Improving the Apple Watch flow for heavy training
Kevin Thomas
I’m a big fan of Bevel, but I’ve noticed a few spots where the watch app adds some unnecessary friction during a workout. My goal is to make the logging process feel a bit more natural so I can focus more on the lifting and less on the screen.
- The "Play/Pause" Requirement for Sets
• Context: In the middle of a hard workout, it’s very easy to simply forget to hit "Play" before a set. More importantly, when getting into position with heavy dumbbells (like a chest press), it’s physically impossible to reach over and hit a button on your wrist.
• Solution: Give us an optional toggle to turn off the per-set play/pause requirement.
• Benefit: Lifters can stay focused on the weight and just log their reps/weight when the set is finished, ensuring the data is actually captured even during heavy sets.
- Viewing Previous Performance on the Watch
• Context: To stay on track with progressive overload, I need to know what I lifted in my last few sessions. Right now, the watch only shows the current day's template.
• Solution: Show a small snippet of the weight and reps from the last 2 or 3 times I performed that specific exercise directly on the watch.
• Benefit: This provides the immediate context needed to decide on weights for the current session without having to pull out a phone between every set.
- Streamlined Edits for Reps and Weight
• Context: If I need to adjust a number because I'm feeling stronger or weaker than the template suggests, it currently takes too many taps to get through the menus and make the edit.
• Solution: Allow for direct "Tap-to-Edit" on the main logging screen or enable the Digital Crown to scroll the numbers up and down.
• Benefit: It makes logging much faster and less finicky, which is especially helpful when you’re tired or on a short rest timer.
- [Optional Nitpick] Separating Navigation from Active Timers
• Context: Sometimes I just want to "peek" at an upcoming exercise to see what equipment I’ll need. Currently, as soon as I swipe to that exercise, the app starts a live timer for it.
• Solution: Make viewing an exercise "Read-Only" by default. The exercise-specific timer should only trigger once a set is logged or a start button is hit.
• Benefit: This allows for stress-free browsing of the workout list without accidentally triggering tracking for the wrong movement or stopping the current rest timer.