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Show HN: My seven minute workout timer evening project

760 pointsby lgsilverabout 12 years ago

88 comments

d0mabout 12 years ago
OK, fine for <i>this</i> time, but tomorrow, you do it instead of procrastinating and creating a web page about it : )
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babyabout 12 years ago
You made hundreds of hackers move their ass for 7 minutes today. That is a huge accomplishment.
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dansoabout 12 years ago
This is awesome. Just yesterday I was doing a 7-minute workout in my room, just because I was waiting for dinner to finish heating up.<p>The main problem is that the standard timer app on iOS only acts as a stopwatch...so the final ten seconds of each interval, I'm watching the clock so that I can hit "Lap" and move on...this is awkward when I'm also wearing headphones to listen to music.<p>What would be ideal for me is to have a simple timer that would alert me when the interval was done and automatically move on to the next one....like a repeating event on a calendar. I'm sure there's an app for that but I just didn't feel like downloading a bunch and doing trial and error.<p>One more twist: I can't do all the exercises in the 7-min workout (as made famous in the NYT)...jumping jacks would annoy the shit out of the people below me. So I make up my own. A timer that would allow me to set up my own sequence would be fabulous.<p>Anyway, this is just a longwinded way of saying that there's a need for a niche app here, and it would definitely be a fun coding project...I'm glad someone else thought of it first :)
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lgsilverabout 12 years ago
Thanks again to everyone. I'm going to keep the webapp completely open and free as long as anyone is using it, and I'll definitely open up the code once I clean it a bit. If anyone would like to port it to IOS, I'd be happy to chat. lgsilver (at) gmail.com -- Lindsay
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simonsarrisabout 12 years ago
This is wonderful.<p>Can you make a way to skip sections?<p>Living in a house built in 1840, jumping jacks are out of the question...<p>(Also if you click rapidly on the 3/2/1 countdown you can <i>kind of</i> skip things, because the app goes to all madness.)
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jrvarela56about 12 years ago
Great idea, you could make a pretty cool app out of this: let people create routines by letting them associate pictures with exercise names and amount of seconds.<p>They could then create workouts by creating a list of exercises and rest periods and play their routing with the timer you created.<p>Does this exist? I want one.
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freditupabout 12 years ago
Ha ha, I decided to try the 7-min workout last night for the heck of it and I basically wanted something exactly like this. Nice job, it does its purpose perfectly.<p>One small suggestion: Perhaps a louder audio cue for transitions between exercises in case you aren't looking at the screen.
chadcfabout 12 years ago
That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute workout timer. Then you're in trouble, huh?
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skennedyabout 12 years ago
Works on mobile devices which is perfect when on the go. Give me a pause button so the timer doesn't go before I'm ready or make the clicking sound. Then I'll be at the site every day.
pjacobsonabout 12 years ago
Shameless plug: We built a workout app for iOS (PumpUp) that makes it easy to build a personalized workout routine for home, the gym, or on-the-go. You can customize things like equipment, goals, muscles, etc. Check it out if you're interested! (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/pumpup-workout-coach/id573070442" rel="nofollow">https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/pumpup-workout-coach/id57307...</a>)
alexshyeabout 12 years ago
Very cool! You got me off my butt and moving for 7 minutes and it was a great work break.<p>A few notes for you and others:<p>1) There are a few that switch sides/legs and I would handle them differently. For the lunges and step-ups, I think alternating sides is good. For the side planks, I think it would be useful to give the other side a whole segment. Splitting it in half wouldn't be much of a workout.<p>2) This is awesome because for the most part, you can modulate the workout however you want. In fact, keeping a log of the number of pushups/situps/high knees/etc would be cool because people could see progress. This might be a nice extension for the site!<p>3) It may be good to balance things out as far as muscle groups go. Pushups are repeated multiple times, as are squat related exercises. It is important to balance these out with the muscles that oppose these exercises.<p>4) Even better (at least for me) would be to have a series for desk workers that open up your body. We spend so much time crouched forward that a series of exercises to counteract this would be awesome.<p>Thanks and I hope you keep building on this!
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bzinkabout 12 years ago
I emailed a link to your 7 min workout timer to my girlfriend. This was her response. Nice job.<p>"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!<p>That's. The. Most. Ingenious. Thing. Ever.<p>Now, I just have to bring my phone with me. Woohoo!<p>When I play it on the computer it ticks down, my phones doesn't so I'll have to pay attention to it, which could be tricky, but that's sweet. Thanks!"
nthitzabout 12 years ago
It seemed like most of the comments when the article was on HN were saying that this is not a very good workout... Having said that, cool site, looks great!
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BornInTheUSSRabout 12 years ago
this is great, just what I was looking for after I read the article - for those confused by what this is <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/" rel="nofollow">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-mi...</a>
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bgrayabout 12 years ago
I'd like to see the rest screen contain information about the next exercise. This would give time to prepare.
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donniefitz2about 12 years ago
Okay, this is good. The only problem is that I'm out of excuses to actually not use it.
lgsilverabout 12 years ago
You guys rock. Thanks for the comments. Setting workout lengths is actually already built-in, just have to add it to the UI (after work).
vishaldpatelabout 12 years ago
Love it! The suspense is fantastic - it forces me to concentrate on the current exercise and not worry about whats coming up next. Really great! I hope you will add more exercises, more compound exercises, lots of body weight exercises, from beginner to advanced, logins, tracking.. etc.. etc.. all while keeping the core simplicity of it all intact! =)
neeharcabout 12 years ago
This looks awesome. I'm going to start using it from tomorrow. I'd love to see more intervals like 10 min, 15 min, 20 min.
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zhsabout 12 years ago
So funny, I just started designing something similar a few days ago, here is a shot of the dashboard <a href="http://dribbble.com/shots/1067433-Flat-Workout/attachments/131665" rel="nofollow">http://dribbble.com/shots/1067433-Flat-Workout/attachments/1...</a>
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sharmanaetorabout 12 years ago
Bug Report: Clicking the initial countdown clock 2-3 times messes up the entire timer.
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mcgwizabout 12 years ago
Nice job.<p>I don't want to presume anything. Did you purposefully shorten the workout from that described in the ACSM article? It indicated 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off. (Your total duration variable should be 480--don't ask me how they added that up to "7 minutes"!) This has lead to some confusion in the comments here. And, although their intervals are somewhat arbitrary, and asserting this routine is "scientific" is debatable to begin with, it would be more accurate.<p>Again, great job.
kschultsabout 12 years ago
Nice job! Little bit of feedback:<p>1. The images don't update until after the first tick of the new exercise. It would be nice if the updated when the rest screen changes to the new exercise screen with the timer and the text.<p>2. It would be cool if for exercises like the side plank (I think that's the only one in this set), where you hold something on each side, it gave you a halfway warning to tell you that it's time to turn over.<p>3. The rest period at the end isn't really necessary.
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freefranciscoabout 12 years ago
I love it, thank you! I just tried it now. I have one suggestion, at the end when it's time for side plank, it is not clear when you should switch sides. I thought I would rest, and then the timer would tell me to do the other side, but at this time the timer was done. It would be better if the timer indicated when to switch sides, or had two segments, one for each side. Other than that, it was perfect!
xanadohntabout 12 years ago
This is really great! I was telling my fiancé about this workout just today. I read the NYT article but it was very sparse on details. Where can I find more info? About the research, more details about the workout itself (for example, during intervals is it full-on 100% all the effort I can muster, how many reps am I aiming for, is it done every day), etc?<p>Thanks for this. I'll give it a try in about an hour!
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lookiabout 12 years ago
I do wonder, what number of 7 minute workouts per week is appropriate? I'm clueless, really - I've heard that you should not work out more than once in two days, and to me it does make sense to apply this rule here, since it advertizes itself as full workout. But yeah, I'm not really sure - it would be great if someone could elaborate. PS The site is great - simple but very useful.
lgsilverabout 12 years ago
Hi everyone. I made some updates today based on your awesome feedback:<p>1.) You can now change the length of the workout 2.) Sounds now work (as well as they can) in IOS 3.) Changed duration of the breaks to 10 seconds no matter how long the workout 4.) Added a sound-effect to tell you to switch on exercises that need it 5.) Made some UI tweaks to improve the look<p>Thanks for making my week.
Casseresabout 12 years ago
I'm using a slow Internet connection, so I notice when transitioning to a new workout, it shows the old workout picture for a second or two before the new workout picture loads. Perhaps you can load it during the rest period and just have it hidden?<p>P.S.: Great job! And great website idea!
bdcsabout 12 years ago
Your facebook link is broken, it is (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/lindo" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/lindo</a>) and should be (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Lindo" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/Lindo</a>). Notice the capitalized 'L'
RRRAabout 12 years ago
Awesome! What would be nice is a choice to confirm between exercises so you can hit spacebar to continue and a multiplier for the speed of the tick. I'm not sure I can do 1 push up/sec for half a minute as a first training session. :P
BhavdeepSethiabout 12 years ago
Here is a link to do all these exercises properly: <a href="http://lifehacker.com/these-12-videos-show-the-proper-form-for-a-7-minute-ful-499199366" rel="nofollow">http://lifehacker.com/these-12-videos-show-the-proper-form-f...</a>
jonthepirateabout 12 years ago
I forwarded this program to my coworker when I saw it on HN yesterday. Now, I'm going to forward him this link... he refuses to go to the gym because he's too busy so hopefully this will help him kickstart some fitness in his life.
harshhpareekabout 12 years ago
On Chrome on Win8, the background is white, but Firefox and on Dolphin browser on my Nexus 10, the background is black. You probably meant to keep a black background (eg. Workout timer on the start page is invisible on my chrome)
daveelkanabout 12 years ago
If it had the amusingly dramatic music and crazy horn between sets like this video the I would definitely use it. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRni0ctIeFE" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRni0ctIeFE</a>
krsgossabout 12 years ago
Great work! I tried the workout for the first time after a run this afternoon... it kicked my butt! As I was following along on the ipad I was thinking a simple app would be perfect for this. Love the implementation and visuals!
Otielabout 12 years ago
You should specify a different tone for the last 3 "bips". We can't be looking the screen 100 percent of the time, so a different "bip" to indicate that the end of the current countdown would be a good addition imo.
MarlonProabout 12 years ago
why routine start at 26 sec mark and rest at 8 sec? Some don't want it but I really like to anticipate what's next, like in this app <a href="http://7minworkoutapp.com/" rel="nofollow">http://7minworkoutapp.com/</a>
guestabout 12 years ago
This has pretty pictures. I built a command line version: for i in `seq 16`; do echo -ne '\007' &#38;&#38; sleep 30 &#38;&#38; echo -ne '\007' &#38;&#38; sleep 1 &#38;&#38; echo -ne '\007' &#38;&#38; sleep 10; done
KMBredtabout 12 years ago
After the 1st excercise it starts at 7 seconds rest and then 26 seconds for the next excercises (Chrome/Win).<p>I also wonder why the images or better the whole site isn't responsive? I would also add a link to one of the sources.
stigiabout 12 years ago
"seven minutes of steady discomfort" - <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/" rel="nofollow">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-mi...</a>
enormaceabout 12 years ago
I'm wrecked! Should be called the 1 minute work out :-) Nice idea and love the way you implemented it with the simple graphics on top of the countdown. The dots idea is also cool. Well done!
vempralaabout 12 years ago
It is splendid, something I was looking for. You could now concentrate for a better UI/phone app. A suggestion, You can also look for customizing/substituting workouts for the exact duration.
coherentponyabout 12 years ago
I think it would be clearer if the counter was not behind the person.
dooqabout 12 years ago
Great! Bookmarked!<p>Feature request: a nice sound when each section is finished. Sometimes I'm not looking at the screen while doing the exercise, so a sound marking the section changes would be nice.
pacomerhabout 12 years ago
Short exercise routines are a hit in today's world of busy people. I love this thanks. Still feel sad that we have to opt for these things in order to get our asses up.
rexreedabout 12 years ago
This is great! Although I'm not quite sure the pace of the tasks. For example, for push ups, is it down on one beat and up on the next or one complete pushup per beat?
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kumar_navneetabout 12 years ago
Many people involve themselves in weight training and cardio exercises because of which they miss out on ground exercises. I am sure this app will help them a lot.
victormierabout 12 years ago
To all programmers, please: get out of your room and run outside for a while. Taking a breath of fresh air feels much better than sweating in a closed space.
mcg2124about 12 years ago
This is GREAT. Any way that it could be purchased for download? I am headed to the Congo and won't have internet. Thanks!
miamidesignabout 12 years ago
I'm looking forward to trying this out, most of the exercises mentioned in the Times article are of great benefit.
daninfpjabout 12 years ago
I was going to make an app for this. You beat me to it, and it's pretty good, no reason for me to bother now.
adjohnabout 12 years ago
This is great, thanks! I'd like to hear a ding or some audio notification at the end of each section.
thisisandyokabout 12 years ago
I was actually thinking about doing a project like this earlier today. Thanks for saving me the effort
jordankabout 12 years ago
Would love to make the URL bar disappear in mobile Safari. Love the idea, I will do this workout now.
tsumniaabout 12 years ago
Nice work, just tried it out.<p>One suggestion would be to add a Switch pop-up if you run into exercises like Side Plank.
OriginalATabout 12 years ago
I really do hate you right now. But I do actually see great value in this. Thanks for making this!
netforayabout 12 years ago
From last 3 days I was thinking about this only. Instead I thought of doing it as Android App. Cool.
poissonpieabout 12 years ago
nice work on the site......cheeky bit of self promotion for my iphone tabata timer app <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/tabata-hiit-timer/id441600468?mt=8" rel="nofollow">https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/tabata-hiit-timer/id44160046...</a>
readmeabout 12 years ago
Awesome project.<p>I will be using it. Although I have to second others.. It'd be nice to choose my exercises.
404errorabout 12 years ago
Once you are comfortable doing this routine I would highly recommend the Insanity Workout.
duanebabout 12 years ago
One nitpick, I think the social aspects should disappear after 15 seconds of no events.
lee94joshabout 12 years ago
Oh man if I could customize this, it would be perfect. Very well done though.
mansigandhiabout 12 years ago
Just curious, why 7 minutes?
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Alterlifeabout 12 years ago
I didn't know what a wall sit was, so I looked it up ( <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_sit" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_sit</a> ).<p>According to wkiipedia, it's safety is disputed: might be injure someone with bad knees... something to keep in mind.
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ga2archabout 12 years ago
i don't get the excitement for this 7 minutes workout, can't you just go in the gym for 1 hour 3 times a week and do some squats ?<p>aside from this the site looks good, simple and to the point, props for it.
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deviasabout 12 years ago
Awesome! Thank you!!<p>The last two should be repeated twice though (one for each arm)
anandpdoshiabout 12 years ago
I was wondering who is going to make this first. Salute to you :D
trgragliaabout 12 years ago
Pretty similar to the Android app 'Relaxed Abs'. Awesome job!
andrerosabout 12 years ago
My only complaint is that it doesn't tick on my phone.
xwebabout 12 years ago
That is beautiful! Love the art design.
jvuongerabout 12 years ago
Awesome! Does the job, keep it simple!
eykoabout 12 years ago
Thank you for doing this. I will use!
film42about 12 years ago
I love this, thank you so much!
wastedbrainsabout 12 years ago
setting custom times would be nice I like to do 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest
whatthekenabout 12 years ago
This is awesome. Good job!
nbmmabout 12 years ago
How is this useful? Do you stand and exercise in front of your computer or tablet computer?
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photorizedabout 12 years ago
Simple and elegant.
foltzabout 12 years ago
Thank you so much!
indubitablyabout 12 years ago
Pretty Javascript.
lakeeffectabout 12 years ago
Thanks, good work.
randallabout 12 years ago
Love it! Yay!
oroloabout 12 years ago
Really good!
bradnickelabout 12 years ago
Great work!
hexaustabout 12 years ago
Love it!
pressurefreeabout 12 years ago
excellent.
Iuzabout 12 years ago
god bless you
toddmatthewsabout 12 years ago
thank you
zeroexzerooneabout 12 years ago
It would also be pretty sweet to have the ability to move exercises around. I tend to throw in pull-ups and other stuff at the end (with things around the house). Possibly even creating custom 7-min workouts that fit the guidelines of upper/lower/upper/lower, etc.<p>EDIT: but this is an awesome thing, regardless