The Apple Watch Interval Training App Built Around VO2 Max
Run these workouts on your iPhone, or hands-free on Apple Watch. Get PEAKVO2 PEAKVO2 is an interval training app for iPhone and Apple Watch, built around VO2 max protocols, with wrist-based timing, haptic cues, automatic phase changes, and 16 ready-to-run workouts. It runs directly on the Apple Watch with no phone needed, showing full-screen color-coded phases so you always know whether you are in warm-up, work, or recovery.
Contents
Interval training is the one kind of workout the Apple Watch is genuinely built for: the effort is timed, not distance-based, so the value is in knowing exactly when to go hard and when to ease off, glanceable on your wrist. PEAKVO2 is designed around that.
Why the Apple Watch Suits Interval Training
An interval workout lives and dies by timing. You need to start each hard effort and each recovery at the right second, and checking a phone mid-sprint breaks the session. On the wrist, the cue comes to you: a haptic tap and a full-screen color change tell you to switch without looking. That is why a watch-native interval app beats a phone timer or a paper plan for this specific job.
What PEAKVO2 Does on Apple Watch
- Full-screen color-coded phases. Warm-up, work, and recovery each have their own color, so a glance tells you where you are in the session.
- Automatic transitions with haptics and spoken cues. The app moves you from phase to phase on its own, taps your wrist, and speaks a cue at every switch (for example, when to switch to recovery). Nothing to tap mid-interval, and you can train by ear.
- Runs on the watch, no phone required. Start the workout on the Apple Watch and leave the iPhone behind.
- 16 built-in workouts. The Norwegian 4x4, Tabata, HIIT 30/30, REHIT 2x20, Norwegian 3x3, Marten's 6x3, hill, track, and fartlek intervals, and more, each with warm-up, work, recovery, and cool-down built in.
- VO2 max trend tracking. Because the whole app is built around raising VO2 max, it tracks your estimate over time so you can see the number move.
Improve your VO2 max
Get PEAKVO2 freeCan You Use It Without an Apple Watch?
Yes. PEAKVO2 runs on iPhone alone with the same guided protocols, full-screen phases, and audio and haptic cues. The Apple Watch adds hands-free guidance on your wrist, but it is optional, so you can start on the phone and add the watch later.
Works With Your Apple Watch
PEAKVO2 runs on Apple Watch Ultra and other supported models. The workout is native to the watch, so the display shows your current phase and countdown clearly while you train, and the large Ultra screen makes it easy to read at a glance mid-effort.
How to Set Up an Interval Workout on Apple Watch
You do not build intervals by hand. The protocols are ready to run, so setup is just picking one and starting.
- Install PEAKVO2 from the App Store on your iPhone; the Apple Watch app installs alongside it.
- Open PEAKVO2 on the watch (or start on the iPhone and it hands off to the wrist).
- Pick a protocol, for example the Norwegian 4x4 or Tabata, from the workout list.
- Tap Start. The app runs the warm-up, then moves through work and recovery automatically, showing the current phase full screen and tapping your wrist at each switch.
- Just train. Heart rate and duration are tracked on the watch and saved to Apple Health when you finish.
Because the timing, phases, and cues are all built in, there is nothing to program: the workout you picked runs itself.
Keep Reading
- Norwegian 4x4 Protocol: Proven HIIT to Raise VO2 Max
- How to Improve Your Apple Watch Cardio Fitness Score
- HIIT Workout Plan: A 6-Week Plan You Can Actually Follow
- Tabata Workouts: What They Are and How to Do Them Right
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best interval training app for Apple Watch?
The best fit depends on what you want to train. PEAKVO2 is built specifically for VO2 max interval training on Apple Watch: it runs 16 built-in workouts (Norwegian 4x4, Tabata, HIIT 30/30, and more) directly on the wrist with full-screen color-coded phases, automatic transitions, and a haptic tap at each switch, so you never look at a timer. It also tracks your VO2 max trend over time.
Does PEAKVO2 work on Apple Watch Ultra?
Yes. PEAKVO2 runs on Apple Watch Ultra and other supported Apple Watch models. The workout runs natively on the watch, so the large Ultra display shows the current phase and countdown clearly while you train.
Can I use PEAKVO2 without an Apple Watch?
Yes. PEAKVO2 works on iPhone alone: you get the same guided protocols, full-screen phases, countdowns, and audio and haptic cues on the phone. The Apple Watch adds hands-free, glanceable guidance on your wrist, but it is not required.
Does the Apple Watch app need my iPhone nearby?
No. Once a workout is installed, PEAKVO2 runs directly on the Apple Watch without the phone, so you can leave the iPhone at home and train with just the watch.
What interval protocols does the app include?
16 ready-to-run workouts: Norwegian 4x4, Tabata, HIIT 30/30, REHIT 2x20, Norwegian 3x3, Marten's 6x3, hill, track, and fartlek intervals, and more, plus a custom workout builder. Each has built-in warm-up, work, recovery, and cool-down phases. 4 workouts are free.
Can I try the interval training app for free first?
Yes. PEAKVO2 includes 4 free workouts, so you can run full guided protocols, including the Norwegian 4x4, before paying. You unlock the rest of the 16-workout library when you are ready. There is no need to subscribe just to try it.
Does the interval training work offline on Apple Watch?
Yes. Once a workout is on the Apple Watch, PEAKVO2 runs it fully offline, with no phone and no internet connection needed. The phases, countdowns, and haptic cues all run on the watch itself, so it works anywhere, including out of signal.
Does PEAKVO2 sync with Apple Health?
Yes. PEAKVO2 works with Apple Health so your interval sessions are recorded as workouts and your heart rate and activity flow into the Health app alongside the rest of your data, and your VO2 max trend is tracked over time.
How do I set up interval workouts on Apple Watch?
You do not build the intervals by hand. Install PEAKVO2 from the App Store (the Apple Watch app installs alongside it), open it on the watch, pick a ready-made protocol like the Norwegian 4x4 or Tabata, and tap Start. The app runs the warm-up, then moves through work and recovery automatically, showing each phase full screen and tapping your wrist at every switch. There is nothing to program.