Repko Features

Repko is a tempo timer for lifters who already know what they're doing, and need a tool that doesn't get in the way. Four-phase counts, voice cues you don't have to look at, an exercise library that knows what eccentric means, and a Free tier that stays free. Below: every feature, where it lives, and what's behind the PRO line.

The 4-phase tempo timer

The core feature. Most timer apps count down a single duration, Repko counts every phase of every rep separately: eccentric, pause at the bottom, concentric, pause at the top. Phases are written in standard E-P1-C-P2 notation, 3-0-1-0 means a 3-second lowering, no pause, 1-second lift, no pause at top.

Each phase gets its own audio cue per second (configurable: tones, motivation beeps, TTS countdown for phases longer than 5 seconds). The screen color shifts per phase, so you know where you are without looking. If you write X for a phase, the timer treats it as explosive, no second-by-second tone, just go.

For phases that hold (planks, pause squats, dead-stop variants), the last digit can carry seconds: 1-0-1-30 for a 30-second plank, 2-2-1-0 for a 2-second pause squat. The notation extends to whatever your training method requires.

Where you'll see it:

• Setup screen, pick your tempo before you start, save it as a preset, or pull a default from the exercise library
• Timer screen, full-screen phase display with countdown, large enough to read from a rack
• Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, Live Activity shows current phase, set count, and rest countdown without unlocking your phone

For the conceptual background, why tempo notation works this way, what each digit changes about training stimulus, see the Poliquin tempo guide and tempo notation explained.

Hands-free voice control

Tempo training has a problem: you're counting in your head while trying to keep form. Voice control fixes that. Repko listens for three commands, GO to start a rep, STOP to end the workout, REPEAT to redo the last rep if you missed the cue.

Two modes:

• VCFR (Voice Control First Rep), the mic listens once at the start of each set. You say GO, Repko runs the prescribed reps automatically. Best when you want voice to start the set but not coach every rep.
• VCER (Voice Control Every Rep), the mic listens before every single rep. Each rep starts when you say GO. Best for heavy sets where you set up between reps and don't want a fixed cadence.

On-device processing. All voice recognition runs locally on your iPhone, Apple's SFSpeechRecognizer with requiresOnDeviceRecognition=true enforced in code, not just in policy. Audio never leaves the device. No cloud transcription, no recording, no upload.

Custom trigger words (PRO). Default words are short, phonetically distinct (go, stop, repeat), picked because the gym is loud. If they don't work for you, your accent, your earbuds, your noise environment, PRO lets you replace them with words that do.

Where you'll see it:

• Setup screen, voice mode toggle (off / VCFR / VCER)
• Voice tab, live mic tester for each command, custom trigger word editor (PRO), recognition tips
• Permission flow, first use prompts iOS for mic access; if denied, the timer falls back to silent run gracefully

VCFR is free. VCER and custom trigger words are PRO.

Exercise library, 1,083 lifts, biomechanical metadata

Repko ships with a catalog of 1,083 exercises across 20 muscle groups, barbell, dumbbell, cable, bodyweight, machine, mobility. Each entry carries the metadata that actually matters for tempo execution:

• Default tempo based on the lift (squat-pattern lifts default to 3-0-1-0, cable rows to 2-0-1-1, holds carry their hold duration in the last digit)
• Direction, first physical movement from the start position (down for a squat, up for a deadlift, up for an overhead press)
• Unilateral flag, whether the lift is performed one side at a time
• Bodyweight metadata, for calisthenics work, the percentage of bodyweight engaged, used in volume calculations when you log reps

Search and select. The exercise picker uses tokenized fuzzy matching, type row db and you find DB Single-Arm Row. Tap a catalog entry, the setup screen pre-fills tempo, direction, and unilateral state. Edit anything before you start.

Edge cases. Some lifts don't fit a single direction or eccentric-first pattern, Lat Pulldown is the classic case. The deeper why is on tempo notation explained, the section on Repko's edge case handling covers how the app encodes these.

Skill tree, 74 unlockable nodes

Repko has a 74-node skill tree split across 7 branches: Onboarding, Tempo Mastery, TUT Forge, RIR Science, Voice Command, Unilateral Commitment, Consistency Engine, plus a Convergence section that requires progress in multiple branches.

Nodes have five tiers, Raw Iron, Forged Steel, Tempered Gold, Titan, Legendary. Some are visible from day one with explicit unlock conditions. Others are previewed (icon visible, conditions hidden). A few are fully hidden until you trigger them, the system rewards exploration without telegraphing every milestone.

Examples:

• Tempo Initiate (Raw Iron), log your first session with any tempo other than 0-0-0-0
• Eccentric Devotee (Forged Steel), twenty sessions with a slow eccentric phase. This is a choice, not an accident
• Full Integration (Tempered Gold, hidden), one calendar week with three or more sessions, all voice-controlled
• The Calibrator (serendipity, hidden), twenty-five consecutive exercises with a complete RIR log

The whole tree is free. No PRO gate on progression. Achievement nodes can be shared as image cards from the reveal screen.

Free vs PRO

The core 4-phase timer is free. Always. PRO unlocks depth, voice on every rep, charts, unlimited history, exports. Below: the honest split.

PRO is $3.99/month or $24.99/year (works out to about $2.08/month, billed annually, a 48% saving). There are two ways to try PRO without paying: a 7-day in-app preview that starts automatically (no card needed) and Apple's 7-day free trial via StoreKit (card required, starts when you tap Subscribe). Use either or both. After the previews end, you stay on Free unless you subscribe, your data stays, PRO features lock back, your Free history limit returns to the most recent 10 exercises. Free → PRO → Free, never reverse: nothing the app gave you on Free gets removed if you trial PRO and don't keep it.

All prices in USD. Local prices may vary. Subscriptions managed in your Apple ID.

Built by a lifter who needed it

I built Repko because no other timer counted four phases and let me run a set hands-free. If that's the gap you've been working around, read more about why or follow development on Featurebase. I'm one person, I read every email at [email protected].

Repko launches on the App Store soon. Read more about the app or follow development on Featurebase.