One of the new features that came out with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 was the ability to create custom Apple Fitness+ workout plans, and that feature continues to be a popular one with iOS 18. Custom workouts have been available in the Workout app since watchOS 9, but these features take it to new levels. You can now schedule monthly or weekly fitness routines, select the days of the week you plan to exercise, the planned duration of each workout, what activity type, the instructor, what music you want, and so much more.
Naturally, you’ll first need an iPhone, like the iPhone 15 Pro Max loaded with at least iOS 17, or an iPad with at least iPadOS 17, and a subscription to Apple Fitness+. You can also use an Apple Watch, but the service is available without one as well. With those things ready, you can get started.
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Creating a custom Apple Fitness+ plan on your iPhone or iPad
Note that the process is the same for an iPhone and iPad, but I have used an iPhone for illustrative purposes here.
- Open the Fitness app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Select the Fitness+ tab.
- You’ll see an option that says Build a Custom Plan. Select Build a Plan.
- Select the days of the week you want to follow this plan.
- Select the Total Time Per Day, from 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes. (I added a 10-minute kickboxing workout to every regular workout I do each day.)
- Select the Length of Planchoosing from 2 through 8 weeks. You could always repeat it, if you want it to be ongoing for longer than two months.
- Scroll down and select the Activity Type (you can select multiple if you plan to do a mixed workout).
- There are 12 options in total, and you should be able to find the one you want, or at least something close to it. For example, if you’re running, you could select Treadmill. If you’re lifting weights with some stretching mixed in, select Strength.
- Tap Review Plan.
- From there, you can change the Start date if desired. I changed it to tomorrow in this example.
- If you want to add a second workout, you can do that here as well.
- You can add a trainer preference, as long as they offer a workout in the category you selected; tap Update to confirm.
- You can also select the music genre type you prefer from what’s available with the specific workout type you have chosen. Select Update once that’s done.
- Select Create Plan.
When you visit the Fitness+ app, you’ll see Your Plan and can tap View Plan to see what’s coming up for the week. Whatever workout is on tap for each day will also appear on the main Fitness+ homepage when you select the tab.
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Select My Library from the tab at the top (scroll down to the very bottom of the main page if you’re using iOS 17 or earlier), and you’ll see Custom Plans as one of the options, where all the plans you have created thus far will appear. You can also renew active plans and see where you are in terms of progress towards completion.
What else to know about custom workout plans and Stacks
It appears that you can only create a single custom plan at a time, so you need to end the current plan if you want to start a new one so they don’t overlap. But as noted, they are saved under the Custom Plans menu, so you can go back at any time to restart an old one if desired. Note that you can alternate days if you want to do kickboxing three times a week and strength training three times a week, then take two days off, for example, within the same plan.
While you seemingly can’t access the Custom Workout Plan right from the Watch itself, you can use the Stacks feature, which debuted in watchOS 10, to select multiple workouts, meditations, and exercise types that you want to do back-to-back as an alternative. This allows you to seamlessly shift from one workout to the next without having to pause in between. For example, you can begin with a five-minute stretch, followed by a 20-minute strength training workout, a five-minute core exercise, then end with a short yoga session.
To set up a workout Stack, select a workout you want to start with, tap the three dots at the top right, and scroll down to Add to Stack. Repeat this for each workout you want to add. The Stack will then be accessible as a folder icon at the top of the Fitness+ homepage. Tap it and initiate a workout with all the exercises you selected on your watch. They will play back-to-back until done.
With watchOS 11, the Smart Stack can suggest widgets based on the time, date, location, and daily routines. So you might find that it becomes more intelligently linked with your daily workout plans. For example, if there’s a thunderstorm coming, you’ll see this in the severe weather alert widget, so you’ll know to stick with the treadmill instead of an outdoor run.
watchOS 11 updates to note
Image via Apple
While watchOS 11 doesn’t change anything in terms of custom workout plans, there are a few features of note that will relate to them. For example, you can now pause your Activity Rings for a day, week, even month as needed. That might be for rest days, injuries, illness, or vacation. Your Custom Plan will still elapse as usual, but you can restart it once you’re ready to get going again. You can also customize the Activity Ring goals by day of the week, so you can set this in sync with your Custom Plan. On the days you’re doing cardio, for example, you might set a goal for 500 calories, while the days you do yoga you could set 400.
You’ll also notice an update to the look and feel of the Apple Fitness+ app with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, as well as through tvOS 18. The refreshed, new look includes the For You, Explore, and Library tabs, which are more easily accessible directly from the top of the page. These updates will help motivate you to get things done, making the app overall easier to navigate.
Set a workout that’s right for you
As someone who works out daily and uses the Apple Fitness+ app (and others), I love the option to Stack workouts so they run seamlessly, one after another, when I want to do a few different types for cardio, strength training, and core. The Custom Workout Plan option, meanwhile, is great for when you’re not following a set workout program and want to create your own goals. Waking up and knowing exactly what you’ll be doing each day can be helpful when trying to stick with a routine. Both options mark a great move in the right direction for Apple when it comes to offering enhanced fitness features for users.