Consistency and planning are key factors in achieving fitness goals. Apple recognizes this and with the release of iOS 17 and watchOS 10, it has introduced a feature that allows users to create custom Apple Fitness+ plans. These plans can span up to two months and help users schedule their fitness routines more effectively.
Apple has been progressively enhancing its fitness offerings, starting with watchOS 9’s custom workout creation feature. Now, with iOS 17 and watchOS 10, the company is taking it a step further by providing a tool within the Apple Fitness app that enables users to proactively design weekly and monthly fitness plans.
This feature offers users the ability to choose the days of the week they want to work out, the duration of each session, the number of weeks the plan should cover, preferred activity types, instructors, music, body focus, and more.
Notably, while watchOS 10 supports this feature, it’s worth mentioning that Apple opened up Fitness+ to work without requiring an Apple Watch starting in the fall of 2022, making it accessible to users with just an iPad, iPhone, or Apple TV.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create custom Apple Fitness+ plans:
- Access the Fitness App: Ensure you’re running iOS 17, then open the Apple Fitness app on your iPhone or iPad. Head to the Fitness+ tab.
- Build Your Plan: Look for the “Custom Plans” tile near the top and tap on “Build Your Plan.”
- Set Parameters: Choose your desired weekly schedule, the daily workout duration, and the number of weeks your plan should run.
- Activity Selection: Select the activity types you want to include in your plan and proceed to review it.
- Fine-tune Details: Customize your plan by adding workouts to specific days, selecting preferred trainers, and choosing music genres. You can also modify equipment and body focus for each workout.
- Create Your Plan: Once you’re satisfied with your selections, tap “Create Plan.”
The created plan will be visible in the main Fitness+ tab of the app, positioned just below the “This Week” feature. Each day of the plan will have a prominent green “Let’s Go” button for easy access.
As of now, there doesn’t appear to be an automatic integration with the native Calendar app. However, this feature might be added in the future.
It’s important to note that users seem to be limited to having one custom plan at a time. Once a plan ends or is canceled, you can find the “Custom Plans” section at the bottom of the Fitness+ tab. From here, you can create new plans or review past ones.
Apple’s introduction of custom Fitness+ plans demonstrates its commitment to providing users with more tailored and flexible fitness solutions. This feature empowers individuals to take control of their fitness journeys by personalizing their workout schedules and preferences. As users continue to explore and utilize this feature, its impact on their fitness routines and results will become clearer over time.
