Apple has significantly updated its Workout app to show more stats, turning Apple Watch into the best running watch. Users can rotate the Digital Crown to cycle through different views like Heart Rate Zones, Activity Rings, and Power and Elevation. You’ll also have the option to build Custom Workouts complete with work and rest intervals, along with alerts for heart rate, pace, power, and cadence while running.
Brenda Stolyar and Adrienne So for Wired:
If you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is far and away the best fitness tracker. The only downside perhaps (besides the battery life) is that Apple’s health software has historically been somewhat lacking. It’s not uncommon to see Apple Watch users immediately transfer their data to more useful and easily actionable software, like Strava or Nike Run Club. But that could all change with a whole host of new fitness features debuting in WatchOS 9.
If features like measuring stride length and vertical oscillation work as intended, they could easily turn the Apple Watch into the best running watch and best watch for endurance athletes, period.
Anyone who uses an Apple Watch while running will be happy to know that you can now track new metrics like Ground Contact Time, Stride Length, and Vertical Oscillation—all of which can help improve your form. You can add them to your Workout Views, or view them in the Fitness app summary as well as the Health app (the Fitness app is finally available for iPhones as of iOS 16). You’ll also be able to see trends and patterns over time…
Regardless of whether you’re going for an outdoor run or bike ride, you’ll soon be able to challenge yourself against your best or last result. You’ll also receive real-time updates to help motivate you to beat your personal record.
MacDailyNews Take: Amazingly, finally, we’re actually going to use Apple’s Workout app!
As we wrote back in June, “With watchOS 9, we’ll be switching from Strava for Apple’s Workout app for running for the first time.”
The ability to create and follow intervals, running form metrics, and much more in watchOS 9 shows some much needed and appreciated love for runners! — MacDailyNews, June 6, 2022
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