Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Workout in the health app

M

MacLilja

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 26, 2015
208
19
I have two questions about workouts in the Health app.

1. I Always run on a crosstrainer and Always 45 min each time. so, the graph in my Health app Always shows that I have run for 45 min which is pretty useless. Is there a way to get the graph to show the distance I ran each time instead?

2. Is there a way to get the Watch to show the correct distance. My crosstrainer says 17 kilometer and the Watch 4,11 kilometer. Quite the difference.
 
When you use your crosstrainer are you starting an Elliptical workout in the Workout app?
 
I didn't know crosstrainer and elliptical were synonymous. Thought that might be your case too, and you resorted to indoor run or something lol. I'll echo the other guy. I have watchOS 2 beta 5 and I've seen the way they calculate measurements change multiple times, so hopefully it will eventually become accurate. You may also see your crosstrainer's company create a third-party app to take accurate measurements during a workout using specific models of their machines
 
Can you run outside a few times, with your phone and the watch together, and choose Outdoor Run? This should help calibrate the AW to your step size.

(I never run indoors myself, nor do I know what a "crosstrainer" is, so this is a guess based on Apple's recommendation)
 
BarracksSi said:
Can you run outside a few times, with your phone and the watch together, and choose Outdoor Run? This should help calibrate the AW to your step size.

(I never run indoors myself, nor do I know what a "crosstrainer" is, so this is a guess based on Apple's recommendation)
Click to expand...

A crosstrainer is a machine you can use for indoor running. It's like a bike but you stand up and pull on big handles :) You can see what it looks like here: http://www.sportgymbutiken.se/bilder/artiklar/zoom/VA-6-50300_1.jpg

And I'm not sure but I think it's totally different from "running for real" so don't think running outside will help calibrate it.
 
MacLilja said:
A crosstrainer is a machine you can use for indoor running. It's like a bike but you stand up and pull on big handles :) You can see what it looks like here: http://www.sportgymbutiken.se/bilder/artiklar/zoom/VA-6-50300_1.jpg

And I'm not sure but I think it's totally different from "running for real" so don't think running outside will help calibrate it.
Click to expand...

I've also never seen a cross trainer before, but seeing that picture makes me wonder, how does the cross trainer calculate distance? I mean, if it's so totally different from running outdoors, what purpose does it serve to convert the amount of exercise you do on that thing into distance?
 
Night Spring said:
I've also never seen a cross trainer before, but seeing that picture makes me wonder, how does the cross trainer calculate distance? I mean, if it's so totally different from running outdoors, what purpose does it serve to convert the amount of exercise you do on that thing into distance?
Click to expand...

Well, I think it's different in the way it measure distance but it's simular to running, just not in a technical way. The crosstrainer calculates distance based on how many spins you do, like with a bike while running outside is based on distance. But you can still compare the distance you move. It's like comparing distance when you run and ride a bike. You probably won't get the same distance in the same time but you can still count it.
 
MacLilja said:
A cross trainer is a machine you can use for indoor running....And I'm not sure but I think it's totally different from "running for real" so don't think running outside will help calibrate it.
Click to expand...
That is NOT running and you are trying to compare Apples to oranges. Elliptical exercise 'distance or steps' do not correlate directly to walking or running. The distance you are seeing on the Elliptical machine is just a motivation measurement to give you a relative idea of the amount of effort you have exerted and is NOT a direct reflection of the distance you would have covered if actually running. Your elliptical is also adding in arm pull effort that is making the 'distance' higher.

You should have the Workout App set too Elliptical and not Indoor Running.

I'm a runnier (also an Elliptical user) and any runner has the similar 'problem' in that total number steps taken is much lower than if walking. So I have a total number of steps 'penalty' just like you are perceiving a distance 'penalty'.

Calories burned is the only metric that really counts and that can be directly correlated for different types of cardio exercises.

If you really want accurate milage along with cardio then you would need to run.
 
Julien said:
That is NOT running and you are trying to compare Apples to oranges. Elliptical exercise 'distance or steps' do not correlate directly to walking or running. The distance you are seeing on the Elliptical machine is just a motivation measurement to give you a relative idea of the amount of effort you have exerted and is NOT a direct reflection of the distance you would have covered if actually running. Your elliptical is also adding in arm pull effort that is making the 'distance' higher.

You should have the Workout App set too Elliptical and not Indoor Running.

I'm a runnier (also an Elliptical user) and any runner has the similar 'problem' in that total number steps taken is much lower than if walking. So I have a total number of steps 'penalty' just like you are perceiving a distance 'penalty'.

Calories burned is the only metric that really counts and that can be directly correlated for different types of cardio exercises.

If you really want accurate milage along with cardio then you would need to run.
Click to expand...

OK, I hear what you say but is there any way to get the watch and the machine to show the same distance. If it's comparable with running outside is really not the point. I would just like the two to show the same thing. And if not, what is it that the watch is showing when it says 4.11 kilometer? It's not 4.11 kilometer on the Crosstrainer since that is 17 kilometer. Does it mean that I would run 4.11 if I was actually running outside?
 
MacLilja said:
OK, I hear what you say but is there any way to get the watch and the machine to show the same distance. If it's comparable with running outside is really not the point. I would just like the two to show the same thing. And if not, what is it that the watch is showing when it says 4.11 kilometer? It's not 4.11 kilometer on the Crosstrainer since that is 17 kilometer. Does it mean that I would run 4.11 if I was actually running outside?
Click to expand...
Not likely, the only way would be if the manufacture of your machine invested in algorithms to correlate the :apple:Watch arm swing movements to the Elliptical's 'distance' algorithms measurement and made a 3ed party app for wOS2.
 
Newtons Apple said:
About the best that could be expected is time and HR. No way you will get the distance to come close to agreeing.
Click to expand...

And it dosn't matter that much as long as I'm only comparing the distance with the watch with the distance on the watch and the same with the Crosstrainer. I just wish I could do statistics based on distance instead of time since I always run for 45 min.
 
MacLilja said:
And it dosn't matter that much as long as I'm only comparing the distance with the watch with the distance on the watch and the same with the Crosstrainer. I just wish I could do statistics based on distance instead of time since I always run for 45 min.
Click to expand...

Neither are really correct. Just pick one and use it as a guide to guide you on future work outs.

Just no way for the watch to know what you are riding on or how to interpret the distance traveled
 
Oh, ok -- we always called it an elliptical machine. I can't stand them anyway since the movement is so unnatural.

I don't think it's necessary to know distance for a cardio workout, either. You want a good HR for a length of time (one guideline I've heard is "at least 20 minutes", beyond which your body starts to work aerobically), and distance doesn't matter.

When I finally started working on running, I kept the duration the same, but noticed that I ran further each day.

You might get the AW and elliptical to agree on calories burned, but that's no guarantee, even if you used a Bluetooth HR strap for the AW. Different HR monitors might use different formulas to calculate calorie expenditure.
 
Let me hook into this topic for a bit because I have also a question about the workout app..

I have bought an AW just for the workout app because I thought this AW device could really become some sort of mega cool health device that just happens to fit on your wrist. I don't see it as a smart watch or whatever because it's very limited in my opinion.

I'm just curious, when you switch to let's say an 'open' indoor bicycle workout from running outside workouts how would this translate in calories burned towards my Apple Watch activity rings? I mean, while running outside you will use your arms a lot so this will result in lot's of calories burned - when you are on a bike indoor you're just sitting still and your legs will do all the work spinning around. How can the AW measure this correctly?

For example when I'm about 20 calories short near the end of the day to complete my daily target I can simple swing my watch-arm a few times while laying on the couch scratching my balls all evening and Tada.. you've reached your goal.

It's not all very accurate to be honest, at least the calories burned are not in my opinion. I would like to know because soon maybe it will be too cold to run outside and I have to move to something indoor. Should I maybe strap my AW on my ankle instead of my wrist while working out on a bike?
 
Shmoo said:
Let me hook into this topic for a bit because I have also a question about the workout app..

I have bought an AW just for the workout app because I thought this AW device could really become some sort of mega cool health device that just happens to fit on your wrist. I don't see it as a smart watch or whatever because it's very limited in my opinion.

I'm just curious, when you switch to let's say an 'open' indoor bicycle workout from running outside workouts how would this translate in calories burned towards my Apple Watch activity rings? I mean, while running outside you will use your arms a lot so this will result in lot's of calories burned - when you are on a bike indoor you're just sitting still and your legs will do all the work spinning around. How can the AW measure this correctly?

For example when I'm about 20 calories short near the end of the day to complete my daily target I can simple swing my watch-arm a few times while laying on the couch scratching my balls all evening and Tada.. you've reached your goal.

It's not all very accurate to be honest, at least the calories burned are not in my opinion. I would like to know because soon maybe it will be too cold to run outside and I have to move to something indoor. Should I maybe strap my AW on my ankle instead of my wrist while working out on a bike?
Click to expand...

It knows you're biking and will use your HR to compare with your outdoor bike if you had done it. If not it will use its algorithm from its lab to calculate instead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back