stellar
Above 85%Interval 2 of 4 · in zone 4
Train at VO₂max.
Remaining
3:00
% of max
88%
BPM · Polar H10
156
Recovery
−34bpm
Get Stellar
The protocol

Norwegian 4×4,
done right.

Four intervals of four minutes above 85% of max heart rate, three minutes of rest between each. The most-studied protocol for raising VO₂max — and the strongest single predictor of how long you live.

What other timers do
Start the clock. Hope you make it.

A regular interval timer counts down four minutes the moment you press start — whether your heart rate is at 60% or 90%. Two minutes of ramp-up means two minutes of “interval” that wasn’t actually at VO₂max. Sessions become non-comparable, progress untrackable.

What Stellar does
Threshold-gated. Always four full minutes in zone.

The timer only counts when your HR is above 85% of max. Ramp up at your own pace; if you drop below the threshold mid-interval, the clock pauses until you climb back. Every session delivers exactly 4 × 4 minutes of true VO₂max work.

One session, visualised
85% — timer runs only above this line4:00 · #14:00 · #24:00 · #34:00 · #460%75%90%07142128
Why this matters

VO2max is the
strongest predictor
of how long you live.

Higher than smoking status, higher than blood pressure, higher than diabetes. The Norwegian 4×4 is the most efficient way to move it. Stellar makes the protocol repeatable so the gains are measurable.

01
In-zone time
4:00, every time
The clock only runs above 85% of max HR. Drop below mid-interval and it pauses until you climb back. Every session delivers the same dose, regardless of how fast you ramp up.
02
Recovery tracking
BPM dropped, first minute
After each interval we measure how many beats per minute your HR falls in the first 60 seconds of rest — the cleanest single proxy for cardiovascular fitness, and the metric you’ll watch climb over months.
03
Live monitoring
1Hz, chest or earbuds
Polar straps, Garmin watches, AirPods Pro 3. We read directly at one sample per second — not the smoothed minute-averages most apps work from — so threshold transitions are detected within a beat or two.
Works with

Bring your
own gear.

Three sources, one protocol. Pair a Polar strap, a Garmin watch, or AirPods Pro 3 — Stellar reads your heart rate live and runs the threshold logic regardless of where the beats come from.

Polar
BLE · 1Hz
H10 chest strap
Verity Sense
OH1 arm band
Garmin
BLE · 1Hz
HRM-Pro / Pro Plus
HRM-Dual
Fēnix watches
Forerunner watches
AirPods Pro 3
New
Optical HR sensor
Hands-free, no strap
iOS only
Get Stellar VO₂max

Train at
VO₂max.

Pair a Polar strap, a Garmin watch, or AirPods Pro 3 and start your first 4×4 in under a minute.

Download on the
App Store
Get it on
Google Play
Scan to download