How to track workouts on Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is very good at tracking cardio and surprisingly limited in the gym. For most people the answer is Apple’s own Workout app for what it does well, plus a logging app for the rest.
What the Workout app does well
It’s free, it’s already on your wrist, and it measures these well:
- Runs, walks, rides and swims, with distance, pace, route, heart rate and splits.
- Heart rate across a session, which shows how hard you actually worked.
- Activity rings, so training counts toward your Move and Exercise goals.
- Apple Health, where everything is saved and other apps can read it with your permission.
If you mostly do cardio, you may not need anything else.
What it can’t do for strength training
Choose a strength workout and it records time, heart rate and estimated calories. It doesn’t record which exercises you did, the weight, your sets and reps, or your rest between sets. Those are the numbers that show whether you’re getting stronger, so for lifting it’s only a heart-rate recorder. What a training log should hold.
What to look for in a Watch lifting app
Plenty of logging apps have a Watch app. Test them against these before you commit:
- Logging speed. Entering weight and reps between sets, with sweaty hands, should take a couple of seconds, ideally with the Digital Crown. If it’s fiddly you’ll give up and use the phone.
- A rest timer on the wrist that taps you when it ends, so the phone can stay in your bag.
- Working without the phone. Some Watch apps work fully without it nearby, and others mirror a workout the phone runs. Know which one you’re getting.
- Sync both ways. A set logged on the Watch should show up on the phone and the other way round, with no duplicates.
- Apple Health. The session should count toward your rings and appear in Health once.
- Cost. Watch apps are sometimes part of a paid tier. Check before you rely on one.
A setup that works
- Cardio days: start the matching workout in Apple’s Workout app, or in your logging app if it tracks runs.
- Gym days: start the session in your logging app on the Watch, log each set as you finish it and let the rest timer run.
- Afterwards: look over it on the phone, where there’s room for charts and notes.
Don’t run two workout apps at once. The Watch runs one workout session at a time, so starting a second can end the first, and you might double-count the session in Health.
Apps to try
Hevy and Strong, two of the best-known lifting loggers, both have Apple Watch apps, according to their App Store listings (Forge vs Hevy, Forge vs Strong). I make Forge, so weigh that. Forge’s Watch app is part of Forge Black, the optional paid tier. It lets you log weight, reps and rest by turning the crown, shows the exercise’s form video on the wrist, and records runs with pace and splits. Try a couple for a week each and keep the one you actually use mid-set.
Forge on Apple Watch
With Forge Black you log weight, reps and rest from your Apple Watch and see the form video without picking up your phone. Free to download.
Common questions
Does the Apple Watch count sets and reps?
Apple's built-in Workout app records time, heart rate and calorie estimates for strength workouts. It doesn't record the exercises, the weight, or your sets and reps. For that you need a logging app with a Watch app.
Do third-party workouts count toward my Activity rings?
Generally yes, if the app runs a proper workout session on the Watch and saves it to Apple Health. If a workout isn't showing up, check the app's Health permissions.
Can I leave my phone in the locker?
It depends on the app. Some Watch apps work fully without the phone nearby, and others mirror a workout the phone is running. Check before you rely on it.
Are Apple Watch calorie numbers accurate for lifting?
Treat them as rough estimates. Wrist heart rate can lag during short, hard efforts, and calorie estimates for strength work are less reliable than for steady cardio.
Forge
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Moat