RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Functional strength training on Apple Watch: the exercises that count, and sessions to run

Published November 3, 2026

Functional Strength Training is the Apple Watch workout type for loaded whole-body work that is not a classic lift: sled pushes and drags, battle ropes, tire flips and sandbag cleans. Log those in RIRLift on the Watch and the session is saved to Apple Health as Functional Strength Training on its own, no type to pick. Add a lift, even wall balls or a kettlebell swing, and the whole session becomes Traditional Strength Training.

  1. Sled Push Quads, Glutes
  2. Sled Rope Pull Upper Back, Lats, Biceps
  3. Battle Rope Slam Shoulders, Lats, Abs
  4. Tire Flip Glutes, Quads
  5. Sandbag Clean Glutes, Hamstrings, Traps

Sled work

Push it, drag it sideways or pull it in hand over hand. A sled has no lowering phase, so you can work hard without much soreness the next day. Each bout is logged on the Watch as time with an effort level, from Easy to Max.

Legs, loaded push

Sled Push

Quads, Glutes

The anchor of a functional day. Heavy enough that you drive with short steps, light enough to keep moving for the whole bout.

How to do it

  1. Load the sled and grip the high or low handles with your arms extended.
  2. Lean in until your body forms a straight line from head to back foot.
  3. Drive the sled forward with short, powerful steps, pushing through the balls of your feet.
  4. Keep pushing for the target time, then rest fully.

Cues

  • Low body angle
  • Short, hard steps
  • Keep the arms locked

Common mistakes

  • Standing too upright so the sled stalls: lower the hips and lean in.
  • Long, loping strides: keep steps short and fast.

Swap for: Sled Pull, Air Bike, Barbell Back Squat

Build a session with Sled Push
Log it in RIRLift

Hips and legs, side to side

Lateral Sled Drag

Abductors, Glutes, Quads

Moves you sideways under load, which straight-line lifting never does. Lead with each side for the same time.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the sled and hold its handles in both hands at hip height, arms long.
  2. Sink into a low athletic stance with your chest up.
  3. Step sideways in small, quick steps, pushing hard with the trailing leg so the sled keeps moving.
  4. Cover the planned distance, then lead with the other side.

Cues

  • Low athletic stance
  • Push with the trailing leg
  • Arms long, handles steady

Common mistakes

  • Standing up tall: stay low like you are on the ice.
  • Pulling with the arms: let the legs move the sled.

Swap for: Lateral Band Walk, Sled Push, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Lateral Sled Drag
Log it in RIRLift

Back, grip and legs, pull

Sled Rope Pull

Upper Back, Lats, Biceps

The pulling half of sled work. Your legs and hips lean back; your arms pass the rope.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the sled with the rope in your hands and your feet set wide.
  2. Sit your hips back and pull the rope hand over hand toward your body.
  3. Use your legs and hips to lean back on each pull, not just your arms.
  4. Step back as the rope piles up so you keep a good pulling position.

Cues

  • Hips back, chest up
  • Hand over hand
  • Lean with the legs

Common mistakes

  • Standing upright and pulling only with the arms: sit into each pull.
  • Letting the rope tangle at your feet: step back as you go.

Swap for: Sled Rope Pull, One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Trap Bar Deadlift

Build a session with Sled Rope Pull
Log it in RIRLift

Battle ropes

Waves keep the arms working without a break; slams bring the whole body in. Both are logged as timed bouts with an effort level.

Shoulders and trunk, rope conditioning

Battle Rope Wave

Shoulders, Abs

Continuous arm work that keeps your heart rate up between heavier stations.

How to do it

  1. Hold one rope end in each hand, feet about shoulder width, knees bent.
  2. Whip one arm up while the other goes down to send alternating waves down the ropes.
  3. Keep the waves even from start to finish of the set.

Cues

  • Athletic stance
  • Small, even waves

Common mistakes

  • Standing up straight: stay in a quarter squat.

Swap for: Battle Rope Slam, Jumping Jack

Build a session with Battle Rope Wave
Log it in RIRLift

Shoulders, lats and trunk, rope conditioning

Battle Rope Slam

Shoulders, Lats, Abs

Both arms up and down together. Harder than waves for the same time.

How to do it

  1. Hold both rope ends, feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Raise both arms together overhead, then bring them down to slam the ropes.
  3. Keep a steady rhythm with full arm reach on every slam.

Cues

  • Reach tall, then slam
  • Breathe out on the slam

Common mistakes

  • Short, choppy arm motions: use the whole range overhead.

Swap for: Battle Rope Wave, Jumping Jack

Build a session with Battle Rope Slam
Log it in RIRLift

Tires and sandbags

Heavy, awkward loads lifted from the floor. Unlike the sled and ropes, these are logged as reps, with how many more you had left.

Hips and legs, odd-object hinge

Tire Flip

Glutes, Quads

A few hard reps with long rests. Drive the tire forward, not straight up.

How to do it

  1. Squat down facing the tire, chest against it, and grip the bottom edge with your hands underneath.
  2. Drive forward and up into the tire with your legs and hips.
  3. As it rises, drive a knee into it and switch your hands to push.
  4. Push the tire all the way over and reset for the next flip.

Cues

  • Chest on the tire
  • Drive forward, not up
  • Hands flip to push

Common mistakes

  • Deadlifting the tire straight up with a rounded back: lean into it and drive forward.
  • Curling with your arms under the tire: keep your arms long until it is past your knees.

Swap for: Sled Push, Sandbag Clean, Barbell Deadlift

Build a session with Tire Flip
Log it in RIRLift

Hips, back and grip, odd-object lift

Sandbag Clean

Glutes, Hamstrings, Traps

Floor to shoulder with a load that shifts. Alternate shoulders so both sides do the same work.

How to do it

  1. Stand over the sandbag with feet a bit wider than your hips and grab it along the sides.
  2. Squat down with a flat back until your hands are under the bag.
  3. Drive through your legs and hips to lift the bag, pulling it in close to your body.
  4. Pop it up onto one shoulder, stand tall, then lower it back to the floor and switch shoulders.

Cues

  • Hips do the lifting
  • Bag close to your body
  • Stand tall with it on the shoulder

Common mistakes

  • Rounding over the bag to rip it up with your back: sit your hips lower and lift your chest.
  • Curling the bag up with your arms: finish the hip drive first so the bag floats up to the shoulder.

Swap for: Kettlebell Swing, Trap Bar Deadlift, Power Clean

Build a session with Sandbag Clean
Log it in RIRLift

Moves that make it a lifting session

Wall balls and medicine ball slams turn up in every functional class, but RIRLift logs them as lifts, with the ball's weight and your reps. One set of either and the session is saved as Traditional Strength Training.

Legs and shoulders, squat and throw

Wall Ball

Quads, Glutes, Shoulders

A squat and a throw in one rep. Logged as a lift, so it makes the session strength training.

How to do it

  1. Stand an arm's length from the wall, ball held at your chest.
  2. Squat down until your hips are below your knees.
  3. Drive up hard and throw the ball to a target on the wall.
  4. Catch it as it comes down and sink straight into the next squat.
  5. Keep the rhythm even until the set ends.

Cues

  • Squat deep
  • Push the ball from the legs
  • Catch into the squat

Common mistakes

  • Throwing before you stand: the legs push the ball, the arms finish.
  • Standing too far from the wall: the ball comes back out of reach.

Swap for: Med Ball Chest Throw, Medicine Ball Overhead Throw

Build a session with Wall Ball
Log it in RIRLift

Whole body, throw

Medicine Ball Slam

Lats, Abs

Reach tall and slam. Logged as a lift with the ball's weight, the same as wall balls.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet about shoulder-width holding a medicine ball.
  2. Reach the ball overhead and rise onto your toes.
  3. Slam it into the floor in front of you as hard as you can, bending the hips and knees.
  4. Pick it up and repeat.

Cues

  • Reach tall
  • Slam with the whole body
  • Exhale hard

Common mistakes

  • Slamming with the arms only: hinge the hips into it.
  • Using a bouncy ball: use a slam ball that stays down.

Swap for: Med Ball Rotational Throw, Battle Rope Slam, Kettlebell Swing

Build a session with Medicine Ball Slam
Log it in RIRLift

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

Turf lane at the gym

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentSled, Battle Ropes

Your gym has a sled, a rope for it and a pair of battle ropes, and you want a hard session on the day you are not lifting.

Four stations, about 18 hard bouts. Pushing, dragging, pulling and slamming work your legs, back and shoulders without a single heavy lowering phase, so your next lifting day is not affected.

Sled lane
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Sled Push 6 × 20–30 s 2 90 s
Sled Rope PullHand over hand. 4 × 30–45 s 2 90 s
Lateral Sled DragSwitch the lead side each set. 4 × 20–30 s 2 1 min
Battle Rope Slam 4 × 20–30 s 2 40 s
How to run it
Start the routine on the Watch and leave the phone in the bag. After each bout, rate it with the crown: Steady, Tempo, Hard or Max. The rest timer runs on your wrist between bouts.
How to progress
Keep the time and add load. When every sled push felt Hard rather than Max, put another 25 lb plate on next week. Rope slams progress by time: once all four sets are 30 seconds at Hard, go to 40. Saved to Apple Health as Functional Strength Training.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Tire and sandbag outside

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets14 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBattle Ropes

You train in a garage, a yard or a strongman corner with a tire, a sandbag and a rope anchored to a post. No machines, no barbell.

Heavy reps on the tire and the bag, then rope waves to finish. Fewer, harder efforts than the sled day, with long rests between them.

Tire and bag
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Tire Flip 5 × 3–5 2 2 min
Sandbag CleanAlternate shoulders each rep. 5 × 4–6 2 90 s
Battle Rope Wave 4 × 30–45 s 2 45 s
How to run it
Do it once a week. Log tire flips and sandbag cleans as reps with how many you had left; rate the rope waves with an effort level.
How to progress
Flip the tire for 3 reps until all five sets reach 5, then move to a bigger tire. Clean a 100 lb bag for 4 to 6 reps; when every set reaches 6, use the next bag up. With only tire, bag and rope work in it, the session is saved as Functional Strength Training.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Class-style circuit with wall balls

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets9 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentSled, Medicine Ball

You like a race-style circuit: sled pushes between sets of wall balls and slams, little rest, one round after another.

Sled pushes for the legs, wall balls for a squat and a throw, ball slams for the whole body. Three rounds, straight from one station to the next, 90 seconds after each round.

Circuit
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Sled Push 3 × 20–30 s 2 90 s
A2 Wall Ball 3 × 15–20 2 90 s
A3 Medicine Ball Slam 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
How to run it
Run it as a circuit on the Watch: one set of each, then the next round. Log wall balls and slams as reps with the ball's weight.
How to progress
Keep the same ball until every round of wall balls reaches 20, then go up to the next ball and start again at 15. This session is saved as Traditional Strength Training: wall balls and slams are lifts. If you want it to count as Functional, use the sled lane session instead.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is considered functional strength training on Apple Watch?

Loaded whole-body work that is not a barbell lift and not cardio: sled pushes, sled drags and pulls, battle ropes, tire flips and sandbag cleans. Those are the exercises RIRLift saves as Functional Strength Training.

Why did my functional class save as Traditional Strength Training?

Something in it is logged as a lift: wall balls, ball slams, kettlebell swings, carries or any dumbbell set. One set of a lift makes the whole session Traditional. Build the routine from sleds, ropes, tires and sandbags only to keep it Functional.

Should I use functional strength training for weights?

No. For barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell and machine lifts the type is Traditional Strength Training, and that is what RIRLift saves when you log them.

Do I need to start a workout in Apple's Workout app too?

No. Start the session in RIRLift on the Watch. It records the workout and saves it to Apple Health with the type that matches what you logged, so there is one workout, not two.