Planet Fitness Apple Watch workout: strength sessions on your wrist
Published November 7, 2026
At Planet Fitness, an Apple Watch pairs with cardio machines that show "Connects to Apple Watch": turn on Detect Gym Equipment in the Watch's Workout settings and hold the Watch to the reader. Planet Fitness pulled its own Watch app in February 2024, and Apple lists only cardio equipment for pairing, so for weights run the session in a lifting app on the Watch: log the stack number, reps and reps in reserve, and RIRLift saves it to Apple Health as Traditional Strength Training. Below: a 30-minute machine session, a three-day dumbbell and machine plan, and a plate-loaded leg day.
- Machine Chest Press Chest
- Lat Pulldown Lats
- Leg Press Quads, Glutes
- Incline Dumbbell Press Chest
- Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes
- Seated Cable Row Upper Back, Lats
- Single-Arm High Row Upper Back, Lats
Put them together: example sessions
Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.
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Session 1
30 minutes, pin-loaded machines only
You have half an hour, and want to walk from machine to machine without loading a plate or waiting for a bench.
3× a week · 54 sets a week · ~25 min
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Session 2
Three days a week, dumbbells and machines
You go three times a week and want a plan that builds strength with the club's dumbbells, adjustable benches and a few machines.
3× a week · 36 sets a week · ~30 min
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Session 3
Leg and back day on the plate-loaded machines
You want one heavier day a week than the pin stacks give you, on the machines where you load plates.
1× a week · 12 sets a week · ~35 min
Session 1
30 minutes, pin-loaded machines only
- Workouts3× a week
- Working sets54 a week
- Per workout~25 min
- EquipmentChest Press, Lat Pulldown, Seated Leg Curl, Leg Extension +2
You have half an hour, and want to walk from machine to machine without loading a plate or waiting for a bench.
Three supersets pair machines that sit near each other: press with pulldown, leg curl with leg extension, shoulder press with row. One rest covers two sets, so 18 working sets fit in about 30 minutes.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Machine Chest Press | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 75 s |
| A2 Lat Pulldown | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 75 s |
| B1 Seated Leg Curl | 3 × 10–15 | 2 | 75 s |
| B2 Leg Extension | 3 × 10–15 | 2 | 75 s |
| C1 Machine Shoulder Press | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 75 s |
| C2 Seated Cable Row | 3 × 10–12 | 2 | 75 s |
- How to run it
- Import it, save it, and switch to it in My Programs; only the active program's routines reach the Watch. Run it two or three times a week. On the Watch a superset reads "Superset 1 of 2 · Round 1 of 3": log the first machine, walk to the second, log it, and the rest timer starts after the pair.
- How to progress
- Each machine moves on its own, in 10 lb steps on the stack. Shoulder press at 60 lb for 12, 12, 12 tops 8 to 12 on every set, so the next session opens at 70 lb for 8. Pulldown at 90 lb, target 10: you log 12, 10, 10, the weakest set hit 10, so the stack stays at 90 lb and the target goes to 11.
Session 2
Three days a week, dumbbells and machines
- Workouts3× a week
- Working sets36 a week
- Per workout~30 min
- EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench, Assisted Machine
You go three times a week and want a plan that builds strength with the club's dumbbells, adjustable benches and a few machines.
Two full-body days alternate: a squat, incline press, row and raise; then a hinge, overhead press, assisted pull-up and lunge. 12 working sets each, with longer rests on the first two lifts so they can stay heavy.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblet Squat | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 2 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 2 min |
| One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 75 s |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 × 12–15 | 1 | 1 min |
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 2 min |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 90 s |
| Assisted Pull-Up | 3 × 6–10 | 2 | 90 s |
| Dumbbell Reverse LungePer leg. | 3 × 8–10 | 2 | 75 s |
- How to run it
- Alternate A and B, three days a week: A, B, A one week and B, A, B the next. Add your club as a gym in RIRLift and pick it when you start: if it is missing a piece the routine needs, the Watch offers replacements before the session starts, and Remember at this gym keeps the choice.
- How to progress
- Dumbbells are logged per hand and move in 5 lb steps. Incline press with 40 lb dumbbells, target 10: you log 12, 11, 10, the weakest set hit 10, so the dumbbells stay and the next target is 11. Log 12, 12, 12 and the next session opens at 45 lb for 8.
Session 3
Leg and back day on the plate-loaded machines
- Workouts1× a week
- Working sets12 a week
- Per workout~35 min
- EquipmentLeg Press, Seated Row Machine, Seated Leg Curl, Hip Abductor
You want one heavier day a week than the pin stacks give you, on the machines where you load plates.
A heavy leg press, a one-arm high row, then seated leg curls and hip abduction on the pin machines. 12 working sets with long rests on the leg press.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | RIR | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg Press1 warm-up set first | 4 × 10–15 | 2 | 2:30 min |
| Single-Arm High RowPer arm. | 3 × 8–12 | 2 | 90 s |
| Seated Leg Curl | 3 × 10–15 | 1 | 75 s |
| Hip Abduction Machine | 2 × 12–20 | 1 | 1 min |
- How to run it
- Once a week in place of one day of another plan, or twice a week on its own. Warm up the leg press with one lighter set before the working sets.
- How to progress
- Plate-loaded machines move by the plates you have set for them. Leg press at 270 lb for 15, 15, 15 tops 10 to 15 on every set, so the next session opens one plate step heavier, 275 lb with a pair of 2.5 lb plates, for 10.
Make it fit you
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Your club's equipment, remembered
Clubs differ. Add yours as a gym in RIRLift; when a routine needs equipment it doesn't have, the Watch offers replacements before the session starts, and Remember at this gym uses the same choice next time.
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Save the club's machines
Each saved machine keeps its own loads and records, so the leg press at your home club never overwrites the one at another club.
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Treadmill after lifting
End and save the lifting session first. Then hold the Watch to a treadmill that shows Connects to Apple Watch, and Apple's Workout app records the run as its own workout.
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Short visit
In the 30-minute session, keep the first two supersets and skip the third.
Questions
Is there a Planet Fitness app for Apple Watch?
Not at the moment: the Planet Fitness App Store listing has no Apple Watch app. Support for it ended on February 12, 2024, and Planet Fitness points members to its iPhone app for check-in.
Can Apple Watch connect to Planet Fitness machines?
Apple Watch pairs with compatible cardio machines, such as treadmills, ellipticals and indoor bikes, that show "Connects to Apple Watch". Turn on Detect Gym Equipment in Settings, Workout, then hold the Watch display a few centimeters from the reader. Apple names no strength machines, so log weights in a lifting app.
What equipment does Planet Fitness have?
Planet Fitness says every club has cardio and strength equipment, from free weights to plate-loaded machines. The plans here use dumbbells, pin-loaded machines and two plate-loaded machines.
What workout type do I pick for weights?
In RIRLift you don't pick one: any session with a lift in it is saved to Apple Health as Traditional Strength Training, with heart rate recorded while it runs.
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