Interval, Circuit & WOD Workouts

SparkyFitness provides a comprehensive workout engine designed for both traditional strength training and high-intensity interval conditioning. Whether you are running a classic weightlifting split, a high-cadence Tabata cycle, an EMOM challenge, or a competitive CrossFit-style WOD (AMRAP / For Time), SparkyFitness keeps you on pace with real-time HUD clocks, audio countdowns, and automated set logging.

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Overview of Workout Formats

When creating a workout preset or starting an active session, you can choose from six specialized workout formats:

Format	Focus / Style	Timer & Clock Behavior	Scoring & Logging
Standard	Traditional hypertrophy, powerlifting, bodybuilding	Stopwatch counting up (elapsed time)	Sets, reps, weight, RPE, rest timers between sets
Tabata	High-intensity interval rounds (e.g. 20s work / 10s rest)	Work/Rest interval clock with 3-2-1 countdown beeps	Automatic set completion at the end of each work interval
EMOM	Every Minute On the Minute	Repeating 60s (or custom) clock with start chimes	Work inside the minute; rest the remainder; tracks rounds
AMRAP	As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible within a fixed time cap	Global countdown clock down to 00:00	Completed rounds + extra reps, Rx / Scaled status
For Time	Complete prescribed work as quickly as possible	Elapsed stopwatch counting up to an optional time cap	Finish time, time cap reached status, Rx / Scaled status
Custom Interval / HIIT	Custom intervals with unique work/rest targets per exercise	Dynamic multi-step interval clock with custom timers	Step-by-step automated set progression and completion

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Straight Sets vs. Circuit & Multi-Round Training

Understanding the difference between Straight Sets and Circuit / Multi-Round Training helps ensure your workout presets and active HUD track exactly as intended:

STRAIGHT SETS (Standard Strength)
Exercise A: Set 1  ──>  Set 2  ──>  Set 3
                          │ (Complete all sets of A first)
                          ▼
Exercise B: Set 1  ──>  Set 2  ──>  Set 3

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

CIRCUIT / MULTI-ROUND (Tabata, EMOM, HIIT)
Round 1: Exercise A (Set 1)  ──>  Exercise B (Set 1)  ──>  Exercise C (Set 1)
                                                                │
Round 2: Exercise A (Set 2)  ──>  Exercise B (Set 2)  ──>  Exercise C (Set 2)
                                                                │
Round 3: Exercise A (Set 3)  ──>  Exercise B (Set 3)  ──>  Exercise C (Set 3)

1. Straight Sets (Single Exercise Focus)

In straight sets, you perform all assigned sets for a single movement before moving on to the next exercise (e.g. 3 sets of Bench Press, followed by 3 sets of Incline Dumbbell Press).

• Best suited for: Standard workouts.
• Logging behavior: You log weight and reps for Set 1, rest, log Set 2, rest, and complete the exercise before advancing.

2. Circuit & Multi-Round (Tabata, EMOM & HIIT)

In a circuit, you perform one set of each exercise in succession to complete a "Round", then repeat the entire cycle for the prescribed number of rounds.

• Best suited for: Tabata, EMOM, AMRAP, For Time, and Custom Interval / HIIT.
• Logging behavior: The interval HUD steps through each exercise in Round 1 (e.g. Pull-ups $\rightarrow$ Push-ups $\rightarrow$ Squats), then seamlessly transitions to Round 2 (Pull-ups $\rightarrow$ Push-ups $\rightarrow$ Squats) until all rounds are finished.

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Active Workout HUD & Audio Engine

When you launch an interval workout on Web or Mobile, SparkyFitness activates the Active Interval HUD:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  TABATA 20/10                  ROUND 2 OF 8 (STEP 1/3) │
│                                                        │
│                    WORK PHASE                          │
│                                                        │
│                     00:16                              │
│                                                        │
│       Current: Pull-ups (Bodyweight x 10 reps)         │
│       Next: Push-ups (Bodyweight x 15 reps)            │
│                                                        │
│    [ ◀ Prev ]      [ ⏸ Pause / ▶ Resume ]     [ Next ▶ ]│
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key HUD Features

1. Phase Color Coding:
   • 🟢 Work Phase (Green): High-intensity effort interval. Focus on executing repetitions with clean form.
   • 🔵 Rest Phase (Blue): Rest and recovery interval. Catch your breath and prepare for the upcoming exercise.
   • 🟡 Preparation / Transition (Yellow): Initial countdown before the first round begins.
2. Audio & Haptic Cues:
   • 3-2-1 Countdown: Short audio warning beeps play during the final 3 seconds of any work or rest interval.
   • Phase Transition Chime: A distinct higher-frequency chime sounds the moment a new phase begins.
   • Workout Finish: A celebratory finish alert plays when all rounds and sets are completed.
3. Zero-Drift Timer Clock:
   • The workout clock is synchronized with absolute wall-clock timestamps (performance.now() and epoch timestamps).
   • If your phone screen sleeps, locks, or you switch apps, the clock does not drift or freeze. When you reopen the app, the timer instantly resumes at the exact second.

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Automated Set Completion

To keep your hands free during high-intensity sessions, SparkyFitness features Smart Auto-Completion:

• How it Works: When the countdown timer for a Work Phase reaches 00:00, the active set is automatically marked as Completed in your session draft.
• Preserved Metrics: The target reps, weight, or distance prescribed in your preset are preserved.
• On-the-Fly Adjustments: You can tap any completed set at any time during or after the workout to adjust the actual reps performed, add extra weight, or mark a set as incomplete if needed.

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WOD Formats: AMRAP & For Time

CrossFit and functional fitness workouts require specialized scoring parameters. SparkyFitness provides native support for AMRAP and For Time modalities.

AMRAP (As Many Rounds / Reps As Possible)

• Goal: Complete as many rounds and reps of the prescribed movement circuit within a strict time limit (e.g., 20-Minute AMRAP: 5 Pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, 15 Air Squats).
• Clock: A global countdown clock runs down from the time cap to zero.
• Fast Round Logging: A prominent +1 Round button allows you to tap each time you finish a full circuit without navigating between individual exercise rows.
• Scoring Metric: Recorded as Rounds + Extra Reps (e.g., 8 Rounds + 12 Reps).

For Time

• Goal: Complete all prescribed exercises and rep schemes as fast as possible (e.g., Fran: 21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-ups).
• Clock: An elapsed stopwatch counts upward from 00:00.
• Optional Time Cap: If a time cap is configured (e.g. 15 minutes) and you do not finish before time expires, the workout is scored as Time Capped (CAP) with remaining reps noted.
• Scoring Metric: Recorded as total finish time (e.g., 07:42).

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Rx vs. Scaled Scoring & Scaling Notes

Every WOD workout can be logged with competition-standard division tracking:

• Rx (As Prescribed): Selected when all exercises were completed exactly as written (prescribed weights, official movement standards, and no modifications).
• Scaled: Selected if weights were reduced, movements were substituted (e.g., jumping pull-ups or ring rows instead of bar muscle-ups), or reps were altered.
• Scaling Notes: When logging a Scaled score, you can record custom notes detailing exactly what was modified (e.g., Used 40kg barbell instead of 60kg; subbed knee push-ups).

Diary & History Badges

Completed interval and WOD sessions display high-visibility badges in your Daily Exercise Diary and history feeds:

• AMRAP 20:00 • 14 + 5 Rx
• For Time • 08:14 Scaled
• Tabata • 8 Rounds Completed

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Creating & Scheduling Interval Presets

To create an interval workout preset:

1. Navigate to Exercises $\rightarrow$ Workout Presets in the web or mobile app.
2. Click Create Preset.
3. Select your desired Format from the dropdown (Tabata, EMOM, AMRAP, For Time, Custom Interval, or Standard).
4. Configure the format parameters:
   • Rounds: Total number of circuit iterations (e.g., 8 rounds for Tabata).
   • Work Time (seconds): Duration of high-intensity effort per interval.
   • Rest Time (seconds): Duration of recovery between intervals.
   • Time Cap (minutes): Global time limit (for AMRAP and For Time).
5. Add your exercises and target reps / weights.
6. Save the preset. You can now launch it directly from the preset menu or schedule it into your sequential or weekly Workout Plan. The AI assistant and MCP tools can also create format presets, inspect timers, and record WOD scores directly.