People use fitness tracking platform Strava for many reasons. The platform has outstanding social features that allow users to share their workouts and compare their performance with others, but that’s one part of the service. The driving force behind the Strava platform is data analysis. Everyone from professional to weekend athletes use Strava to record their workouts, analyze their stats and monitor their progress. Like most fitness tracking apps, Strava has both a full-fledged desktop component for comparison and analysis and a companion mobile app for on-the-go performance monitoring. Strava made a big leap forward in the mobile department with the addition of Workout Analysis to its iOS and Android apps.
Workout analysis, previously only a feature available to desktop users with a premium account, allows athletes to delve into their workouts even when they are on their mobile phones. No more paper notes with split times scribbled quickly after a run. All that data is now automatically calculated and made accessible on any iOS or Android device. Each split time is graphed when a lap is detected using an auto-lap feature, or is manually recorded by pressing a button on wristwatch GPS device. If laps are not enabled, the Workout Analysis tool calculates split times by mile or kilometer, depending on the default measurement selected by the user.
Besides split times, Workout Analysis also calculates the distance and pace of the workout. The pace is presented as a colorful graphic, allowing the user to visualize the intensity of their exercise at a glance. And that’s not all — users can even overlay an elevation profile and heart rate data that can help provide insight into an athlete’s performance.
Using the new Workout Analysis feature is simple. Users start by recording a run with the Strava app or a Strava-compatible GPS device and uploading the workout to their Strava account. When the workout is complete, Users with a premium account can open the Strava app on their mobile device and start diving into their statistics on the activity page. The feature does require a premium account — free users can access a preview of the statistics but cannot delve into the data without signing up for the premium service. Strava’s premium account costs $59 for a yearly subscription or $8 monthly.
