How to Track Workouts on Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
The Galaxy Watch 4 tracks over 90 workout types with built-in GPS, continuous heart rate monitoring, and automatic exercise detection. Start workouts manually for best accuracy, or let the watch detect exercise automatically.
Starting a Workout
Begin tracking through Samsung Health or the workout tile.
- Press the Home button and open
Samsung Health - Scroll to your workout type (running, cycling, swimming, strength training, yoga, and 85+ more)
- Tap the workout type
- Wait for GPS lock if outdoors (10-30 seconds)
- Tap Start when ready
For quick access, add the Samsung Health tile to your watch face. Swipe to the tile and tap to select your workout type faster than opening the app.
During Your Workout
The watch displays live stats and provides controls throughout your exercise.
-
Live Stats: Time elapsed, distance (GPS activities), current pace/speed, heart rate with zone indicator, and calories burned.
-
Controls: Swipe right to pause, swipe left to end the workout. Music controls are available during workouts.
The watch vibrates at each mile or kilometer for auto-lap tracking during running and cycling.
Automatic Exercise Detection
The watch can detect when you start exercising without manual tracking.
Navigate to Samsung Health Settings Workout detection to enable auto-detection for running, walking, cycling, and elliptical. Set the minimum duration (default is 10 minutes).
When the watch detects exercise, it asks if you're working out. Tap Yes to start tracking. Starting manually is still recommended for the most accurate results.
Swimming Workouts
The watch is water-resistant to 5ATM and tracks swimming with lap counting and stroke detection.
-
Pool Swimming: Select
Pool swimmingfrom workout types, enter your pool length in yards or meters. Water Lock enables automatically and the watch counts laps and detects stroke type. -
After Swimming: Disable Water Lock by rotating the crown or pressing the assigned button. The speaker plays a tone to eject water. Dry the watch before charging.
GPS and Heart Rate
Outdoor activities use GPS for accurate route and distance tracking.
- GPS Lock Time: 10-30 seconds in open areas
- Battery Impact: Approximately 8-10% per hour with GPS active
- Route Maps: View your exact path with elevation in
Samsung Healthon your phone
Heart rate zones help optimize training intensity. The watch displays your current zone during workouts: warm-up (under 60% max HR), fat burn (60-70%), cardio (70-85%), and peak (85%+).
Post-Workout Analysis
Review detailed results on your phone after completing a workout.
Open Samsung Health on your phone and tap your workout for:
- Heart rate graph over time
- Pace/speed per lap
- Route map with elevation
- Calories burned breakdown
- Recovery time suggestion
- Personal records
Battery Planning
GPS tracking drains approximately 8-10% battery per hour. The 44mm model handles 3-4 hours of continuous GPS tracking. For longer activities, disable Always-On Display and start with a full charge.