The Apple Watch is a handy tool for tracking your exercises. With the device on your wrist, it can monitor your physical activity across an array of supported workouts. There are the basics, such as walking, cycling, hiking, and rowing, but also dedicated sports, like baseball, basketball, tennis, pickleball, hockey, and golf. You can even track yoga, martial arts, Pilates, and Tai Chi. For each workout, the watch records the time, distance, calories burned, and other data to monitor your progress.
In 2025, Apple has added a new look and layout. The Workout app now lets you add limits other than goals, include music, set up a Workout Buddy to coax you along, and choose different watch faces for your workouts. To take advantage of the newest features, make sure you’re running watchOS 26. Open the Watch app on your iPhone. From the My Watch screen, go to General > Software Update. You’ll then be prompted to download the latest version. Now, here’s how to use your watch to keep track of all your workouts.
Start a Workout
To start a workout, you’ll need to pick an activity to track. Open the Workout app on your watch, swipe down the list, and select the one you want. Can’t find your favorite workout? Swipe to the bottom of the list and select the plus icon to see more workouts.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
After you land on the activity you want to perform, the screen displays four icons at the edges as well as a Play button. To kick off the workout without setting any special parameters, just tap the Play button and start the activity.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
To set a certain goal or limit, tap the timer icon in the upper right and then select Goals. You’ll see settings for Time, Distance, and Calories with numbers already set based on prior workouts. If you want to stick with the existing number, tap the metric you wish to use. Otherwise, tap the plus (+) icon at the bottom. Next, tap Calories, Distance, or Time to change the numbers. When finished, tap Done. Go back to the Goals screen and tap the metric you want to use to kick off the workout.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
If you’re a subscriber to Apple Fitness+, you can access certain Fitness+ programs on an Apple Watch to guide your workouts and meditations. Open the Workout app on your watch and tap the Fitness+ program at the top. Tap the program to start it or select the topic under Browse More to find past programs.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Create a Custom Workout
You can also create a custom workout or design a new one based on certain parameters. At the screen showing your desired workout, tap the timer icon, then choose Custom and then the plus (+) icon. Tap Warmup > Open if you wish to add a warmup to the routine. Tap Add to include the actual workout. Finally, tap Cooldown if you wish to add a cooldown period.
Under Custom Title, you can create a title for your workout. Swipe down the screen to see the custom watch face views that will appear as you go through all the phases of the workout. When done, swipe to the bottom and tap Create workout. Go back to the previous screen and select your custom workout to start it.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
You can further tweak your workouts with different watch face views. At the screen for any workout, tap the icon in the upper left. Swipe down the Workout Views screen and turn on the Include switch for any view you wish to see.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
If you like to listen to music during a workout, you can program that ahead of time. At any Workout screen, tap the musical note icon at the bottom left and enable Autoplay Media. Navigate to the music library on your watch and pick a specific playlist. It will then appear under selected media.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Call for the Workout Buddy
Need a little extra push? You can set up a Workout Buddy to encourage you while performing supported workouts. If an activity is supported, you should see a clear alert icon in the lower right. To set it up, tap that icon, select Workout Buddy, and make sure the switch is turned on. You can then choose a voice for the buddy among the three listed. As you kick off and go through your workout, the Workout Buddy periodically chimes in to offer encouragement and tell you how you’re doing.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
To take a break during the workout, swipe the screen to the right and tap Pause. You can also split the workout into different segments, each with its own time, distance, and other factors. To do this, double-tap the screen or swipe to the right and tap Segment. The watch announces the segment by number. When you’re done, swipe to the right and tap End > End Workout. A summary screen displays your total time, calories, and other data.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Set Up Workout Reminders and Pause Options
You can set up workout reminders on your watch to tell you to start a workout if it detects physical activity. The reminders option is automatically enabled, but you can double-check under Settings > Workout. Confirm that the switches are on for Start Workout Reminder and End Workout Reminder. Your watch should now automatically detect any activity you’re performing and ask if you want to start recording it. The notification lets you record a workout, change the workout, mute it for the day, or dismiss it entirely. The device should also ask to stop recording after it determines that you’ve finished the workout.
Activate Press to Pause to pause or resume workouts by pressing the Side button and the Digital Crown. If you have an at-home gym, you can turn on Detect Gym Equipment to synchronize your workouts with compatible gym equipment.
Get Our Best Stories!
Love All Things Apple?
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
View Activity on Your Apple Watch
After you’ve compiled some workouts, check the history by opening the Activity app on your Apple Watch. The app shows your activity for the current day in the form of three rings as well as individual charts:
-
Move: The red ring and chart show the calories you’ve burned since the start of the day.
-
Exercise: The green ring and chart indicate the amount of time you’ve spent exercising so far.
-
Stand: The blue ring and chart point to the number of hours you’ve spent standing that day.
Your goal is to “close” each ring by the end of the day. Swipe down the screen to see the specific details for the day’s physical activity. Can’t work out for a day? You can now designate rest days and keep your streak alive. Swipe to the bottom of the screen and tap Weekly Summary to view a graph for the week and the total number of calories, steps, distance, and other goals you’ve achieved. Tap Change Move Goal to alter the number of calories you want to burn each day.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
View Activity in the Fitness App
For even more data, you can open the Fitness app on your iPhone. The Summary screen displays activity data and details for the current day. Tap the top area of the screen to display a calendar, then choose a specific date to view the information for that day.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
The Workouts section in the Fitness app shows your workout activity for the month. Tap the calendar at the top to see your overall workouts for each month. Tap a specific date to drill down to the stats for that day.
Recommended by Our Editors
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
The Trends section on the Summary screen shows your daily workout and activity trends, including how many calories you burn, how long you exercise, how long you stand, and how much distance you travel. You can also find advice on how to improve results for a specific goal. Tap any item to see more details. You also receive awards based on achieving certain workout and activity goals. At the Awards section, tap each award to see more details on it.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Measure Your Workouts with Training Load
A feature called Training Load allows you to measure the intensity and length of workouts to measure how they impact and strain your body over time. This feedback can help you better prepare for a more intense type of activity, such as a bike race or marathon. In the Fitness app, tap Edit Summary at the bottom and choose Add. Swipe down the screen to add a card to your summary, then tap Set Up in the Training Load section and select Add Card.
Back at the Summary screen, tap the new Training Load card. From here, you can check different durations and workouts. Tap All Workouts to see a summary of the load on your body from all workouts. Tap All Days to see stats for the last seven days. Select Show All Workouts to see a history of your workouts. Tap a specific workout for a certain day to see its impact.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Compete with Friends
You can challenge an Apple Watch-wearing friend to a workout competition. To kick this off, share your activity data with another person. Tap the Sharing icon and tap Get Started. Tap the plus (+) button, then select the desired person from your contacts list and hit Send. They can accept the invitation by opening the Fitness app and tapping Accept next to your name. After the person accepts, their name appears on the Sharing screen.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
You must then invite that person to the challenge. In the Sharing section of the Fitness app on your iPhone, tap the profile icon at the top and choose the person’s name. Tap the Compete with link and then choose the type of competition. That person can then respond in the Fitness app on their iPhone. Then, let the games begin.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
Once the competition has started, you can compare the activity numbers for all participants. Open the Activity app on your watch and swipe to the left to see the data. Tap the name of the other person to see more details on their numbers.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
You can also check your phone for the stats. Open the Fitness app on your iPhone and tap the Sharing icon. The screen displays the numbers for you and the other person. Tap the person’s name to see their stats or tap your name to see yours.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
When the competition is over, you’ll receive a notification from your watch. You can also open the Activity app on your watch to view the results. The app declares the victor and assigns that person a badge. You can then view the final numbers and send a message to the other person, invite them to another challenge, or dismiss the screen.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)
About Our Expert
Lance Whitney
Contributor
Experience
I’ve been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I’ve written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including , ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, PC World, Time, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I’ve also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn.
I’ve used Windows, Office, and other Microsoft products for years so I’m well versed in that world. I also know the Mac quite well. I’m always working with iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and Android on my various mobile devices. And these days, I write a lot about AI, so that’s become another key area for me.
My wife always jokes about all the tech products we have around the house, but I manage to put them to good use for my articles. I like Lenovo computers, so I own a couple of Lenovo desktops and several laptops. I have three MacBooks and a Mac mini. For my mobile life and work, I use an iPhone 16 Pro, iPad Pro, and iPad mini as well as an Apple Watch. But since I write about Android, I own several Android phones and tablets. Like any tech person, I have a cabinet full of cables, wires, and assorted mysterious gadgets. And when it’s time to take a break from writing, I have an old Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, both of which I use for exercise and fitness games.
Read Full Bio
