Apple Watch - Tracking Training Intervals

[Slydude]

SWMBO is considering moving from a FitBit to the Apple Watch. Before she does that she'd like to know exactly how to accomplish the following using software that is already on the watch.
Here's what she wants to do as part of a running workout:
1. One interval where the workout is at a certain intensity level.
2. After a period of time the watch would warn you to change to a second intensity level.

The watch would keep cycling through two or more intensity levels until a total specified time of say 30 minutes has elapsed. Each time there is a change in intensity level the watch should cue you (verbal/haptic) to switchintensity levels.

I'm pretty sure this can be done with the workout app on WatchOS 9 but the directions I've found so far are a little confusing.

Comments:

 

[ferrarr]

Well, there is a FitBit app for iOS,

‎Fitbit: Health & Fitness

‎See the big picture on your health and fitness journey with the Fitbit app. Find easy ways to get active, sleep better, stress less and eat healthier. Track the stats you care about across health, fitness and sleep, and change your goals as your routines evolve. Stay motivated with energizing...

apps.apple.com

 

[Slydude]

Yes, and she is using that with her current FitBit device IIRC. I suspect that gizmo will be dead soon and we are starting to look at alternatives.

There are also several other third-party apps that track this info. I think the ability to track things using the built in app would go a long way toward ditching the FitBit in favor of the Apple Watch.

 

[MacInWin]

Sly, here is the user guide at Apple:

Apple Watch User Guide

Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Watch and the Apple Watch app on iPhone, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started using Apple Watch and discover all the amazing things it can do.

support.apple.com

and this is the first page of that manual with details on the Workout app (not Workout+, the service, just Workout, the app).

What’s new in Workout

Use Workout on your Apple Watch to manage your individual workout sessions. watchOS 10 offers several new Workout enhancements.

support.apple.com

I think what she is looking for might be covered under the part about "segments" of workouts. I don't use the Watch that way, I just use it to track my workout and do the timings myself as I go.

 

[Slydude]

I think you're right but I need to look at that guide again. I tend to use my watch the way you do so I haven't wrapped my brain around that method yet.

 

[MacInWin]

Yeah, from the reading "segments" is one way for a multi-event workout, kind of like tracking a triathlon through all three phases. But I don't see anything that says the "segments" need to be different, so you could have a "run" for 30 minutes, then "walk" for 30, and then back to "run" again. I don't know about the notification to change, but maybe the timer on the watch can be set to handle that. So, she would start a timer for, say, 31 minutes, then spend a minute getting the workout app going on the first segment, then when the timer goes off, she should have done about 30 minutes on that and can move to the next segment. I think it's worth testing, anyway.

 

[Slydude]

After I read your post last night I actually took time to seriously look at how to set up segments. I had read some directions based on a Google search but they were somewhat confusing and much of it was for older versions of WatchOS. Based on your comments I decided to apply my tried and true troubleshooting method a.k.a poke at it till you either solve the problem or something fails completely.

Here's what I discovered:

1. I tapped the running workout because that is what she was interested in doing. Tap the three dots to create a custom workout. This process should work with other workouts.

2. Create a custom variation of the workout and follow the directions to create the first interval.

3. The method for adding a second interval is ptryyt straightforward if you follow the directions.

4. If you want to create additional intervals with different timings/intensities repeat the process to create those intervals.

5. Once you have gotten the basic intervals created you can tell the watch which intervals to repeat by selecting the intervals to repeat and telling the watch how many times to repeat those intervals.

The watch gave me an audible alert when it was time to change to the next interval of the workout.

When I have time I may post a more detailed description.