{"id":168,"date":"2026-09-27T16:25:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T16:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernfitnessguide.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/27\/the-best-fitness-hacks-every-apple-watch-user-should-know\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T16:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T16:25:29","slug":"the-best-fitness-hacks-every-apple-watch-user-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernfitnessguide.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/27\/the-best-fitness-hacks-every-apple-watch-user-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Fitness Hacks Every Apple Watch User Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n We may earn a commission from links on this page.<\/span>\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n

Even though Apple just announced a bunch of upcoming health and fitness features for the Apple Watch Series 12, existing Apple Watches already have more fitness capabilities than you may realize<\/a>. We\u2019ve already shown you 10 hacks for all Apple Watch users<\/u><\/a>, but I\u2019m here with a follow-up on the best fitness<\/em> hacks and tips. With these lesser-known settings<\/a>, apps, and features, you can get more out of your Watch, your workouts, and your health data.<\/p>\n

Give your Apple Watch rings a “rest day”<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \"Screenshots<\/div>\n

\n
\n Credit: Beth Skwarecki<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Apple Watch\u2019s Fitness app famously includes three rings (Move, Exercise, Stand) that you can close with activity throughout the day. Not only should you change your Move and Exercise goals to numbers that work for you (raising or lowering them as appropriate), you can also schedule in different goals for each day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Originally, your Move, Exercise, and Stand goals were the same every day, but these days you can change your ring-closing goals, including adding rest days<\/u><\/a>. Go to the Fitness<\/strong> app and tap the Activity Rings<\/strong> card, and then tap the \u201c+\/-\u201d icon next to each goal. You can create a weekly schedule so that you have lower targets on certain days. You can also change a goal temporarily just for today\u2014for example, reducing your Stand hour goal on a day you\u2019re taking a road trip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wear your Apple Watch on your arm (or ankle)<\/h2>\n

The Apple Watch is meant to be worn on the wrist, but that doesn\u2019t mean you have<\/em> to wear it there. If your workout has you snatching kettlebells or bench pressing in wrist wraps, consider wearing the Watch on your upper arm<\/u><\/a>. Or if you use a standing desk, your steps may not register unless you put the Watch on your ankle<\/u><\/a>. Both of these locations will likely require a bigger wristband than what came with the Watch. Fortunately, you can buy an extra-long band, like this one<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Change the Apple Watch’s app view for easier tapping during a workout<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \"Grid<\/div>\n

\n
\n Credit: Beth Skwarecki<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

This is a tiny hack, but one that makes it so much easier to operate your watch mid-workout: Press the crown, and you\u2019ll see all your installed apps. By default, they appear as little icons clustered together. You can rearrange them if you like, but no matter the arrangement, they\u2019re tough to accurately tap while you\u2019re running down the street.\u00a0Make life easier on yourself by scrolling to the bottom of this screen, and tap List View<\/strong>. This puts your apps in an alphabetical list, with the name next to each icon. It\u2019s now far easier to tap anything you might need during your workout.<\/p>\n

Use Bevel to gather your Apple Watch data into a convenient dashboard<\/h2>\n
\n
\n \"Bevel<\/div>\n

\n
\n Credit: Beth Skwarecki<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

While we wait for the Apple Health app redesign<\/a>, you can already get some of the same features by installing a free third-party app called Bevel. The Apple Watch collects a lot of data, but Apple doesn\u2019t give you a convenient way to view it all in one place (for now, anyway). Third-party apps have stepped in to fill the gap. Bevel<\/u><\/a>, for example, provides recovery scores and collects data in much the same way you\u2019d see from a Whoop or Oura ring. There are other apps that do the same thing, like Athlytic, but I\u2019m recommending Bevel because it has a free tier<\/u><\/a> (and most of its functionality is on that tier). Bevel can also pull in data from other devices you might use, like a Garmin watch or a Whoop if you have one of those as well.<\/p>\n

Create custom intervals on your Apple Watch<\/h2>\n

The Workout app on Apple Watch has evolved quite a bit from its original format as a simple tracker with a start and stop button. The current version of the Fitness app has a little timer icon in the corner of each workout type, under the Workouts tab. Tap that, and you can view and edit custom workouts. Program yourself an interval workout, or a workout of a specific length. You can do this most easily from your phone\u2014Apple has instructions here<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Use your Apple Watch to race yourself<\/em><\/h2>\n

If you run or bike the same route often, try the Race Route<\/u><\/a> feature. Routes are automatically generated after you do the same run twice. On the Watch itself, go to the Workout<\/strong> app and choose a Run<\/strong> or Cycle<\/strong> workout, then tap the timer icon to bring up options including race routes. You can choose to race your personal best time on that route, or just your last workout on that route. During the activity, you\u2019ll see whether you\u2019re keeping pace with that previous workout.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n


\n What do you think so far?
\n