You can use this app to have some fun during workout sessions like Tabata, intervals, HIIT, the 7-minute workout, or circuit training, where you have multiple timed sets of high-intensity exercise and rest phases. For more complex routines, the names of your exercises can be shown and randomized. MC-Timer will guide you through your planned workout by playing music during the high-effort exercise phases and by being quiet during the pauses.
No need to constantly look at your watch.
Just listen to the music.
Your music.
While the workout is playing, you can see your progress within each set and within the entire session by looking at the progress rings and the countdown timers. The progress rings are distinct and remain legible even from the other side of the room. To make this possible, the display will stay on while MC-Timer is playing your session.
Feel free to pause your workout at any time.
You can easily skip forwards or backwards in your list of sets. Independently from that, you can also skip between items in your music playlist.
An example with short demo-values: 10 repeats of 16 seconds of music, interspersed with 6-second pauses. (In the app you can choose your own values.)
The inner ring shows the progress in the current phase, alternating between playing music and being quiet. The outer ring represents the entire session.
The small number in parentheses shows the duration of the next phase. All timers can be changed to count up instead of down. (You need JavaScript to see the animation.)
Use an existing playlist or create a new one with songs from Apple Music or your (iTunes) music library.
MC-Timer can play a section from the middle of each song.
Use countdown beeps and/or one of 62 different sounds.
When the work phases are shorter than the typical duration of a song, then you can nicely play a new song for each set.
Let yourself be surprised and allow MC-Timer to play a randomly chosen song for each set. And if you do not want to listen to mellow song intros, you can set MC-Timer to play a suitably long section from the "heart" of the song.
Not in the mood for this song? Skip to the next one!
Does the exercise time exceed the song duration? MC-Timer will continue the set by playing the next song in your playlist.
MC-Timer synchronizes the workout definitions across your devices (1). If you like to use a bigger screen, play the workouts using MC-Timer directly on iPad or Apple TV.
You can easily playback your workout sessions directly on Apple TV by using the MC-Timer app for Apple TV. However, you cannot edit the sessions there; you need to do that on your iPhone or iPad and sync your changes via iCloud (1). Also note that since your (iTunes) media library is not available on Apple TV, you will need an Apple Music subscription in order to play music.
(1) For iCloud sync to work, you need to be signed in using the same iCloud account on all of your devices.
Adjust the workout timing to your needs.
Shuffles the songs in your playlist.
Playback your workout on the big screen.
The workout details are fully customizable. You can, but you don't have to:
You can use any combination of these options to define your playlist:
Optionally, you can:
If you want, each new set can play a new song.
No accumulated timing errors.
Use MC-Timer in light or dark appearance.
MC-Timer, the "Musical Circuits Timer", was developed for use in gym circuit trainings in general, and for Järfälla OK's "gympa" evenings in particular. The use of music has made these sessions a lot more enjoyable, but alas, they still hurt.
Please consult with a physician prior to engaging in a new exercise program; even more so if this is not something that you are used to.
No embedded
analytics.
No gamification.
No "social" networks.
No interruptions. There are no rating requests.
MC-Timer does not display ads.
Also worth noting are:
Varsion 1.6 adds 8 new bells and effect sounds. Also shows the next exercise suggestion. Build for iOS 16.1 or later.
Version 1.5 adds 11 new Science Fiction sounds. The beep and alert volumes can be adjusted. Searching for items on Apple Music has been improved: you can tap on an item to play it; you can load more search results.
Version 1.4 can display exercise suggestions. Supports paired exercises: "Left/Right lunges". Includes 6 new sounds. Adds a single, 5-second warning beep.
Version 1.3 allows you to mark workouts as favourites and allows to define workouts without any music.
Version 1.2 adds a song preview player.
Version 1.1 adds countdown beeps.
Version 1.0 supports Apple Music and Apple TV.
Version 0.1 to 0.4 were tested in Järfälla OK's "gympa" sessions (running on iOS).
For the well-known 7-Minute Workout, create a session with: