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Exercises

How to close your Move ring fast with weight lifting

Published November 7, 2026

To close the Move ring fast on a lifting day, train the biggest muscles with the most work, cut the dead time between sets, and add a walk after the last lift. The ring counts active calories toward your goal, and lifting burns them like any other movement. If you only need it closed today, Apple lets you lower today's Move goal in the Activity app, or pause your rings on a rest day. Below are three sessions: a lower-body day, full body with a 20-minute incline walk, and an easy week.

  1. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes
  2. Leg Press Quads, Glutes
  3. Walking Lunge Quads, Glutes
  4. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes
  5. Romanian Deadlift Hamstrings, Glutes
  6. Treadmill Walk Quads, Glutes, Calves

Big lower-body lifts

Your legs and hips are the largest muscles you have. A day built on them is the hardest work a lifting session can put in, set for set.

Whole lower body and back

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Moves more muscle than any other lift on the page: legs, hips, back and grip at once. It leads the lower-body day.

How to do it

  1. Step inside the trap bar with the handles beside your feet.
  2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and grip the handles.
  3. Flatten your back, take the slack out, and stand up by pushing the floor away.
  4. Lower the bar under control to the floor and reset your back before the next rep.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Flat back
  • Slack out before you pull

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first.
  • Rounding the back as the weight climbs: drop to a weight where the flat back holds on every rep.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Quads and glutes, high reps

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

Ten to fifteen reps on heavy legs, with no balance to manage, so you can work hard set after set.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the machine with your whole back against the pad and your feet hip-width on the platform.
  2. Release the safety handles and bend your knees, bringing the platform toward you under control.
  3. Lower until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees or a little deeper, without your lower back curling off the pad.
  4. Press the platform away until your legs are nearly straight, and repeat.

Cues

  • Lower back stays on the pad
  • Whole foot pushes
  • Stop just short of locking out

Common mistakes

  • Going so deep that your hips roll up off the seat: stop where your back stays flat.
  • Snapping the knees straight at the top: keep a soft bend.

Swap for: 45-Degree Leg Press, Hack Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Legs, with dumbbells

Walking Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Every rep moves your whole body forward with the dumbbells. Log the reps of one leg.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides and stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart in a clear lane.
  2. Step forward with one foot, far enough that your front shin stays roughly vertical when you lower.
  3. Drop straight down until your back knee is an inch or two above the floor, keeping your torso upright.
  4. Push through the whole front foot to stand up, and bring the back foot forward past the front one into your next step.
  5. Keep alternating legs until you have done the planned number of steps on each side.

Cues

  • Down like an elevator, not forward like a skier
  • Two train tracks, not a tightrope
  • Let the back knee kiss, not crash

Common mistakes

  • Stepping in a straight line, one foot in front of the other: keep your feet about hip-width apart side to side so you have a stable base.
  • Taking short, choppy steps: lengthen your stride until your front knee stops traveling far past your toes and your back knee can reach the floor.
  • Pausing upright between steps to rebalance: if you need to stop, the dumbbells are too heavy for now; take a lighter pair and keep moving.

Swap for: Dumbbell Reverse Lunge, Bulgarian Split Squat, Step-Up

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Calves

Standing Calf Raise

Calves

A short last lift for the lower day, with a 60-second rest.

How to do it

  1. Set the shoulder pads so you have to bend your knees slightly to get under them, then step the balls of your feet onto the edge of the block.
  2. Stand up tall to lift the weight off the stack, legs straight but not locked.
  3. Let your heels sink below the block until your calves are fully stretched, and hold that bottom for a second.
  4. Drive up onto your big toes as high as the ankle allows, pause, then lower slowly.

Cues

  • Pause in the stretch
  • Push through the big toe
  • Knees stay still

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing out of the bottom: the Achilles tendon springs you up and the calf does less. A one-second pause removes the bounce.
  • Bending the knees to finish the rep: that turns it into a partial squat. Lighten the stack until the legs stay straight.

Swap for: Smith Machine Calf Raise, Donkey Calf Raise, Barbell Standing Calf Raise

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Full-body lifts before the walk

Four lifts that cover legs, back, shoulders and hamstrings in about 35 minutes, so there is time left for the walk.

Quads and glutes

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Opens the full-body day. One dumbbell, quick to set up, and hard work at 8 to 12 reps.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom
  • Chest stays up behind the weight

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward: hold it tight to your chest and sit between your heels.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Upper back

Chest-Supported Row

Upper Back, Lats

The chest pad takes your lower back out of it, so the row can go hard right after squats.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles are at chest height and rest your chest on the pad.
  2. Pull the handles back until your elbows pass your torso.
  3. Let the handles return until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward.

Cues

  • Chest stays on the pad
  • Squeeze, then reach

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the pad to move more weight: the pad is there so your back can rest.

Swap for: Machine Row, Seated Cable Row, Incline Dumbbell Row

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Shoulders

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Shoulders

The press of the full-body day. Sit tall against the pad so the shoulders do the pressing.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench upright or one notch back from vertical, sit with your feet flat, and rest a dumbbell on each thigh.
  2. Kick one knee up at a time to bring the dumbbells to shoulder height, then set your back against the pad.
  3. Turn your elbows slightly forward so they sit a little in front of your torso, palms facing forward or angled in.
  4. Drive both weights overhead on a slight inward arc until your elbows are straight, keeping your ribs down and your back on the pad.
  5. Lower slowly until the dumbbells are around ear height or a bit below, then press again.

Cues

  • Ribs down, back on the pad
  • Elbows a little forward
  • Press up and slightly in

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back off the pad to finish reps: that turns it into an incline press, so lighten the weight and keep your ribs stacked over your hips.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out at shoulder height: bring them a little forward so the shoulder joint stays comfortable at the bottom.
  • Stopping each rep well above your ears: lower to around ear height so the delts work through a full range.

Swap for: Machine Shoulder Press, Arnold Press, Landmine Press

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Hamstrings and glutes

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The hinge that closes the lifting part of the full-body day.

How to do it

  1. Stand with a barbell at your thighs, hands just outside your legs, feet under your hips.
  2. Soften your knees and push your hips back, sliding the bar down your thighs.
  3. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched, usually just below the knee, with your back flat.
  4. Push your hips forward to stand up, glutes tight at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back
  • Bar stays on your legs
  • Back flat

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat: keep them soft and still.
  • Reaching for the floor: stop where your back would round.

Swap for: Weighted Back Extension

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The walk after lifting

Twenty minutes on a steep incline at a pace you can talk at. It adds to the day's calories without taking anything from the next session.

Incline walk, 20 minutes

Treadmill Walk

Quads, Glutes, Calves

Twenty minutes of walking after the last lift, logged as the last exercise of the same session.

How to do it

  1. Start the belt at an easy walking pace on a flat setting.
  2. Over the first minute or two, raise the incline until it is steep and you are breathing harder but can still talk.
  3. Hold that incline and pace for the full twenty minutes.
  4. Lower the incline for the last minute before you tap Stop.

Cues

  • Let go of the rails
  • Tall posture, lean slightly into the hill
  • Talking pace

Common mistakes

  • Holding the rails and leaning back: lower the incline until you can walk hands-free.

Swap for: Brisk Walk, Elliptical

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Machines for an easy week

Quick to set, easy to load lighter. These carry the week when the plan is to recover.

Lats, easy week

Lat Pulldown

Lats

Two sets, lighter than usual. The pin makes the lighter weight a one-second change.

How to do it

  1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
  2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • Bar to the top of the chest
  • Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
  • Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown, Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

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Chest, easy week

Machine Chest Press

Chest

The easy-week press. Nothing to balance, so lighter sets stay easy.

How to do it

  1. Raise or lower the seat until the handles line up with the middle of your chest, then sit with your back on the pad.
  2. Take the handles with straight wrists and your shoulder blades pressed back.
  3. Push forward until your arms are nearly straight.
  4. Return slowly until your hands are level with your chest, then press again.

Cues

  • Handles at mid-chest
  • Back stays on the pad
  • Slow on the way back

Common mistakes

  • Seat too high, so your shoulders take over: lower it until the handles meet your mid-chest.
  • Stopping the handles short of your chest: let them come all the way back each rep.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Incline Push-Up, Dumbbell Floor Press

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Mid back, easy week

Seated Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

Keeps the back trained through the lighter week.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the cable row with your feet on the platform and knees slightly bent, holding a close-grip handle with your arms straight.
  2. Sit tall with your chest up and let the cable pull your shoulder blades forward a little.
  3. Row the handle to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
  4. Return it under control until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward, then repeat.

Cues

  • Sit tall, no rocking
  • Handle to the belly button
  • Shoulders reach at the front

Common mistakes

  • Rocking back and forth to move the stack: your torso should stay close to upright throughout.
  • Shrugging the handle up toward your neck: pull your shoulders down before the elbows bend.

Swap for: Chest-Supported Row, Single-Arm Cable Row, Barbell Row

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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.

Session 1

Lower-body day, twice a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentTrap Bar, Leg Press, Dumbbells, Standing Calf Raise

You lift three or four days a week and want the day that does the most for the red ring to be a real training day, not a cardio add-on.

Four lower-body lifts, 12 working sets, rests of 60 seconds to two and a half minutes. The trap-bar deadlift and leg press keep their long rests; the lunges and calves don't need them.

Lower body
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
Leg Press 3 × 10–15 2 2 min
Walking Lunge 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Standing Calf Raise 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week, with at least two days between. Warm up with two lighter sets on the trap bar before the working sets.
How to progress
Judged on your weakest set. Trap-bar deadlift at 275 lb for 8, 8, 8 has reached the top of 5 to 8, so the next session opens at 280 lb for 5. Leg press at 360 lb for 15, 14, 13 with a target of 13: the weakest set hit it, so the weight stays and the target is 14. Walking lunges with 30 lb dumbbells for 12, 12, 12 move up to 35 lb for 10.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Full body, then a 20-minute incline walk

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets39 a week
  • Per workout~50 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Seated Row Machine, Barbells, Treadmill

Three days a week, about an hour each, and the Move ring is the number you check before bed.

Four lifts for the whole body, then twenty minutes of walking on an incline. The walk adds steady work after the lifting, inside the same session, without making the next day's lifting any harder.

Full body and incline walk
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Chest-Supported Row 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Romanian Deadlift1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–10 2 2 min
Treadmill WalkSteep incline, at a pace you can talk at. 1 × 20 min 4 0 s
How to run it
Monday, Wednesday, Friday or any three days with a day between. After the Romanian deadlift the Watch moves you to the walk: tap Start, walk, tap Stop.
How to progress
Goblet squat at 50 lb for 12, 11, 10 with a target of 10: the weakest set hit it, so the dumbbell stays at 50 lb and the target is 11. Romanian deadlift at 155 lb for 10, 10, 10 has reached the top of 8 to 10, so the next session opens at 160 lb for 8. The walk stays at 20 minutes.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

An easy week: lighter weights, smaller Move goal

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentLeg Press, Lat Pulldown, Chest Press, Cable Row

A lift has stalled and you took the step back the recap offered, or you are coming back from a few days off sick and want an easy week.

Two sets of each machine lift, with more reps left in the tank than usual. The point of the week is to recover, so chasing the usual Move goal works against it.

Easy machines
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Leg Press 2 × 10–15 3 2 min
Lat Pulldown 2 × 10–12 3 90 s
Machine Chest Press 2 × 10–12 3 90 s
Seated Cable Row 2 × 10–12 3 90 s
How to run it
Two or three times in the week. Lower the Move goal for those days in the Activity app on the Watch rather than adding extra work to close it.
How to progress
The step back is about 10% lighter, rounded to your equipment: a leg press stalled at 360 lb comes back at 325 lb, and the rep target goes back to the bottom of the range. You build back up from there. The recap only offers it; nothing changes until you choose Deload.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What does the Move ring measure?

Active calories. Apple's Move ring closes when you hit your personal goal of active calories burned for the day.

Does lifting count toward the Move ring?

Yes. Lifting burns active calories like any other movement, and they count toward the ring.

How do I close my Move ring fast?

Do more work in less time: big lower-body lifts, less dead time between sets, and a walk after the last lift. To close it today without extra work, lower today's goal with Change for Today in the Activity app.

Can I pause my rings on a rest day?

Yes. In the Activity app, tap the rings, tap Pause Rings and pick how long. Apple allows up to 90 days without breaking your award streak.