Strength Builder Common Questions

We’ve compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions about Strength Builder.

Strength Builder (Bevel):

• Uses movement, weight, reps, and sets

• Provides a more accurate Strain score

Apple Strength Training:

• Primarily uses heart rate

• Only captures part of your total effort

You can use Strength Builder offline during your workout.

However:

• Syncing data between your watch and phone requires iCloud

• An internet connection is needed for data to fully sync

• Bluetooth must be enabled between your watch and phone

• Battery saver mode should be turned off on both devices

Compatibility: Users on older watchOS versions may experience slower performance. Make sure your Bevel app is up to date and running the same version on both your phone and watch.

Live Sync lets you start a workout on your phone or watch and control it from either device.

You can:

• Edit weights, reps, and duration

• Add sets

• Create supersets and circuits

• Add warmups, cooldowns, failure sets, and drop sets

• Swap exercises during workouts

• Change the order of exercises

At the end of a Strength Builder workout:

• Bevel provides an estimated RPE

• You can adjust it manually

We estimate your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), or how hard you're working, using Velocity-Based Training (VBT) data from your watch's accelerometer. If VBT data isn't available, we use the overall workout RPE instead.

This isn’t currently supported.

Workaround:

• Create an empty Template (e.g. “Mobility” or “Custom Workout”)

• Add exercises during the workout

• A countdown timer starts when the set begins

• Once time ends, it continues counting up

• You manually stop the set when finished

These workout types are not currently supported, but may be added in the future.

Custom equipment types are not currently available.

• Requires iOS 16.1+

• Dynamic Island supported on iPhone 14 Pro+

Start a Live Sync workout, then:

• Lock your phone

• Tap Allow when prompted

If you’re using a Garmin watch with Bevel, the best way to avoid duplicate Activities is to track your workout directly in Bevel and let Heart Rate data sync afterward.

Here’s how to set it up:

• Make sure Garmin Connect is syncing Heart Rate data to Apple Health

• Ensure Apple Health is enabled as a Heart Rate data source in Bevel

• Start and track your workout in Bevel using Strength Builder (sets, reps, etc.)

• Do not start a workout on your Garmin watch, just wear it during the session

• Finish the workout in Bevel

Once your watch syncs with Apple Health and Bevel, your heart rate data will automatically be added to the workout.

Note: You won’t see live heart rate data in the Strength Builder view during the workout, but it will appear afterward once everything syncs.

After completing a workout, you can share it by tapping the share button in the top-right corner.

The Social Sharing card displays weight lifted per muscle group. This only includes added weight and does not account for bodyweight exercises. If you perform exercises like pull-ups without added weight, the sharing card may appear empty since no external weight is recorded.

Keep in mind that weight is distributed across multiple muscle groups. A primary muscle does not receive 100% of the weight. For example, 1096 kg from a lying press is not attributed entirely to the chest, but spread across the relevant muscles involved.

Yes. You can use AirPods (3rd generation and newer) with Strength Builder, as long as your iPhone is running iOS 26.

No additional setup is required. Once your AirPods are connected to your iPhone, they can be used with Strength Builder on supported devices running iOS 26.

No. Strength Builder does not currently support adding notes or pain information to individual workouts.

If you'd like to track pain, discomfort, or other observations alongside your workouts, you can create a custom Journal entry and log the information there.

Instructional videos are only available for exercises in the Bevel exercise database. Custom exercises do not include demonstration videos.

Most heart rate sensors only transmit data while they detect skin contact.

• Make sure the sensor is being worn correctly.

• Chest straps may work better if the electrodes are slightly damp.

• Heart rate will begin appearing automatically once the sensor detects contact.

Check the following:

• Bluetooth is enabled.

• The sensor is turned on and broadcasting heart rate.

• The sensor is not already connected to another device.

• If your device requires heart rate broadcasting to be enabled in its companion app, make sure it is turned on.

If available, tap the ? button in the Live Data Source screen for device-specific setup instructions.

Fitbit Air requires heart rate sharing to be enabled.

1. Open the Google Health app.

2. Tap the device button in the top-left corner.

3. Select Fitbit Air.

4. Tap Share Heart Rate.

5. Enable Always Visible.

Bevel must have permission to write Heart Rate data to Apple Health.

Go to: Settings → Privacy & Security → Health → Bevel → Heart Rate

Enable the permission, then reopen Live Data Source and reconnect your sensor.

No. External Bluetooth sensors are only available for iPhone strength workouts. During iPhone + Apple Watch workouts, the Apple Watch is always used as the heart rate source.

Not currently. External Bluetooth heart rate sensors are supported only for Strength Workouts running on iPhone.