Best Fitness Hacks Every Apple Watch User Should K...

The Apple Watch is a strong instrument for following and monitoring train. We’ve already proven you 10 hacks for all Apple Watch users, however I’m right here with a follow-up on the health options, particularly. With these lesser-known settings, apps, and options, you will get extra out of your exercises and your well being information.

Give your Apple Watch rings a “relaxation day”

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

The Apple Watch’s Health app famously consists of three rings (Transfer, Train, Stand) that you would be able to shut with exercise all through the day. Not solely must you change your Transfer and Train targets to numbers that give you the results you want (elevating or decreasing them as applicable), you may as well schedule in numerous targets for every day. 

Initially, your Transfer, Train, and Stand targets had been the identical every single day, however lately you can change your ring-closing goals, including adding rest days. Go to the Health app and faucet the Exercise Rings card, after which faucet the “+/-” icon subsequent to every objective. You possibly can create a weekly schedule so that you’ve got decrease targets on sure days. It’s also possible to change a objective quickly only for in the present day—for instance, decreasing your Stand hour objective on a day you’re taking a highway journey. 

Put on your Apple Watch in your arm (or ankle)

The Apple Watch is supposed to be worn on the wrist, however that doesn’t imply you have to put on it there. In case your exercise has you snatching kettlebells or bench urgent in wrist wraps, contemplate wearing the Watch on your upper arm. Or if you happen to use a standing desk, your steps might not register except you put the Watch on your ankle. Each of those places will seemingly require a much bigger wristband than what got here with the Watch. Happily, you should purchase an extra-long band, like this one. 

Change the Apple Watch’s app view for simpler tapping throughout a exercise

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

This can be a tiny hack, however one which makes it a lot simpler to function your watch mid-workout: Press the crown, and also you’ll see all of your put in apps. By default, they seem as little icons clustered collectively. You possibly can rearrange them if you happen to like, however irrespective of the association, they’re robust to precisely faucet whilst you’re operating down the road. Make life simpler on your self by scrolling to the underside of this display screen, and faucet Record View. This places your apps in an alphabetical record, with the identify subsequent to every icon. It’s now far simpler to faucet something you may want throughout your exercise.

Use Bevel to collect your Apple watch information right into a handy dashboard

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

The Apple Watch collects a variety of information, however Apple doesn’t offer you a handy strategy to view it multi functional place. The Health app has exercise information, and the Well being app shops every thing else—however the Well being app isn’t as user-friendly as you may want. Third-party apps have stepped in to fill the hole. Bevel, for instance, gives restoration scores and collects information in a lot the identical method you’d see from a Whoop or Oura ring. There are different apps that do the identical factor, like Athlytic, however I’m recommending Bevel as a result of it has a free tier (and most of its performance is on that tier). If you happen to just like the expertise, contemplate procuring round to see if you happen to want different apps.

Create customized intervals in your Apple Watch

The Exercise app on Apple Watch has advanced fairly a bit from its authentic format as a easy tracker with a begin and cease button. The present model of the Health app has a bit timer icon within the nook of every exercise kind, underneath the Exercises tab. Faucet that, and you’ll view and edit customized exercises. Program your self an interval exercise, or a exercise of a particular size. You are able to do this most simply out of your cellphone—Apple has directions here. 

Use your Apple Watch to race your self

If you happen to run or bike the identical route usually, attempt the Race Route function. Routes are robotically generated after you do the identical run twice. On the Watch itself, go to the Exercise app and select a Run or Cycle exercise, then faucet the timer icon to convey up choices together with race routes. You possibly can select to race your private finest time on that route, or simply your final exercise on that route. In the course of the exercise, you’ll see whether or not you’re retaining tempo with that earlier exercise.

Do a exercise even with out the Apple Watch

It could look empty, however it obtained tracked.
Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

Probably the greatest upgrades to iOS 26 is that the Health app can now observe exercises even with out the Apple Watch. If you happen to left your watch at residence however nonetheless wish to get a run in, you may observe it straight out of your cellphone. Simply go to the Health app, then Exercise, after which faucet whichever kind of exercise you’d love to do. If you happen to select an outside exercise like a run, your cellphone will observe your distance and tempo with the cellphone’s GPS. If you happen to select an indoor exercise, the app can nonetheless log the exercise with a timer, however it gained’t be capable of accumulate any information. You’ll get a readout with the period of time you labored out, and an estimate of your calorie burn, and you’ll charge your effort so the exercise counts towards your coaching load. When you have a tool that may measure your coronary heart charge—like a chest strap or headphones like the Powerbeats Pro 2—you may pair that system on to your iPhone, with out involving the watch, and observe your exercise by means of the Health app with coronary heart charge information intact.

Join your Apple Watch to a treadmill

The Apple Watch is fairly good at judging distance and pace open air whenever you run, and your iPhone can do a great job of that, too. However when you’re indoors on a treadmill, only the treadmill knows how far you’re running. The Apple Watch’s distance estimations aren’t all the time superb. That’s, except you’re utilizing a treadmill that may beam information on to your watch. The treadmills in a variety of business gyms have this function by means of a system known as GymKit. In your Settings on the watch, go to Exercise and activate Detect Gymnasium Gear. While you use a appropriate health club machine, there might be a spot on the console to faucet your watch. You’ll hear a beep, after which the info in your watch might be synced to the info on the machine. 

Set up WorkOutDoors in your Apple Look ahead to extra run information and mapping

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki

We’ve seen that the inventory Exercise app has loads of nice options for operating and different exercises, however many runners and hikers want a distinct possibility. The Apple Watch app WorkOutDoors gives Garmin-level mapping and data analytics during your run. It takes a little bit of time to be taught your method round all of the options, however that is an extremely highly effective instrument for only a small funding ($8.99 as a one-time cost).

High up the Apple Watch’s battery earlier than sleep

If you happen to use the Apple Watch to trace your sleep, you don’t have the choice of charging it whilst you sleep. However don’t fear if it’s near bedtime and also you’re low on battery—Apple Watches, particularly the newest fashions, are designed to cost rapidly for precisely this cause. The Apple Watch Collection 11 only needs five minutes of charge time for eight hours of sleep tracking.