Start the New Year Right With Workouts++

Workouts++ ($4.99) by Cross Forward Consulting, LLC is a workout app that will help you get into shape for your New Year’s resolutions that involve getting more active. If you own an Apple Watch and want something that does more than the default Workouts app, then Workouts++ is definitely one you should check out.

With the new year off to a fairly good start so far, one of my goals is to become more active than before, especially since I have some health issues that require more physical activity. While it can be tough on some days, I have been making much more of an effort to get outside and moving, and I have found that having both my Apple Watch and even Pokémon Go is a great motivator. Even though I’ve been using the standard Workouts app whenever I get my exercise in, I have found it to be a bit lackluster in terms of features, despite getting the job done. So when I heard that the developer of other great health apps like Pedometer++ came out with Workouts++, I had to check it out. Needless to say, this is a great replacement for Apple’s Workouts app if you own an Apple Watch and have been wanting something more robust.

Like the other apps from the developer, Workouts++ is a super simple and barebones looking app. If one did not know any better, they may mistake this as a native Apple app because that’s how basic it looks from the surface. Workouts++ features three different sections that you can switch between on-the-fly: Configure, Workouts, and Stats. Changing the view that you’re in is easy and intuitive, and the app features a nice use of bright colors so that users can easily tell each type of workout apart from each other, as well as see stats clearly. Because there’s nothing too fancy in Workouts++, the app is fast and responsive, even the Watch app itself.

When you first download Workouts++, the first thing you’ll want to do is check out the Configure section, because this is where you can fine tune the app to suit your personal needs. While the app comes with the standard options, such as Indoor Walk, Outdoor Run, Outdoor Cycling, Indoor Other, and more, sometimes that just isn’t enough for what you do. In Configure, you can tap on the “+” button to add your own workout, where you can choose whether it’s indoor or outdoor, and then select the workout type, such as rowing, ellipticals, or even a stepper. You could also tap on “Edit” from the main configure screen to delete or rearrange the order that your workout selections appear in.

The real magic with the Configure section in Workouts++ is the fact that you can tap on individual workout activities to customize the layout that appears on your Apple Watch screen. If you’ve ever changed the layout of your Apple Watch face, then you’ll understand how to configure individual workout screens. Select the one you want, change the name if you need something more exciting, and then tap on the arrows to view different metric layouts that you can pick from. The layouts can range from one giant piece of info up to six different sections that include numbers, time, BPM, and even a graph of your heart rate. As you find a layout that you like, you can change what each metric box contains by tapping on it and choosing what you want it to show. Workouts++ also allows users to change the color of the text that appears on each metric box, and you can configure the strength of the haptics as well. Just being given such flexibility makes Workouts++ worth it for those who are serious about using their watch as a workout tool.

When you do exercises with or without Workouts++, they will show up in the Workouts section. This view lets you see all of your workout history, including those you’ve done through the standard Workouts app and other third-party ones too. The data to be found here is the type of workout, the date, and the timestamp from beginning to end. Tapping a particular workout lets you view a full report of that activity, including duration, heart rate, distance, pace, speed, and graphs to accompany those pieces of data. You can even filter out workouts by type, minimum duration, and change the sorting order if you’d like by tapping on the button in the top right corner. If you are the type of person who likes to check their workout data in order to find ways to improve your previous times or just want to do better in the future, then this section of Workouts++ is invaluable.

For those who like to see their own stats over time, then the Stats screen is what you want. This part of Workouts++ tells you the types of workouts that you’ve done in your device’s lifetime, and shows you bar graphs of the days of the week that you do most of your exercise and the times. It also shows total and average distance and duration for each kind of activity that you’ve done, in case you’ve ever wondered about your own exercise patterns.

I’ve been wanting to become more active for a while now, and Workouts++ is a great companion to have in my journey to become healthier, especially now that it’s a brand new year. I love how easy it is to start a workout from the Apple Watch with Workouts++ (it’s much faster than Apple’s Workouts), and the workout display is simple and easy to read while you exercise. I enjoy having such comprehensive detail about each workout session as well, as it gives me a good overall view of my progress. I think the only improvement that can be made to this no-frills workout app is adding in milliseconds for those who are serious about running, and every second matters in beating their previous times. Other than that, Workouts++ is a solid app for those who want a simple yet robust app for tracking their workout sessions.

I recommend checking out Workouts++ if you are looking for an app for your Apple Watch that offers a better way to track your workouts for this new year. You can find Workouts++ on the App Store for your iPhone and Apple Watch for just $4.99.