I’ve been telling you for a while how I’m using technology to improve my well-being. Specifically, I’ve relied on ChatGPT to restart running and completed several half-marathon races before moving on to run actual marathon races. I use the Apple Watch to monitor my health parameters during exercise, races, and at rest and sleep.
I upgraded to the Apple Watch Series 10 from the Apple Watch SE 2 in September, as I needed better battery life and more health data points. The battery life bump was phenomenal and certainly an unexpected Apple Watch Series 10 surprise.
However, I did find a troubling ongoing issue. The Apple Watch Series 10 will routinely fail to record my heart rate during exercise, and I’m not the only one experiencing the problem.
More annoyingly, I discovered recently that the customizable running routines on the Apple Watch Series 10 can fail. I blamed it all on the wearable’s inability to register and record my pulse, though I cannot tell if that’s true.
I didn’t expect to find more issues with the Apple Watch’s ability to track my health and fitness, but I did. It turns out that Training Load, a new health feature that Apple introduced with watchOS 11 and iOS 18, is not registering actual training loads correctly.
That’s a problem if you use the new tools to adjust your training load. Also, if it happened to me, it’ll surely happen to you.
Here’s what my Training Load looks like for the past few weeks, and we’ll focus on the last few days:
Notice that huge drop? You might think I didn’t engage in any training sessions for at least a week. Workouts are down significantly, and so are walking and running activities. Let’s tap on that “>” arrow next to the “Well Below” rating:
Yup, it’s really bad. “All Workouts” are “Well Below” for almost the entire month of April. Admittedly, I’m starting to pick it up.
What if we change the “All Workouts” menu item to All Day? Let’s see the new graph:
O.M.G! What is that massive spike that’s practically contradicting the “All Workouts” graph that I get to see in the Fitness app on the iPhone or the Activity app on the Apple Watch?
I can absolutely explain it. My walking and running were lower than usual in the second week of April because I went skiing. Well, make that snowboarding.
I registered all my snowboarding sessions with the Apple Watch Series 10, and I did it without fail. That’s how I know I’ve snowboarded some 150km (100 miles) over seven days at altitudes ranging from 2,300m (7,546 feet) to over 2900m (9514 feet).
That sort of exercise, combined with the higher altitudes, puts a lot of pressure on the body. I won’t complain, because it was all great for said body. The snowboarding sessions will certainly complement my running routines, as they forced me to use my muscles, joints, and brain in different ways.
What I will complain about is the Apple Watch’s inability to accurately portray my Training Load. It’s mind-boggling that the “All Workouts” section doesn’t take into account, well, all the workouts, including snowboarding. That means Training Load is unreliable unless you go to the “All Day” menu, as I did.
Here’s how Apple described Training Load last summer when it unveiled the feature:
Apple Watch will establish a 28-day training load, a weighted average taking into account both the effort ratings and duration of users’ workouts over this period. In the Activity app, users can see how their training load for the most recent seven days compares to their 28-day training load, classified as well below, below, steady, above, or well above. This helps indicate if the current strain on their body is ramping up, staying the same, or easing off so they can adjust their training for the best results.
Training Load is supposed to be a great algorithm for helping with fitness goals. A look at the graph could be enough to determine whether you need to go hard on your next run or strength training session or take a break to recover.
Judging by the main graph I see in the Fitness app, the first screenshot above, I should be pushing hard because I am well rested. The truth is that I am rested. But I’ve been pushing hard, according to the third screenshot. The truth is that I have been pushing hard while snowboarding.
This discrepancy shows that Apple’s algorithms aren’t working correctly. If Training Load fails to take into account my week of snowboarding when determining the “All Workouts” graph, it will probably do the same thing with other activities that aren’t running or walking. It might mislead some people into thinking they’ve rested enough when they haven’t. This could lead to accidents and injuries.
Then again, you shouldn’t rely just on software like the Training Load to determine your well-being. Listen to your body, and take rest days after intensive activity even if the Apple Watch thinks you’re fine.
As with my other Apple Watch Series 10 complaints, I’m still on the watchOS 11 beta rather than the stable version. But that can’t be the reason why Training Load is clearly displaying incorrect data. Hopefully Apple will fix the issue by the time I hit the slopes again, which won’t be for another year or so.
