In case you’re an Apple Watch-wearing gymgoer, you may be annoyed on the restricted steerage Apple Watch’s native Exercise app can provide you. The greatest Apple Watches, like most smartwatches, excel in recording GPS-trackable out of doors exercises similar to runs, swims, biking, monitoring strokes for swims, superior operating stats, and watchOS 10 may even flip your iPhone right into a working bike laptop. However gymgoers are restricted to some fundamental metrics, similar to time, coronary heart fee, and energy burned.
One answer right here is Smartgym, a third-party app that was voted the Apple Watch’s App of the 12 months for 2023. It’s an app that lets you select from pre-generated exercises or your individual, primarily based on parameters such because the muscle teams you wish to work, the tools you’ve got entry to, and the way lengthy you wish to work out for.
Beneath, we’ll present you tips on how to use the Smartgym app in your iPhone and Apple Watch, and tips on how to get probably the most out of it.
The right way to get Smartgym in your iPhone and Apple Watch
Go to the App Retailer in your iPhone operating iOS 12 or later, or your Watch with watchOS 6 or later, and obtain the Smartgym app. As normal with most trendy health apps, to get the complete advantages of Smartgym you’ll must subscribe to its Premium tier. The free model of Smartgym solely permits you entry to 2 routines and a handful of metrics, making it just about ineffective for something apart from a free trial.
Smartgym prices $9.99 per thirty days if you happen to select to pay month-to-month, or $59.99 if you happen to select an annual subscription, with household plans out there. The annual subscription is clearly higher worth if you happen to intend to make use of Smartgym recurrently, however if you happen to’re solely intending to make use of it to generate a couple of routines for 3 months or so earlier than going your individual manner, chances are you’ll wish to subscribe month-to-month.
Why use Smartgym over the free Exercise app?
Smartgym, and different third-party apps prefer it similar to Stronglifts, are targeted round understanding at residence or within the health club. Just like the Exercise app, it lets you file exercises you’ve got accomplished, however Smartgym could be very granular: it boasts a large library of workouts similar to push-ups (and plenty of variations thereof), bench press, dumbbell press, lateral raises with dumbbells… you get the thought. Every train is categorized primarily based on the muscle groups that this train targets and the tools you want to personal or use, similar to barbells or dumbbells.
Categorizing each train like this lets you simply discover pre-generated exercises or create your individual utilizing these filters. Smartgym additionally has a ready-made interface so that you can file how a lot weight you utilize for every train. With a little bit little bit of admin in your half and manually tapping within the weight lifted, it’ll showcase graphs of your progress as you enhance, lifting heavier weights for extra reps.
As you get stronger, it reveals you graphs of corresponding statistics, similar to a possible one-rep max carry, and the way that adjustments. In addition to particular person train progress, you’ll get a Routine Progress and a Month-to-month Abstract, out there on the Historical past tab. You’ll additionally see a Muscle Fatigue software, to calculate how a lot you’ll tax your physique with a selected exercise.
Sadly, there’s no method to file the weights you utilize robotically, which might be a problem for any app. It’s not as straightforward as going for a run within the Apple Watch’s native Exercise app, in which you’ll be able to simply begin a exercise and your watch does all of the admin for you, together with monitoring your tempo and time, and many others. Sooner or later, both earlier than the exercise or after your set, you’ll should manually enter the weights or rep counts in order for you an entire file.
Nevertheless, it gives a wonderful framework to construction and hold correct information of your private home and health club exercises, much more so than the free exercise app.
The right way to use the Smartgym Apple Watch app
Smartgym works by having you create routines within the iPhone app, both manually by selecting workouts from the app’s library of choices or by having the app choose them for you utilizing its SmartTrainer software. Upon getting designed a program, you then export it to your Apple Watch, permitting you to comply with every transfer in your wrist with out opening your cellphone to verify what train is subsequent or file your progress.
First, guarantee you’ve got downloaded Smartgym on each your iPhone and Apple Watch, head again to your iPhone, and comply with the onscreen directions for setup. Make sure you authorize Smartgym to have the ability to use your well being information, by hitting the “sure” choice when the immediate seems.
Throughout setup, you’ll be requested in your measurements, how typically you wish to train every week, what tools you’ve got entry to, the period of your classes, and what your targets are (power, muscle endurance, HIIT, or hypertrophy). The app will provide to create routines for you utilizing its SmartTrainer software, or let you create your individual.
As soon as executed, you’ll be taken to the house web page, the place you’ll be supplied with a choice of pattern routines assigned to the times you picked throughout setup. Ours had been known as A1, B1, and C1, and assigned to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Now, whenever you open the Apple Watch app by tapping on the inexperienced Smartgym icon, you’ll be confronted with a Begin Exercise icon and your preselected routines. You possibly can then start as we speak’s routine by hitting the Begin Exercise icon.
You’ll be capable of view your routines in full (alongside together with your exercise historical past and measurements) and edit every train’s units and lifted by tapping on the icon for that specific train. This lets you entry your exercise in a extra granular manner, even if you happen to don’t have your cellphone on you: if you happen to determine to deviate out of your plan within the health club, you’ll be able to faucet on the train and faucet on the Log Completely different Units icon.
Over time, with a premium subscription, the SmartTrainer software learns about your exercises and might auto-generate new routines primarily based in your preferences and your current exercise historical past. It’s rather a lot like Garmin’s expertise, which recommends operating exercises primarily based in your historic efficiency, however extra gym-focused.
Smartgym’s free model solely lets you train for 10 classes earlier than it’s important to pay for a premium membership. This implies you’ll have loads of alternative to strive the app out to see if it’s for you. If not, you would possibly desire to strive a distinct app, similar to Fitbod or Stronglifts, and even merely go old skool, seize routines on-line, and file your progress in your Notes app.