How to Log Your Workouts with Apple Watch

You can log your full workout with Apple Watch, without using your iPhone

  • Work sets and warmup sets will show on Apple Watch
  • Timer between sets works on Apple Watch (with haptic feedback)
  • Once finished, workout duration, avg heart rate, estimated calories, etc will sync to Apple Health/Activity

How to log workouts with Stronglifts on Apple Watch

Open Stronglifts on your Apple Watch. You'll see this:

Start screen watch Stronglifts

To start the workout you want to do, just tap it. The watch will then start with the first exercise in that workout.

Exercise screen

You see today's Squat for workout A - 5x5 90kg, which requires 35kg on each side of the bar. The circle around the sets, reps and weights has five segments. Each segment stands for one set done (5 sets in this case).

Squat your set, then tap the screen on your watch to log this set. You'll see the rep input screen...

Set input

Each tap on this screen will lower the reps from five all the way down to 0 then back to five.

Once you've logged your set, the rest timer will now show...

Rest Timer

The rest timer shows how long you've been resting. It will notify you when your rest period is over and it's time to do your next set. You can dismiss the timer anytime by tapping on the screen. The watch will then show the exercise screen again.

Squat set two

You can scroll down on this screen anytime to see the plate calculator. It shows you how many plates to add on each side of the bar, and which type.

Plate calculator

You can also scroll up anytime to see the warmup sets for this exercise.

Warmup

You can swipe left/right to go from one exercise to the other.

Alternatively, you can tap the exercise name at the top. You'll get on the workout overview screen.

Workout overview

Here you can switch to another exercise if you want to do them in a different order. You can also use the buttons at the bottom to pause this workout, cancel it, or mark it finished.

Once your workout is finished, it will be synced with Apple Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Stronglifts shutdown the Apple Workout App?

This is a limitation set by Apple.

When you use two apps on an Apple Watch that both access Apple HealthKit data, only one app can access the data at a time. This means that if you start a workout with one app, and then start a workout with another app, the first app will stop. Apple does this to prevent conflicts and ensure data accuracy.

However, there is no need to use the Apple Workout app for your Stronglifts workouts. Stronglifts sends the same information to Apple Health as the Apple Workout app does. We will send your workout duration, estimated calories burned, heart rate, and fill up your activity circles.

Here's an example of one workout logged by the Apple Workout app and one logged by Stronglifts. You can see that the same information is sent to Apple Health.

There's therefore no need to use the Apple Workout app. Simply use Stronglifts on yoru Apple Watch. This makes your workout flow easier since you won't have to switch between two apps that cannot work simultaneously.

How to track your heart rate with Apple Watch?

Stronglifts can show your heart rate on your Apple Watch during your workouts.
You can enable this feature like this:
  1. Open the Apple Health app
  2. Tap your profile in the top right corner
  3. Scroll down to "Apps"
  4. Select Stronglifts
  5. Enable "Heart Rate"
Your heart rate will now show in the bottom right corner of the Apple Watch when you log your workouts with Stronglifts.

Stronglifts Apple Watch workout screen


When you're resting between sets and the timer runs, your heart rate will show above the rest timer text.

Stronglifts Apple watch rest screen

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