Complete List of Exercise Modes on Your Sports Watch
Smartwatches with workout modes are a great way to track your fitness progress and stay on top of your routine.
In fact, sports modes are essential if you want to track your progress, compare past performance, and improve your performance. However, while sports modes are crucial, deciding on these merits alone is challenging. Often, consumers ask multiple questions that help them determine what brand and device to buy.
With so many different brands and models on the market, how do you decide which one is right for you? In this post, we’ll look at some of the most popular sports watches and their corresponding exercise modes so that you can make an informed decision about which one is best for your needs.
Once you’ve decided that you want a smartwatch with sports modes, the next step is to choose which sports you need on the exercise list. The most popular sports modes are walking, running, cycling, and swimming, and most watches offer them. If you’re a triathlete you should choose carefully as several smartwatches aren’t suitable for that sport.
Exercise Modes on Apple Watch
The Apple Watch has a very long list of sports in addition to a catch-all “Other” mode which can be used if you can’t find a matching workout type. All of those can be found in the Workout function of your Apple Watch.
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Full List of Workout Modes on Apple Watch
- Alpine Skiing
- Archery
- Athletics
- Aussie Rules
- Badminton
- Barre
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Boxing
- Climbing
- Cool Down
- Core Exercise
- Cricket
- Cross Training
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Curling
- Dance
- Disc Sports
- Elliptical
- Equestrian Sports
- Fencing
- Fishing
- Fitness Gaming
- Functional Strength Training
- Golf
- Gridiron
- Gymnastics
- Hand Cycling
- Handball
- High Intensity Interval Training
- Hiking
- Hockey
- Hunting
- Indoor Cycle
- Indoor Run
- Indoor Walk
- Kickboxing
- Lacrosse
- Martial Arts
- Mind & Body
- Mixed Cardio
- Open Water Swim
- Other
- Outdoor Cycle
- Outdoor Run
- Outdoor Walk
- Paddlesports
- Pickleball
- Pilates
- Play
- Pool Swim
- Racquetball
- Rolling
- Rower
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Skating
- Skipping Rope
- Snow Sports
- Snowboarding
- Soccer
- Social Dance
- Softball
- Squash
- Stairs
- Step Training
- Stepper
- Stretching
- Surfing
- Table Tennis
- Tai Chi
- Tennis
- Traditional Strength Training
- Volleyball
- Water Fitness
- Water Polo
- Water Sports
- Wrestling
- Yoga
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Exercise Modes on Fitbit
Fitbit has a more limited list of exercise modes compared to Apple, Galaxy and Garmin Watches. It makes little difference, given Fitbit watches and bands have a catch-all “Workout” exercise mode that you can use for any sport not specifically listed. The catch-all mode will track duration, calories burnt and heart rate statistics.
Full List of Exercise Modes on Fitbit
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- Bike
- Bootcamp
- Circuit training
- Elliptical
- Golf
- Hike
- Interval workout
- Kickboxing
- Martial arts
- Outdoor workout
- Pilates
- Run
- Spinning
- Stair climber
- Swim
- Tennis
- Treadmill
- Walk
- Weights
- Workout
- Yoga
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Exercise Modes on Samsung Watches
The Samsung Galaxy Watch workout modes cover most sports. By way of comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 exercise list includes over 90+ exercises, more than double that of other popular smartwatches.
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Full List of Workout Modes on Samsung Galaxy Watches
- Aerobics
- Alpine skiing
- American football
- Aquarobics
- Archery
- Arm curls
- Arm extensions
- Back extensions
- Backpacking
- Badminton
- Ballet
- Ballroom dancing
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Beach volleyball
- Bench press
- Billiards
- Bowling
- Boxing
- Burpee
- Canoeing
- Circuit training
- Cricket
- Cross-country skiing
- Crunches
- Cycling
- Dancing
- Deadlifts
- Elliptical trainer
- Exercise bike
- Flying disc
- Football
- Front raises
- Golf
- Handball
- Hang gliding
- Hiking
- Hockey
- Horseback riding
- Hula-hooping
- Ice dancing
- Ice hockey
- Ice skating
- Inline skating
- Jump rope
- Jumping Jacks
- Kayaking
- Kitesurfing
- Lat pull-downs
- Lateral raises
- Leg curls
- Leg extensions
- Leg presses
- Leg raises
- Lunges
- Martial arts
- Mountain biking
- Mountain climbers
- Orienteering
- Pilates
- Plank
- Pull-ups (Chin-up)
- Push-ups (Press-ups)
- Racquetball
- Rafting
- Rock climbing
- Roller skating
- Rowing machine
- Rowing machine
- Rugby
- Running
- Sailing
- Scuba diving
- Shoulder presses
- Sit-ups
- Skiing
- Snorkeling
- Snowboarding
- Snowshoeing
- Softball
- Squash
- Squats
- Step machine
- Stretching
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Tai chi
- Tennis
- Treadmill
- Volleyball
- Water skiing
- Walking
- Weight machine
- Windsurfing
- Yachting
- Yoga
Full List of Workout Modes on Samsung Gear Fit Watches
- Crunches
- Cycling
- Elliptical Trainer
- Exercise Bike
- Hiking
- Lunges
- Other Workout
- Pilates
- Rowing Machine
- Running
- Squats
- Star Jumps
- Step Machine
- Swimming
- Treadmill
- Walking
- Yoga
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Activity Profiles on Garmin Watches
Garmin makes bespoke watches and the sports profile list varies from one series to another. This section lists the sports profiles available on some of the popular Garmin watches.
Full List of Activity Profiles on Garmin Fenix 6
- Aerobics
- Alpine skiing
- American football
- Aquarobics
- Archery
- Arm curls
- Arm extensions
- Back extensions
- Backpacking
- Badminton
- Ballet
- Ballroom dancing
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Beach volleyball
- Bench press
- Billiards
- Bowling
- Boxing
- Burpee
- Canoeing
- Circuit training
- Cricket
- Cross-country skiing
- Crunches
- Cycling
- Dancing
- Deadlifts
- Elliptical trainer
- Exercise bike
- Flying disc
- Football
- Front raises
- Golf
- Handball
- Hang gliding
- Hiking
- Hockey
- Horseback riding
- Hula-hooping
- Ice dancing
- Ice hockey
- Ice skating
- Inline skating
- Jump rope
- Jumping Jacks
- Kayaking
- Kitesurfing
- Lat pull-downs
- Lateral raises
- Leg curls
- Leg extensions
- Leg presses
- Leg raises
- Lunges
- Martial arts
- Mountain biking
- Mountain climbers
- Orienteering
- Pilates
- Plank
- Pull-ups (Chin-up)
- Push-ups (Press-ups)
- Racquetball
- Rafting
- Rock climbing
- Roller skating
- Rowing
- Rowing machine
- Rugby
- Running
- Sailing
- Scuba diving
- Shoulder presses
- Sit-ups
- Skiing
- Snorkeling
- Snowboarding
- Snowshoeing
- Softball
- Squash
- Squats
- Step machine
- Stretching
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Tai chi
- Tennis
- Treadmill
- Volleyball
- Water skiing
- Walking
- Weight machine
- Windsurfing
- Yachting
- Yoga
Full List of Activity Profiles on Garmin Forerunner 245
- Bike
- Bike Indoor
- Breathwork
- Cardio
- Elliptical
- Other
- Pilates
- Pool Swim
- Row Indoor
- Run
- Stair Stepper
- Strength
- Track Run
- Trail Run
- Treadmill
- Virtual Run
- Walk
- Yoga
Full List of Activity Profiles on Garmin Forerunner 945
- Backcountry Ski
- Bike
- Bike Commute
- Bike Indoor
- Bike Tour
- Bouldering
- Breathwork
- Cardio
- Climb
- Climbing Indoor
- Clocks
- Cyclocross
- Ebike
- eMTB
- Elliptical
- Floor Climb
- Golf
- Gravel Bike
- HIIT
- Hiking
- HRV Stress
- Indoor Track
- Kayak
- MTB
- Multisport
- Navigate
- Open Water
- Other
- Paddleball
- Pickleball
- Pilates
- Pool Swim
- Project Waypoint
- Road bike
- Row
- Row indoor
- Run
- Ski
- Snowboard
- Snowshoe
- Stair Stepper
- Strength
- SUP
- Swim-Run
- Tennis
- Track Me
- Track Run
- Trail Run
- Treadmill
- Triathlon
- TruSwing
- Ultra Run
- Virtual Run
- Walk
- Walk Indoor
- XC Classic Ski
- XC Ski Skate
- Yoga
Full List of Activity Profiles on Garmin Forerunner 955
- Backcountry Ski
- Bike
- Bike Commute
- Bike Indoor
- Bike Tour
- Bouldering
- Breathwork
- Cardio
- Climb
- Climbing Indoor
- Clocks
- Cyclocross
- Ebike
- eMTB
- Elliptical
- Floor Climb
- Golf
- Gravel Bike
- Health Snapshot
- HIIT
- Hiking
- Indoor Track
- Kayak
- MTB
- Multisport
- Navigate
- Open Water
- Other
- Paddleball
- Pickleball
- Pilates
- Pool Swim
- Project Waypoint
- Road bike
- Row
- Row indoor
- Run
- Ski
- Snowboard
- Snowshoe
- Stair Stepper
- Strength
- SUP
- Swim-Run
- Tennis
- Track Me
- Track Run
- Trail Run
- Treadmill
- Triathlon
- Ultra Run
- Virtual Run
- Walk
- Walk Indoor
- XC Classic Ski
- XC Ski Skate
- Yoga
Full List of Activity Profiles on Garmin Venu
- Bike
- Bike Indoor
- Breathwork
- Cardio
- Elliptical
- Floor climb
- Golf
- Indoor biking
- Indoor rowing
- Indoor track
- Pilates
- Row
- Row indoor
- Run
- Ski
- Snowboard
- Stand-up paddleboard
- Stair stepper
- Strength
- Swimming in a pool
- Treadmill
- Walk
- Walk indoor
- XC ski
- Yoga
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Frequently Asked Questions on
Watches Sports Modes
An auto-detect mode is a feature that automatically detects when you start exercising and starts tracking your progress. Most brands of smartwatches offer some version of this in their software.
Does Apple Watch Have Auto Detect Modes?
Apple Watch has nine auto-detect modes: indoor walk, outdoor walk, indoor run, outdoor run, outdoor cycling, elliptical, rower, pool swim, and open water swim. When an Apple Watch prompts you to record an auto-detected workout, it will record it from the start of the workout and you will get (retroactive) credits and stats from the time your workout started.
Similarly, Apple Watch is able to auto-detect that you have finished a workout and will prompt you to end the recording. This generally takes a few minutes and the exact time it takes varies by workout mode. The recording ends from the time you click “End Workout”, not retrospectively.
Should You Calibrate Your Apple Watch?
Calibrating your Apple Watch will improve the accuracy of readings such as pace, distance and burnt calories, and help your get more precise estimates when GPS signal is weak or unavailable.
The Apple Watch knows how to calibrate itself. To speed things up, it is recommended that you fill out your weight, height, gender and age information in the Apple Watch app under Health Profile. Next, go for a walk or run – it will take 20 minutes for the Apple Watch to calibrate itself. You can complete the 20 minutes in any number of sessions you want. The way the Apple Watch calibrates itself is by collecting data on your stride length at various speeds.
Do All Apple Watches Have The Same Workout Modes?
So far, all Apple Watches have the same list of exercise modes. The list of workout modes is the same on the Apple Watch Series 7, Series 6, SE, Series 5, Series 4, Series 3, Series 2 and Series 1.
However, the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 devices are not equipped to track as many variables during an exercise. For example, Apple did not add an altimeter onboard the Apple Watch until it released Series 3, meaning Series 1 and 2 can’t track your elevation. Using those Series, you’ll have to bring your phone along to collect elevation data during your workout.
Similarly, Apple Watch Series 1 doesn’t have an in-built GPS and isn’t as flexible as later Series in terms of measuring distance and pace. Your two options are to bring along your phone or let the watch’s built-on accelerometer estimate these variables.
Does Fitbit Have Exercise Auto Detection?
Yes. Fitbit devices are able to automatically detect a number of specific activities: walking, running, cycling (outdoor), elliptical, swimming, and some other sports and aerobic workouts.
There are two major disadvantages to letting Fitbit automatically detect your workout. The first one is that auto-recognized workouts are not GPS-tracked. This is an issue for running and biking where distance and pace are two important metrics. You’re better off starting to track your runs and rides using the designated modes. The other drawback is that it can take up to 15 minutes for Fitbit to recognize you are doing a workout.
Do All Fitbit Devices Have The Same Exercise Modes?
So far, all Fitbits – old and new – have the same 20 exercise modes. However, some series limit the number of exercise modes you can see on the watch. For instance, Fitbit Charge devices will show a maximum of six exercises on the watch. You can customize which six exercise modes to include in your shortcut list, and change them on-demand from the Fitbit app on your phone. Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Ionic devices display all 20 exercise modes.
