On Apple Watch, open Workout, choose a workout type, tap Goals → Custom → Add, then build your intervals and tap Create Workout. You can also create a custom workout in the Fitness app on iPhone if your paired Apple Watch runs watchOS 26 or later.
A custom workout is a structured session—such as a warmup, repeated work and recovery intervals, and a cooldown—not a weekly calendar plan or a prescription for individual strength exercises.
What an Apple Watch custom workout can do
A custom workout organizes one session within a workout type such as Outdoor Run or Cycling. Its segments can use time, distance, or an open-ended goal; Apple also documents calorie goals and alerts among the workout options. Depending on the activity, you can add a warmup, work intervals, recovery intervals, and a cooldown, then give the saved workout a name. Options vary by workout type.
This is useful for repeatable run/walk sessions, distance repeats, cycling intervals, and time-based HIIT. It is different from setting one simple goal, such as a 30-minute workout: a custom workout can combine multiple segments. Apple’s documented builder uses workout goals and intervals; it does not document a way to prescribe a strength circuit exercise by exercise with sets and reps.
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- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Create a custom workout on Apple Watch
- Open the Workout app.
- Turn the Digital Crown to the workout type you want, such as Outdoor Run.
- Tap Goals, then Custom.
- Tap Add. Choose Warmup to set a time, distance, or open-ended warmup.
- Tap Add again and choose Work or Recovery. Set its goal to time, distance, or open.
- Add further work and recovery intervals as needed. Add a cooldown if you want one, and tap the title field to name the workout.
- Tap Create Workout.
Apple requires at least one work or recovery interval before Create Workout becomes available. The watch-based builder supports multiple intervals, but Apple’s documented iPhone interface has the explicit repeat control described below.
Apple documents custom workouts for workout types except Multisport and Open Water Swim. The exact choices within the builder depend on the selected activity.
Source: Apple Watch User Guide: Create a custom workout.
Create a custom workout in Fitness on iPhone
Apple’s iPhone instructions require a paired Apple Watch running watchOS 26 or later. Workouts created in Fitness sync automatically to the watch.
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- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
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- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
- Open the Fitness app on iPhone and tap Workout.
- Scroll to the workout type, tap Goals, then tap Custom.
- Tap Add and add or edit the warmup, work, recovery, and cooldown steps.
- Use Add Step to insert a work or recovery interval. Use Add Repeat to repeat an interval.
- Use Reorder to change the sequence. To remove an interval, tap it and choose Delete Interval.
- Tap New Custom Workout to name it.
The larger screen and the explicit repeat and reorder controls make iPhone convenient for longer interval sequences; creating the workout on iPhone is not required.
Source: Apple iPhone User Guide: Create a custom workout.
Example workouts to build
Run/walk intervals
- Workout type: Outdoor Run
- Warmup: 5 minutes
- Work: 3 minutes; recovery: 2 minutes
- Repeat that work/recovery pattern six times
- Cooldown: 5 minutes
- Name: Six 3-Minute Intervals
Distance repeats
- Workout type: Outdoor Run
- Warmup: 1 mile
- Work: 400 meters; recovery: 200 meters
- Repeat for the number of intervals you want
- Cooldown: 1 mile
Distance is not available for every activity. Apple gives stationary workouts such as Elliptical and Pilates as examples where it may not be offered.
Open warmup and cooldown around timed intervals
- Workout type: choose the activity you will actually do
- Warmup: Open
- Work: 10 minutes; recovery: 3 minutes
- Cooldown: Open
For a longer timed HIIT session, set the work and recovery durations and add as many intervals as the workout requires. Choose a relevant workout type rather than assuming every activity has identical segment choices.
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- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
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Find, start, and follow a saved workout
Open Workout, choose the same workout type under which you created the session, select the saved custom workout, and start it. For example, a run session should be saved under Outdoor Run or Indoor Run as appropriate. Apple’s general workout-start instructions are in its Apple Watch User Guide.
During a custom workout, turn the Digital Crown to the Up Next workout view. It shows what remains in the current interval and what comes next, so you can follow the structure without reopening the builder.
Sources: Apple Watch User Guide: Custom workouts and Up Next; Apple Watch User Guide: Start a workout.
Add alerts and choose the metrics you see
Workout structure and workout views are separate settings: intervals set the sequence and goals, while views control the information shown during exercise. Apple documents heart-rate alerts for segments such as warmup and cooldown, and workout alerts can be configured from Alerts. For an outdoor run, you can set a target heart-rate range. Alerts are notifications, not a guarantee that you will remain in a particular zone.
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- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
To choose on-screen information, open Workout, turn the Digital Crown to the workout type, and tap Views. Include the views you want; use Edit in the Metrics or Metrics 2 section to change metrics in primary views. To change their order, tap Reorder, then touch and hold a view and drag it. Depending on activity and watch model, available metrics may include heart rate, pace, distance, elevation, running power, splits, segments, vertical oscillation, ground contact time, and stride length.
Source: Apple Watch User Guide: Custom workout goals and alerts; Apple Watch User Guide: Customize workout views.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Edit a saved workout
- Scroll to the workout type and tap the More Options button beside it.
- Tap Custom, then tap Edit on the workout tile.
- Change its warmup, cooldown, or intervals. To remove a warmup or cooldown, change its goal type to Skip.
- To delete a work or recovery interval, swipe left on it and tap Delete.
Editing the saved session lets you change its structure without making another copy.
Source: Apple Watch User Guide: Edit a custom workout.
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- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Why Custom or a goal may be missing
- Unsupported workout type: Apple excludes Multisport and Open Water Swim from custom workouts.
- No distance option: Distance is not offered for every workout type; Apple cites Elliptical and Pilates as examples.
- Create Workout is unavailable: Add at least one Work or Recovery interval first.
- iPhone creation is unavailable: Apple’s Fitness app workflow requires a paired watch running watchOS 26 or later. You can use the watch-based method instead.
- You are looking for a schedule rather than an interval session: Fitness+ Custom Plans organize activities across days and weeks; they are not the Workout app’s interval builder.
Sources: Apple Watch User Guide; Apple iPhone User Guide; Apple Fitness+ User Guide: Create a Custom Plan.
Custom Workout or Fitness+ Custom Plan?
| Feature | Custom Workout | Fitness+ Custom Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Structure one workout session | Schedule workouts across selected days or weeks |
| Where it is created | Workout app on Apple Watch, or Fitness app on a paired iPhone with watchOS 26 or later | Fitness+ in the Fitness app |
| Intervals | Yes: warmup, work, recovery, and cooldown segments | Not primarily; it organizes activities into a plan |
| Instructor-led video | No | Fitness+ workouts are guided sessions |
| Best suited to | Repeatable runs, intervals, and other structured sessions | A planned routine with selected workout days, duration, activity types, trainers, and music preferences |
Sources: Apple Watch User Guide; Apple Fitness+ User Guide.
When a different tool may fit better
Apple’s native builder is suited to goals and intervals, not a fully specified exercise-by-exercise strength program. If you want to record a circuit such as squats, push-ups, and lunges by reps and sets, use a Strength, Functional Strength Training, HIIT, or Other workout while following a separate routine, or consider a dedicated app. Check an app’s current compatibility and features before relying on it.
For running, optional tools such as Pacer, Race Route, and Track Detection can complement a custom session; they are not required to create one. Training Load is a separate retrospective feature comparing the intensity and duration of recent workouts with the prior pattern, not a workout designer or safety determination.
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Sources: Apple Watch User Guide: Run with Apple Watch; Apple Watch User Guide: Track your training load.
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