Strava Fitness App: A Hands-On Review

There’s no greater feeling than reaching every milestone in your entire workout program and sharing it with your family and friends. 

That’s why US-based company Strava has designed and created its unique exercise tracking solution brand so everyone can keep tabs on their fitness activity progress. So, what exactly is Strava?

Introduction to Strava

Strava is a mobile wellness tracking tool that lets you monitor your workouts. Specifically, this app serves as an online training log where you can check all records of the various types of exercise you’ve done so far, be it cycling, hiking, or running.

The smartphone app enables you to train for any fitness activity and analyze workout-specific statistics, including the number of calories burned, distance, gained elevation, pace, and speed. 

With it, you can even do a map lookup for brand new routes so you can ramp up your fitness game. In addition to being primarily a fitness tracking app, Strava is also an online social network or media platform for training stats enthusiasts. 

The app gives you the power to upload your workout photos and append comments on them for your future reference.

Key App Features

• Create a video of your scheduled workout and share it with family and friends via the app feed.
• Chronicle your biking journey through your uploaded pictures and shared routes.
• Take advantage of the app’s real-time feedback for more effective and safer training.

Check out below the feature comparison for the free and paid versions and their availability for each.

Feature	Free	Paid
Activity Tracking	Available	Available
Beacon	Available	Available
Challenges	Available	Available
Post-Workout Stats	Available	Available
Social Wall	Available	Available
Custom Goals	Not Accessible	Available
Personal Heat Maps	Not Accessible	Available
Relative Effort	Not Accessible	Available
Route Tool	Not Accessible	Available
Segments	Not Accessible	Available
Training Plans	Not Accessible	Available

 

How the App Works

Since the Strava fitness app is intended primarily for smartphones, its interoperability on smartwatches is no surprise.

Strava links with your smartwatch, then it uploads all types of training-related information and shows the statistics in the form of user-friendly visuals. Cadence and heart rate are among the few stats it displays.

The app is compatible with a selected number of smartwatch products, such as:

• Apple Watch
• Coros Apex
• Fitbit
• Garmin
• Polar
• Samsung Galaxy Watch

Furthermore, as long as you own a device that supports the FIT, GPX, or TCX formats, this is one solid indication that Strava is compatible with your gadget.

 

Using the App

1. Download the Strava mobile app.

Once you’ve downloaded Strava for iPhone or Android, you should connect the app to your smartwatch or GPS-capable running watch. The app automatically syncs whenever you complete fitness training.

1. Create a Strava account.

Having a Strava account not only gives you the green light to use its activity tracking and social networking capabilities. The app account also stores your profile details and – most importantly – your exercise data.

1. Configure your preferred account privacy settings.

Given the few social aspects of Strava, you have the option to set up a settings preference for your app profile. You may keep your profile public to let everyone know your timely training progress or make your fitness activity private.

The app’s community feature enables you to connect with more people, provided that you enter and share more information. Plus, this specific component is entirely optional.

Perhaps one of Strava’s excellent functionalities is its Privacy Zones setting, in which you can type in your home address and then pick a radius surrounding it. 

After you’ve set a Privacy Zone around your residence, for instance, no one else can view the starting and finishing point for your practice run.

Moreover, there’s this other standout Record feature in the app that you can use to keep track of your workout. When used, the Strava Record function sends out a Beacon text message with a corresponding link to notify one of your three emergency contacts of your most recent activity.

 

Benefits and Downsides

The following details outline the advantages and disadvantages of using Strava, regardless of whether you’re using the Free or Paid version.

Pros	Cons
Free version with 30-day trial	High-end subscription pricing
Allows multi-sport tracking	The best features are behind a paywall
Intuitive user interface
You can let others monitor your location
Has an active and vibrant community

 

The Verdict

Strava is a must-have fitness tracking app for multi-sport runners who want to always keep an eye out for their activities in one spot. 

The app is capable enough to show you all your scheduled training without the need to alternate between apps. For example, you can view your weekly triathlon activities such as bike rides, runs, and swims.

There is one other positive trait that Strava is most known for. It’s among the only few known fitness tracking apps out there in the market that has still retained its independent status successfully. 

This fact means apparel manufacturers haven’t acquired Strava yet, allowing the app to maintain its high-quality service. The app’s expensive paid version, however, is ideal for runners who get driven by competitions. 

Strava has this one feature named Segments that promotes a friendly competition to win a ‘segment’ or portion of a road or route. Despite its pricey subscription, the Strava fitness tracking app still offers a mighty impressive free version with virtually all of the best features out there in the market.