The Fastest Way to Start a Workout on Apple Watch

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Starting a workout is easy on the Apple Watch. All you need to do is open the Workout app and choose the type of workout you’d like to do. But did you know there’s an even faster way? You can start workouts with just your voice. Here’s how.

Why You’ll Love This Tip

• Quickly start a workout without having to open the Workout app.
• Start a workout even if your hands are full.

How to Use Siri on Apple Watch to Start a Workout

Siri is a useful tool on both the Apple Watch and iPhone. You can even instruct Siri to start your workouts for you. For more Apple Watch hidden tricks, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter. Now, here’s how to use Siri on Apple Watch to start a Workout:

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1. First, open the Settings app on your Apple Watch, so that we can make sure Siri is enabled.
   
   
2. Scroll down and tap Siri.
   
   
3. Make sure Listen for “Hey Siri” and/or Press Digital Crown are enabled. You can also enable Raise to Speak if you want. This feature makes it so that you can begin speaking to Siri just by raising your wrist, without having to say “Hey Siri.”
   
   
4. Now, depending on the options you enabled in the previous step, you can simply activate Siri either by saying, “Hey, Siri,” pressing and holding the Digital Crown, or raising your wrist and starting speaking.
5. Then, just say, “Start a workout,” or specify the type of workout you’d like to start (e.g. “Hey, Siri, start an outdoor walk.”)
   
   
6. If you don’t specify the type of workout you want to start, Siri may ask what type of workout you want, or it may just start an "other" workout. I recommend specifying the type of workout when you summon Siri: it's quicker and less likely to lead to confusion.
   
   
7. Say the type of workout and it will start automatically.
   
   

Now, you can quickly start a workout any time you like by simply activating Siri. Raise to Speak can be one of the fastest ways to activate Siri, plus it doesn't trigger other Siri devices within earshot. Next, find out how to get Apple Watch to stop talking.