During some Fitness+ workouts you will see an Achievement bar. It shows how you exert yourself compared to others who have done the same workout. In this tip we tell you all about it!
If you have already got Fitness+ working in the Netherlands, you can get started with the workouts. You can choose from different sports, including indoor running and cycling, dancing and strength training. The Achievement Bar (in English: Burn Bar) of Apple Fitness+ tries to motivate you. You can read how it works below. Not yet an Apple Fitness+ subscriber? Read our tip on how to use Apple Fitness+ in the Netherlands.
- Which workouts?
- Performance bar: 5 options
- Disable performance bar
- More info about the Performance Bar
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Fitness+ Achievement bar: for which workouts?
The Achievement bar is not visible for all exercises. These types are:
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
- Running (on treadmill)
- Cycling (on exercise bike)
- Rowing (on a rowing machine)
In total you can do 10 different workout types with Fitness+, but not all of them have such a bar.
< p>With the workouts listed above, you'll see an Achievement Bar, which allows you to compare your efforts with others who have done the same workout. This way it motivates you to go just a little bit faster. The Performance bar takes into account your gender, age and weight so that the comparison is fair. The Performance Bar calculates based on your heart rate and calories burned. If the average performance is higher than others, you score well.
It shows up as a red bar below the other stats after about two minutes of exercise. This is because the Performance bar only shows how you were doing in the last two minutes. Even if you have been busy for 10 minutes, you will only see what you have done since the 8th minute. So if you had a dip, it will soon be settled.
Performance bar: 5 options
There are five options on the Performance bar that let you see how you're doing. Here they are:
- Behind the Pack
- In the Pack
- Middle of the Pack
- Front of the Pack< /li>
- Ahead of the Pack
During the workout, the Performance bar is always visible. It thereby displays the performance in the most recent 2 minutes. At the end you will also see an average. The sensors in the Apple Watch measure all your workout data, such as your heart rate, active and total calories, distance and duration. This data is not only visible on your Apple Watch, but also on your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, so that you can immediately see whether you are exercising enough while watching the workout videos. You can also see your Activity rings with your current progress. If you close one of the activity rings for standing, movement or training, you will see an animation.
Disable Achievement Bar
Apple offers you to disable the Achievement Bar during exercise to switch. You can do this if you don't like competitions or are just starting out. The bar may not be as motivating if you keep showing that you are performing less than the rest, although it is a motivation for others. You can then focus on your own fitness goals and try to beat your own personal scores.
You can also add at a later time turn off the Performance Bar. When starting the workout, tap the square icon at the bottom right.
Then turn off the switch at performance bar.
More information about the Performance Bar in Apple Fitness+
The Performance Bar or Burn Bar measures your so-called metabolic equivalent of task (MET). In fact, this is an indication of physicality, with Apple comparing it to other anonymous users who have previously done the same workout. It calculates your degree of ‘burn’ based on your heart rate.
While doing a cardio-intensive exercise, the Achievement bar moves to the right (good job!) or to the left (you're a bit behind). Because it is compared to people of the same age, gender and weight, it gives a realistic estimate of how fit you actually are. During exercise, the Achievement bar is updated based on the last two minutes.
No contest
Please note that the Achievement Bar is not a live match. So it doesn't compare your workout statistics in real time with others, but looks based on historical data, from people who have done the same workout before. Apple uses anonymous data and does not link to your Apple ID or other personal data. So you don't know who those other people are and others can't trace it back to you either.
It is also not possible to challenge a friend or family member via Fitness+. What you can do is challenge a friend to a competition in the Activity app on the Apple Watch.
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After finishing your workout you can see the Achievement bar with your other stats. You'll also see total distance, time, average heart rate, pace, calories, and more. This depends on the type of sport. The red bar shows you where you stand.
The Apple Fitness+ Performance Bar only works for high-intensity workouts where correct heart rate is important. You need to be in the correct heart rate zone to get the most benefit from the workout. In other sports such as strength training, it is more about performing the exercises correctly and your heart rate counts less.
Heart rate zones
For running, cycling, and other cardio workouts, your target heart rate is usually 70-85% of your maximum heart rate. As a rule of thumb, 220 minus your age is often taken, so for a 30-year-old with a maximum heart rate of 190, the target heart rate zone is between 95 and 162. Fortunately, you don't really have to pay attention to this when exercising with Fitness+. Instructions appear on the screen in which heart rate zone you should be in and the trainer often also tells you, for example, how many revolutions per minute you should make on a bicycle.
For regular workouts, you can also keep track of heart rate zones with the Apple Watch. You can read how that works in our tip.
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