Apple announces watchOS 11 with a new training mode and live activities
What options does watchOS 11 offer for users who need to take rest days due to sickness or injury?
watchOS 11 offers options for users who need to take rest days due to sickness or injury. Users can now pause their Activity Rings, allowing them to take a break without breaking their streaks. Additionally, users can adjust their Activity Ring goals based on the day of the week, accommodating days where they may have limited time or energy for workouts. These features provide flexibility for users to maintain their fitness goals while also allowing for necessary rest and recovery.
What enhancements have been made to the fitness app in watchOS 11, particularly in terms of customization?
In watchOS 11, the Fitness app has received several enhancements, particularly in terms of customization. Users can now customize the Summary tab in the Fitness app on their iPhone to display the metrics they are most interested in. This includes new metrics for running, hiking, swimming, and mindfulness. Additionally, the Workout app offers more customization options for Pool Swims, allowing users to create custom interval-based workouts with support for sets of work and recovery, and haptics to signal when to move on to the next interval. Furthermore, users can now see their route maps for more workout types, providing them with more information about their outdoor activities3.
What new features does watchOS 11 introduce for athletes and how do they work?
watchOS 11 introduces several new features for athletes, including Training Load, customizable Activity Ring goals, and more detailed workout metrics1.
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Training Load: This feature takes the intensity and duration of workouts over the past 28 days into consideration. It also allows users to include an "effort rating" on a scale of 1 to 10 for workouts. Popular cardio workouts will have an automatically generated effort rating using a combination of personal data and metrics collected from the workout. Users can compare their 7-day training load with their 28-day load to gain insights into whether they should push harder, ease off, or stay at the same rate.
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Customizable Activity Ring goals: Athletes can now adjust their Activity Ring goals based on the day of the week. This allows users to set lower goals on days when they know they might have a hard time fitting in a workout, such as on busy Thursdays.
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More detailed workout metrics: The Workout app will add GPS routes to more workout types, including soccer, American football, Australian football, outdoor hockey, lacrosse, various types of skiing, snowboarding, golf, and outdoor rowing. Users can also create custom pool workouts and view turn-by-turn navigation directly from the Apple Watch in the Maps app, even without a phone.
These features aim to provide athletes with more personalized and comprehensive insights into their fitness and help them better tailor their training routines.