Anybody satisfied with workout app?

[WackoV]

Is anybody here happy with the workout app?

In my opinion, I think the workout app is easy to use for running, but is nowhere close to what Strave or Runkeeper is currently offering:

* Swimming? Not possible to manually add swimming exercises, which means also that my daily activity on those days is not correct

* Limited functionality: yes the watch shows how many miles you ran and for how long but what about other statistics (average pace, map, height etc)? Where can I see them? Do you have to use the health app?


As fitness tracking was one of the reasons that justified buying an Apple watch, it's currently disappointing and I hope this will be solved with the software update

 

[exxxviii]

Nope. Weakest of all the watch' features by far. Activity tracking is 5 years behind the market, and the workout is essentially a stopwatch with distance approximation.

 

[CellXor10]

Yes, I am actually and know I will be in the minority, but I don't "workout" very much. I only use it for short runs, outdoor hiking and walks, so for what I use it for it works just fine for me. I understand why most would not be satisfied, but since I wouldn't use/need much of the functionality people are asking for, I'm satisfied with what it offers to me right now.

 

[Night Spring]

* Limited functionality: yes the watch shows how many miles you ran and for how long but what about other statistics (average pace, map, height etc)? Where can I see them? Do you have to use the health app?

I think you can see pace and average heart rate in the iPhone Activity app. No map, and no elevation.

But if you are dissatisfied with the Workout app, you can use third party apps. That's the point of having an app ecosystem.

 

[BlueMoon63]

I am fine with it since I use the workout other for all activities. If I work on the yard or golf or take a walk or swim, I use Workout Other to at least track the calories and heart weight.

They need to fix the health app and resting calories in the next update and allow third party apps native and more integrated into health and activity.

This is version 1 and I think many of us agree that this was actually version 0.xx and a little rushed. It has great potential and I hope the next update fixes some of these.

 

[fanboi4lyfe]

I actually like it, yes it's a bit farther behind in terms of not being able to input your own workouts but that is really my only complaint about it. The Watch itself has been more of a motivating tool for me than I had orginally thought it would. I have been working out on a more consistent basis and the workout app has been great to get started and going to the gym.

I am really loving the Watch, but I do hope they expand the capabilites in Watch OS2 or send out a minor update before OS2 comes out. It needs to get a bit better before the major update imo.

 

[opill]

Very spotty, inconsistent results with the heart rate monitor during a variety of exercise types leads me to question the accuracy of the data it gives me. I have to say, I do not think the device is very good as a fitness tracker. Perhaps the next software update will be a panacea.

 

[jeanneod]

Works great for outdoor and forward moving activities, but things such as indoor cycling (spinning) very inaccurate and inconsistent. Have also gotten unusually high numbers on heart rate monitor - 215?? It also recorded my heart rate when I was not wearing it. Not sure what's going on with that.

 

[ob81]

I have never had an issue with it. It seems to record my heart rate pretty good. I wear it tighter. It leaves something to be desired when you are using the 'other' option. They are years behind with the app though. No sharing, motivating or anything.

 

[Rok73]

Yea here, me. I only swim when I'm at the beach in holidays. It serves all my other purposes.

 

[Nell]

I basically use it to monitor walking and it seems to work well for that do I'm happy. I've had a Fitbit for a couple of years did if really like data from my watch to get passed to Fitbit but I find the watch far more motivating (there's just something about the rings in the activity app).

 

[Nell]

I guess essentially the Workout app may lack the detail of Strava, Runkeeper etc but overall the watch is a very good, very motivating fitness tracker for those of us who don't really work out but do want to get a bit fitter.

 

[Armen]

The workout app is sufficient for most of us who aren't exercise snobs.

Next time someone wants to criticize Apple's fitness tracking compared to dedicated fitness tracking devices they need to take into consideration that those devices don't do half of the Apple watch does.

 

[Neutral Milk]

I'm very satisfied.

I agree with armen that those of us who aren't exercise snobs are happy.

I wanted to get motivated to consistently not be lazy. That's it. From a pragmatic perspective it works perfectly for me. The apple watch may not track perfectly (and I only know that from what I've read here) but it tracks sufficiently.

If I've had a lazy day my move count will reflect that, and I'll take my dog on a 2 mile walk to make up for it (like I did tonight).

Today at my annual check up I was able to show my doctor my heart rate over the last month based on averages (where being exact isn't all that important) and her response was that it appeared I had great cardiovascular health. I was doing paperwork for an hour today and my watch reminded me to get up, so I thought that was a good idea and obliged.

All these things have made me healthier and happier without unnecessary fluf. I don't need more.

Also apparently this watch tells time, the weather, sends me notifications some of which I can respond to, and I can ask it random questions.

As someone who is concerned about health but doesn't want to deal with the nitty gritty I'm super satisfied.

 

[friedmud]

Works fine for me. I use Outdoor Walk every time I take my dog out. I use Indoor Walk on my treadmill when I'm walking and it matches really well with what the treadmill shows. I use Outdoor Cycle for when I cycle to the train station... it talks to the phone to gauge your distance and does a good job of it. I use "Other" for everything else, including using weight training machines.

At the end of the day my calories make a lot of sense and meeting my calorie goals has been productive (I've already lost nearly 15 pounds).

Mapping? Height? Don't care. I'm not an athlete that's training (if I were I would have a much more elaborate setup).

I'm just a dude trying to stay fit and the Watch is perfect for that!

 

[Jschultz]

Since I'm obsessive about closing my rings and hitting my goals, I use the workout app as my primary. I've got a few gripes, though:

Mileage across activities is incredibly inconsistent, even with iPhone paired the whole time. My outdoor runs on major streets are accurate, but I recently selected outdoor cycle and totally got it wrong. I did a ride of maybe 15 miles and it reported back 40. I suspect this might have something to do with using my running pace/gait and applying to it cycling?

My outdoor run tonight was on a standard outdoor track, so I'm the distance should be controlled and approximate. The watch was way, way off. Not sure how or why.

 

[PatrickNSF]

The workout app is sufficient for most of us who aren't exercise snobs.

Outside running with the Workout app does not give you consistent distance readings. For some reason, Apple chose not to use the phone's GPS throughout a run, like it does when you choose outdoor cycling.

Also, your workout data cannot be exported to other data sites like Garmin, Nike, etc. as it can with other third-party Watch apps.

You don't need to be an "excrete snob" to find the Workout app insufficient.

 

[Night Spring]

Outside running with the Workout app does not give you consistent distance readings. For some reason, Apple chose not to use the phone's GPS throughout a run, like it does when you choose outdoor cycling.

Also, your workout data cannot be exported to other data sites like Garmin, Nike, etc. as it can with other third-party Watch apps.

You don't need to be an "excrete snob" to find the Workout app insufficient.

"Exercise snob" isn't the most polite term, but there are people like myself, who aren't interested in exporting the data, and who don't care much about the distance run/walked, as long as it is in a rough ballpark. I just need something to get me a bit more active. For my purposes, the Activity app is enough, I don't even use the Workout app much.

I feel like the more sophisticated exercise apps can be intimidating for people like me, who's at a stage even before novice in terms of exercising. There are plenty of fitness apps for more serious fitness people, but Apple's Activity app feels like the exercise app for the rest of us. The Workout app could use more sophistication, but for the first gen, it seems Apple concentrated on gearing their efforts toward people who've never exercised consistently before, and I, for one, am glad they did.

 

[opill]

Apparently if your fitness consists of more than standing up and walking you are an exercise snob.

 

[Night Spring]

Apparently if your fitness consists of more than standing up and walking you are an exercise snob.

A vast majority of first world population don't get more regular exercise than just standing up and walking. Out of all my friends, relatives, co-workers, I only know 2 who exercise with any regularity. So in my view, if you regularly do more than stand up and walk, you are in a pretty distinct subset.

 

[Jschultz]

A vast majority of first world population don't get more regular exercise than just standing up and walking. Out of all my friends, relatives, co-workers, I only know 2 who exercise with any regularity. So in my view, if you regularly do more than stand up and walk, you are in a pretty distinct subset.

So sad, but true.

 

[opill]

Well Apple's marketing did consist of following a woman training for a marathon using the AW so what subset of the population does that include? That might lead one to conclude the watch is geared to some extent to those of us involved in fitness snobbery.

 

[Jschultz]

Well Apple's marketing did consist of following a woman training for a marathon using the AW so what subset of the population does that include?

Is there data out there? I know out of all my friends who run (which is a very, very small subset), only 1 trains for even a half-marathon. My brother-in-laws each ran a full marathon, but half-assed training.

 

[PatrickNSF]

The Workout app could use more sophistication, but for the first gen, it seems Apple concentrated on gearing their efforts toward people who've never exercised consistently before, and I, for one, am glad they did.

Actually, with Christy Turlington's blog and involvement on stage at the launch event, Apple also marketed the Watch to people training for marathons. Having run three myself, there is no way I'd be able to use the Workout app to train for my fourth marathon in October.

It's great that the Workout app is getting people to exercise who haven't done so, but Apple is also marketing the Watch to runners. And as far as running watches go, it's mediocre at best. That being said, it's a great as a general activity tracker.

 

[exxxviii]

Well... it was not explicit, but the OP's original post was in the context of exercise, since he mentioned running and swimming and comparative apps.

Also, many of the responses that followed drifted between workout and activity tracking without recognizing that the two are distinctly different needs and functions.

The context of the Workout app is a tool that records athletic activities. The activity tracker side of the watch's function does not require Workout at all. If someone goes on a walk or run or plays golf, the watch would capture it through its normal HR and motion sensors. Activity tracking really only needs Workout activities that do not involve arm movement. Workout seems particularly designed for measuring aerobic fitness activities.

Those who do not workout in the context of an athletic activity may not be aware of what those tools can do; therefore a simple pedometer with a stopwatch might seem pretty good, and the AW might look wonderful. But for someone who is knowledgeable of modern workout devices, the AW falls short by comparison. That is the question that the OP was asking.

People who engage regularly in fitness activities are not snobs, they are simply knowledgeable of the tools and commenting on the Workout app in that context.