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High intensity interval training as a workout type on HealthKit, Health Connect and Wear OS

3 platforms · 2 facts from the sources beyond the names · read 2026-10-18

High intensity interval training has a constant on 3 of the four platforms: HKWorkoutActivityType.highIntensityIntervalTraining, ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING (36) and ExerciseType.HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING (36). The names match once the EXERCISE_TYPE_ prefix, case and separators are removed, and the Health Connect and Wear OS numbers are equal; none of the Apple and Google pages read for this reference maps them to each other. Apple says: “HealthKit provides optimized calorie calculations for this activity based on the data from Apple Watch’s sensors.” A Health Connect session of type EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING accepts any segment type.

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The constant on each platform

These share a row because their names match under the crosswalk rule. None of the Apple and Google pages read for this reference maps them to each other.

PlatformConstantNumberWhat the source says
Apple HealthKitHKWorkoutActivityType.highIntensityIntervalTrainingnone printedThe constant for high intensity interval training.iOS 10.0, watchOS 3.0 · Exercise and fitness
Android Health ConnectExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING36Google’s Jetpack reference gives no description.Platform API: EXERCISE_SESSION_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING = 20 · “Use this type for the high intensity interval training session.” · API level 34
Wear OS Health ServicesExerciseType.HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING36Google’s ExerciseType reference gives no description.
Google Health APINo constant with this name in Exercise.exerciseType.

Health Connect’s EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING and Wear OS’s ExerciseType.HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING both print 36. Every pair that differs.

What the sources say about high intensity interval training beyond its names

Quoted from the sources as read on 2026-10-18. These are what give this row a page of its own under the page rule.

Apple’s discussion of the HealthKit case

On highIntensityIntervalTraining, from Apple's page for each HKWorkoutActivityType case (84 JSON documents), read 2026-10-18

HealthKit provides optimized calorie calculations for this activity based on the data from Apple Watch’s sensors.

The segment types Health Connect accepts in this session type

On EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING, from ExerciseSegment.kt (androidx source), read 2026-10-18

internal val UNIVERSAL_SESSION_TYPES = setOf( ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_BOOT_CAMP, ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING, ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_OTHER_WORKOUT, )

A Health Connect session of type EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING accepts any segment type.

Every session also accepts OTHER_WORKOUT, PAUSE, REST, STRETCHING, UNKNOWN.

Where each platform’s list lives on this site

Other activities side by side

Questions

What is the Health Connect constant for HKWorkoutActivityType.highIntensityIntervalTraining?

ExerciseSessionRecord.EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING, value 36. The two names match once the EXERCISE_TYPE_ prefix, case and separators are removed; none of the Apple and Google pages read for this reference maps one to the other, so this is a name match, not a documented equivalence.

Is the Wear OS ExerciseType.HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING id the same number as Health Connect's EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING?

Yes, both are 36: Health Connect's Jetpack reference prints 36 and the androidx ExerciseType.kt source passes 36. Google does not say the numberings are shared, and 6 other same-name pairs differ.

Which exercise segment types can a Health Connect high intensity interval training session contain?

A Health Connect session of type EXERCISE_TYPE_HIGH_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING accepts any segment type. The universal ones are EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_OTHER_WORKOUT, EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_PAUSE, EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_REST, EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_STRETCHING and EXERCISE_SEGMENT_TYPE_UNKNOWN. ExerciseSegment.isSegmentTypeCompatibleWithSessionType() answers the question in code, and on devices where the record is not handed to the platform API the ExerciseSessionRecord constructor fails with “segmentType and sessionType is not compatible.”

How does HealthKit estimate calories for a high intensity interval training workout?

Apple's documentation for HKWorkoutActivityType.highIntensityIntervalTraining says: “HealthKit provides optimized calorie calculations for this activity based on the data from Apple Watch’s sensors.”

Sources (12)