What does "For Time" mean?
A For Time workout fixes the work — the movements, reps and rounds — and your score is how fast you complete it. The timer counts up from zero; when you finish the prescribed work, you stop the clock and that's your time.
Most For Time workouts carry a time cap: a hard limit after which the workout ends whether you're done or not. Caps keep sessions on schedule and force honest scaling — if the cap keeps catching you, the load or volume is too high for today.
How to use this timer
- Set the time cap (or leave 20 minutes as a sensible default).
- Press START — after a 10-second lead-in the clock runs up.
- Hit FINISHED (or press Enter) the moment you complete the work; the timer freezes your final time. If the cap expires first, that's the score: capped.
Example For Time workouts
- Fran — 21-15-9 thrusters (43/29 kg) and pull-ups. The most famous rep scheme in functional fitness: 21 of each, then 15, then 9.
- Helen — 3 rounds: 400 m run, 21 kettlebell swings, 12 pull-ups.
- Annie — 50-40-30-20-10 double-unders and sit-ups.
- Chipper — one long list (e.g. 50 wall balls, 40 box jumps, 30 burpees, 20 pull-ups, 10 devil presses), done in order, for time.
Prefer a fixed-length piece instead? Flip the format with the AMRAP timer, or run structured rest with the interval timer.
FAQ
- What is a time cap?
- A hard limit on a For Time workout. If the cap is 20 minutes and you haven’t finished, the workout ends and your score is recorded as capped (often written as the cap time plus reps remaining).
- What does 21-15-9 mean?
- A descending rep scheme: 21 reps of each movement, then 15 of each, then 9 of each. The shrinking sets let you keep moving even as fatigue builds, which is why it produces fast, intense workouts like Fran.
- Should beginners do workouts for time?
- Yes — with scaled loads and sensible caps. The clock is a great motivator, but mechanics come first: pick weights you can move with solid form even when breathing hard.
- Does the timer keep running in the background?
- Yes. The clock is timestamp-based, so it stays accurate if you switch tabs, and this page asks the browser to keep your screen awake while the timer runs.