, add 90 seconds or two minutes in your head, and try to remember when to go again. This works until you pick up your phone for any other reason and lose your reference point.
• Stopwatch app. You open the app, hit start, wait, hit stop or reset, close the app, and go back to your log. That is four to five taps per set, and the stopwatch app and your workout log are two separate places.
• Manual countdown timer. Better than a stopwatch, but you still have to navigate to it after each set, type a duration, and start it. One distraction — a text, someone asking you a question, loading the bar — and you forget to start it at all.

There is also a phone-specific problem that compounds everything: between sets, your screen locks. You either disable auto-lock and drain your battery, or you unlock your phone every time you want to check how much time is left. Neither is a good answer.

These frictions are small individually. Accumulated across every set of a 60-minute session, they are the reason most people simply stop timing their rest within a few weeks of trying.

What a good gym rest timer actually needs

Once you understand where manual timers fail, the requirements for a good gym rest timer become clear.

• Auto-start. The timer should begin the moment you log a set, with no extra tap required. You should be able to rack the bar and walk away knowing the countdown has already started.
• Lock-screen visibility. The countdown needs to be readable when your phone is locked — either on the lock screen itself or via a persistent notification. You should not have to unlock your phone to see how long is left.
• Readable from a distance. Gym lighting is often poor and your phone is usually on a bench or rack shelf. The digits need to be large enough to read without picking the phone up.
• Integrated with your log. A rest timer that lives in a separate app means you are still splitting your attention between two places. The best solution is a timer that is part of the logging experience — when the time is up, you are already looking at the next set.
• Configurable per exercise. A heavy squat set and a bicep curl set do not need the same rest interval. The timer should respect the duration you set for each exercise.
• Free. A rest timer is a basic training tool. It should not require a subscription.

Few apps meet all of these criteria. Dedicated timer apps cover some of them but fail on integration. Some workout trackers include a timer but bury it behind extra taps or do not surface it on the lock screen.

SammaGym's rest timer: how it works

SammaGym's rest timer is designed around the one principle that makes the difference in practice: it auto-starts the moment you log a set.

You tap to record your reps and weight, and the countdown begins immediately. There is no separate button to press, no app to switch to, no timer to configure before you can rest. You put the phone down and the timer is already running.

When your phone locks, the timer stays visible on the lock screen. The countdown is displayed at a size you can read from a metre or two away — appropriate for a phone sitting on a bench while you are standing at a rack. You do not need to pick it up or unlock it to know when your rest is over.

• Auto-starts on set completion. Log a set and the timer starts with no extra interaction.
• Full-screen countdown. Large, readable digits visible across a typical gym setup.
• Lock-screen display. The countdown persists on the lock screen so your phone can stay locked between sets.
• Configurable duration. Set a default rest duration per exercise to match your program.
• Integrated with logging. When the timer ends, you are already in your workout log ready to start the next set.

This design removes every manual step that causes people to abandon rest timing. The timer is not a separate tool bolted onto a log — it is part of the logging flow itself.

Free, and built into your log

SammaGym is a free workout tracker. The rest timer is not a premium feature or an add-on — it is part of the core logging experience, included at no cost.

That matters because a rest timer works best as a habit, and habits are easier to form when the tool has no friction and no paywall. You do not need to evaluate whether timing your rest is worth a monthly subscription. You open your log, start your session, and the timer is already there.

Alongside the rest timer, SammaGym includes the features you need for complete session logging: weight and reps with previous-set inline display, reps-in-reserve (RIR) rating after each set, auto-regulated progression suggestions between sessions, personal records flagged automatically, and volume trends over time. The rest timer fits into this flow rather than interrupting it.

For a full overview of what is included free, see the features page or read our comparison of the best free workout trackers.

SammaGym is available at app.sammagym.com as a Progressive Web App. Install it from your browser and it runs like a native app — home screen icon, offline support, and lock-screen timer.

How to get started

Getting the rest timer working takes about two minutes.

• 1Open app.sammagym.com on your phone.
• 2Install the app: tap the share icon in your browser and select "Add to Home Screen" (iOS) or "Install app" (Android).
• 3Create your first program or log a quick session from the home screen.
• 4When you log a set, watch the rest timer start automatically at the bottom of the screen.
• 5Lock your phone — the countdown continues on the lock screen.
• 6When the timer ends, unlock and log your next set.

If you want to adjust the default rest duration for a specific exercise, you can do so from the exercise settings inside your program. Most exercises default to a sensible starting point based on their category — compound movements get longer rest, isolation work gets shorter.