Workouts and exercises on Fitbit: A practical how-to guide

Fitbit smartwatches and trackers are little powerhouses for those looking to improve their health and fitness levels. These devices track several activities, from running to swimming (if your Fitbit is waterproof) and beyond, and provide solid guidance and analysis post-workout. But how do you track exercise and activities on a Fitbit device? We explore the steps below, including additional information and tips to help you get the most out of Fitbit’s exercise tracking features.

How to start a workout on your Fitbit

Your Fitbit tracker can monitor your workout progress for various activities using its Exercise app. Initiating a workout differs slightly from tracker to tracker, but we’ve included instructions for all the major devices in the Fitbit lineup below.

See also: The best Fitbit smartwatches and trackers

Fitbit Sense and Versa 3

1. From the home screen, swipe left until you see the Exercise app. Tap it to open it.
2. Scroll through the exercise shortcuts and tap one to begin it.
3. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access exercise settings and adjust exercise goals.
4. Tap the play icon to begin your workout.

After initiating an exercise, the Versa 3 and Sense feature a nifty three-second countdown feature. Additionally, you may see a “connecting” dialog on the screen before starting some workouts. This is the watch attempting to lock on to a GPS signal. There’s no need to wait for the devices to connect to GPS, but we recommend that you do.

Our verdict: Fitbit Sense review | Fitbit Versa 3 review

Fitbit Versa 2, Versa, and Versa Lite

1. From the home screen, swipe left until your see the Exercise app. Tap it to open it.
2. Scroll through the exercise shortcuts and tap one to begin it. Tap More if your exercise isn’t listed.
3. Tap the Goal button to set a goal. You can choose between Active Zone Minutes, Distance, Time, or Calories.
4. Tap the Gear icon in the top-right of the screen to adjust more settings, including Show Laps, Zone Notifications, etc.
5. Tap Start to begin the workout.

Notably, you’ll need to have your phone on hand for some workouts if you own a Fitbit Versa 2, Versa, or Versa Lite, as these three devices feature connected GPS support.

Fitbit Charge 5 and Luxe

1. Swipe left or right from the home screen until you reach the Exercise app. Swipe up to open it and browse through the available exercises.
2. Tap an exercise to select it.
   • You can also swipe up to access additional settings on this screen, including GPS and Heart Rate Zone Alerts.
3. Tap the play icon to begin the workout.

See also: Fitbit Charge 5 review

Fitbit Charge 4

1. Swipe left or right from the home screen until you reach the Exercise app. Tap it to open it.
2. Swipe right to browse exercises and tap to select one.
   • You can also swipe up to access additional settings, including GPS and Heart Rate Zone Alerts.
3. Tap Set Goal to adjust your exercise goals (Distance, Time, Calories, Zone Minutes), or tap Start to access the workout’s start screen.
4. Tap the play button to begin the workout.

Fitbit Inspire 2

1. Swipe right from the clock until you reach the Exercise app. Tap it to open it.
2. Swipe right to browse exercises, and tap on one to select it.
3. Tap the play icon to begin an exercise.

Which exercises can my Fitbit track?

Fitbit’s exercise app tracks more than 20 activities. The full list is as follows:

While Fitbit recommends choosing an activity that best suits your planned workout, you can also select the catch-all Workout option for general activities.

See also: The best workout apps and exercise apps for Android

How to activate automatic exercise tracking

We’re forgetful creatures, so, understandably, sometimes you may forget to activate a walk or running exercise. However, most Fitbit smartwatches and trackers can automatically track some activities even if you forgot to select that exercise on your device.

The Fitbit Sense, Versa series, Charge 5, and Charge 4 open the Exercise app automatically if they detect running activity.

To adjust which exercises are automatically tracked:

1. Open the Fitbit app on your phone.
2. Scroll down to the Exercise tile, and tap it.
3. Tap the Gear icon in the top right of the display.
4. Here you can adjust auto-recognition settings for each workout. Here, you can also change the amount of time before an exercise is automatically recognized.

Activities automatically tracked by Fitbit devices include:

How to customize your Fitbit exercise shortcuts

Fitbit’s trackers can monitor more than 20 exercise activities, but it’s unlikely you’ll need to have them all readily available. That’s why Fitbit lets users add up to seven exercises to a shortcuts list on some devices.

To customize your Fitbit exercise options:

1. Open the Fitbit app on your phone.
2. Tap the Today tab.
3. Tap your profile picture, then select your device.
4. Tap the Exercise Shortcuts option.
5. Finally, tap the + icon at the top-right of the screen to add exercises to your shortcuts list. You can also remove exercises you down need by swiping left on that shortcut and tapping Delete.

Organizing your exercise shortcuts will make finding and initiating your commonly used workouts easier and quicker.

Notably, the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3 do not feature this option, as these devices do not have a shortcuts list. Newer Fitbit Versa models also list all exercises within the Exercise app.

See also: The most common Fitbit problems and how to fix them

FAQs