How to Time Rest Between Sets Without Looking at Your Phone
Short answer
To time your rest without looking at your phone, use a rest timer that shows the countdown on your Lock Screen, buzzes your Apple Watch when it's time for your next set, and plays a short chime over your music. Between does all three, and lets you log your next set from the Lock Screen, your wrist, or Siri, so you never have to unlock.
Why your phone is the problem
You pick up your phone to start a timer. There's a notification. Then another. Two minutes of rest becomes six, and you've spent more time on your phone than on the bar.
The fix isn't more willpower. It's a timer that doesn't need you to unlock your phone at all.
4 ways to know when you're up, phone away
1. Glance at the Lock Screen
A rest timer that runs as a Live Activity puts the countdown on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. You can see how long you have left without unlocking, and without opening any app.
In Between, the Lock Screen also has a Log set button, so you can start your next rest right there. More on setting this up: how to put a rest timer on your iPhone Lock Screen.
2. Feel a buzz on your wrist
With Apple Watch, you don't need to look at anything. Between buzzes your wrist 10 seconds before your next set, so you can get into position, and again when you're up. The countdown and a Log set button sit in the Smart Stack. There's no watch app to install. How that works: a rest timer on Apple Watch without a watch app.
3. Hear a chime over your music
If you train with AirPods, a short chime tells you you're up. It plays over your music without pausing or lowering it. Prefer quiet? Switch to vibration only, or silent.
4. Ask Siri
Hands full, or phone in a pocket? Ask Siri:
- "Log a set in Between."
- "Check my rest in Between."
- "Rest 2 minutes in Between."
Siri answers out loud, so it works with AirPods in. The same actions work in Shortcuts and on the Action Button: see how to set up a hands-free rest timer.
A phone-free lifting routine, step by step
- Before your first set, open Between and pick your rest, say 2 minutes.
- Finish your set and tap Log set. Your rest timer begins. Lock your phone and put it away.
- Rest. The countdown follows you to the Lock Screen and your Apple Watch.
- Get a buzz 10 seconds out. Chalk up, get set.
- Get a buzz when you're up. Lift.
- Log the set from your wrist, the Lock Screen, or Siri. Your next rest starts. Repeat.
You only unlock your phone if you want to change your rest time.
What if I rest too long anyway?
It happens. In Between, if your rest runs out and you haven't logged your next set, the clock switches to counting up from 0:00, captioned "Work", so you always know how long it's been. Not sure what your rest should be? See how long to rest between sets.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see my rest timer on the iPhone Lock Screen?
Yes, if your timer app uses Live Activities. Between shows your rest countdown and set count on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with a Log set button you can tap without unlocking.
Do I need an Apple Watch app for rest alerts?
Not with Between. Your rest appears in the Apple Watch Smart Stack, and in vibration mode with your phone locked, your wrist buzzes 10 seconds before your next set and again when you're up.
Will the rest alert pause my music?
No. Between's chime plays over your music without pausing or lowering it. You can also switch to vibration only.
Does it work in a gym with no signal?
Yes. The timer runs on your phone and doesn't need Wi-Fi or cell service.
Can I log a set with my phone in my pocket?
Yes. Tap Log set on your Apple Watch, or say "Log a set in Between" to Siri.