Open the Workout app and tap the plus sign

To add a custom exercise to your Apple Watch, open the Workout app on your watch face. Scroll to the bottom of the list of available workouts and tap the plus sign (+). This takes you to the screen where you can create a new exercise type.

The Workout app comes pre-loaded with common exercises like running, cycling, swimming, and yoga. If the exercise you do regularly isn't listed, creating a custom one lets you track it the same way — with heart rate, calories, and duration.

Key Takeaways

  • Custom exercises are added through the Workout app by tapping the plus sign at the bottom of the workout list.
  • You can name your custom exercise anything you want, and Apple Watch will track heart rate, calories burned, and workout duration.
  • Once created, your custom exercise appears in your Workout app and syncs to the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  • You can delete custom exercises anytime by swiping left on the workout name and tapping the trash icon.

Name your custom exercise

After tapping the plus sign, you'll see a text field where you can type the name of your exercise. Be specific — if you do kickboxing, type "Kickboxing" rather than "Other." The name you enter is what will appear in your Workout app every time you want to use it.

Apple Watch doesn't limit what you can name it. You could create "Yard Work," "Hiking with Dog," "Martial Arts," or any activity that gets your heart rate up. The watch will track the same metrics regardless of the name you choose.

Confirm and start using your new workout

Once you've typed the name, tap the checkmark or "Done" button to save your custom exercise. It now appears in your Workout app list, usually near the bottom, and you can start a workout with it when ready or wait until the next time you're ready to exercise.

When you select your custom workout, the Apple Watch screen shows your heart rate, elapsed time, and calories burned in real time, just like the built-in workouts. You can pause, resume, or end the workout using the on-screen controls.

Find your custom workout data in the Fitness app

After you complete a workout with your custom exercise, the data syncs automatically to the Fitness app on your iPhone. Open Fitness, tap the "Workouts" tab, and you'll see your custom exercise listed with the date, duration, calories, and heart rate data.

Your custom workouts count toward your daily activity rings and weekly totals the same way built-in workouts do. If you track multiple custom exercises, each one appears separately in your history so you can see which activities you do most often.

Edit or remove a custom exercise

If you want to change the name of a custom exercise or delete it entirely, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Find the custom workout in the list, swipe left on it, and you'll see a trash icon. Tap the trash icon to remove it.

Deleting a custom exercise doesn't erase the workouts you've already completed with it — those remain in your Fitness app history. You can recreate the custom exercise anytime with the same name or a different one.

When to create a custom exercise versus using a similar built-in option

Before you create a custom exercise, check whether Apple Watch already has something close. If you do Pilates, for example, the watch has a "Pilates" option. If you do a hybrid activity like "CrossFit," you might use "High Intensity Interval Training" instead of creating a custom one.

The advantage of using a built-in workout is that Apple Watch may have specific tracking optimized for that activity. Custom exercises track the basics — heart rate and calories — but don't have activity-specific features. If an existing workout is close enough to what you do, it's often simpler to use that. Create a custom exercise when nothing in the built-in list matches what you actually do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a custom exercise on my iPhone instead of the watch?

No. Custom exercises can only be created directly on the Apple Watch through the Workout app. You can view and manage your completed workouts in the Fitness app on your iPhone, but you cannot create new custom exercises there.

Will my custom exercise sync to other devices?

Your custom exercise and the workouts you complete with it sync to your iPhone's Fitness app automatically. If you have multiple Apple Watches linked to the same Apple ID, the custom exercise will appear on all of them.

Does a custom exercise track differently than a built-in workout?

Custom exercises track heart rate, calories, and duration the same way built-in workouts do. The main difference is that built-in workouts may have activity-specific features or optimizations that custom exercises don't include.

What happens to my workout history if I delete a custom exercise?

Deleting a custom exercise does not delete any workouts you completed with it. Your past workout data remains in the Fitness app on your iPhone, even after you remove the custom exercise from your Workout app.

Can I rename a custom exercise after I create it?

You cannot rename a custom exercise directly. You would need to delete the old one and create a new custom exercise with the name you want. Past workouts completed with the old name will stay in your history under that original name.