Guide on Integrating Strava with Garmin Smartwatch: Monitor Your Trail Runs with This Advanced Running App
Stravain' the Wild, Tracked by Garmin:
Strap on your trail runners and grab your Garmin watch, because we're diving into the magical world of fitness tracking with Strava! This badass app, born 15 years ago, has stormed the globe, offering a simple yet powerful way to log your runs and compare stats with your pals. Today, over 120 million people, including a helluva lot of Garmin enthusiasts, are using Strava to monitor their wild adventures.
You know Garmin, right? They've been making kick-ass fitness trackers for over two decades, and their wearables are seriously smart when it comes to exercise and GPS monitoring. They've also got some absolute bangers in their arsenal, like the sensationally smart Garmin Fenix 8, designed to nail your progress in the most remote wilderness spots.
Pair Strava with your sick Garmin watch, and bam! Every single lick of data recorded on your wrist will instantly appear on your Strava account, ready for you to boast about to your mates. Here's the lowdown on how to hook 'em up.
What the Hell is Strava?
Strava is the ultimate exercise tracker and social network all in one, mate. It collects GPS and health data from either your smartphone or wearable, summoning a vivid, accurate picture of your performance and overall wellness following an activity.
And while running and cycling might be the primary modes, Strava's got plenty of flexibility, catering to sports like swimming, basketball, and tennis.
After sweating your balls off, Strava gives you a handy rundown of your activity, complete with stats like distance, moving time, and average pace. They'll even compare your workouts to previous efforts so you can track your improvements and savor the sweet taste of a personal best (PB, for the uninitiated).
As for health trackers, there are some deep dives available on the Strava app, but you'll need to shell out for a subscription to access a blow-by-blow analysis.
One of the coolest things about Strava is its community vibe. Connect with friends, groups, and even pro athletes (shout out to trail running legend Killian Jornet) via the app, where you can smash-talk your workouts, share glorious pics, and get some much-needed kudos and comments.
Hooking Strava Up to Your Garmin Watch
Luckily, there are a stack of Garmin watches that play nicely with Strava. Bust out the Connect app on your smartphone or jump online and download the Garmin Connect widget in a few swift steps.
To sync the two via the app:
- Launch the Garmin Connect app on your phone
- Tap 'More' at the bottom right
- Tap 'Settings'
- Tap 'Connected Apps'
- Choose Strava
- Agree to their terms and conditions
- Organize your connected apps to your liking
Or, if you're doing it through the website:
- Sign in to the Garmin Connect website
- Add a widget to the bottom of the main page
- Select 'Segments' from the 'Add to Dashboard' menu
- Tap the settings icon
- Tap 'Use Strava Options'
- Give Strava the ol' 'Connect Me' finger
Give the sync a few minutes, and voila! Your past 90 days of Garmin activities will be breezing through your Strava account, and any future sweat sessions will follow suit.
Embracing the Strava Life
Now that your Garmin and Strava are chums, let's hit the trails! If you're new to the Strava scene, the plethora of features and modes might seem a teensy bit overwhelming. But have no fear, bud, 'cause Strava's intuitive interface is simple to navigate once you've got it sussed.
First things first, create a profile and start following some fellow fitness freaks. These can be mates and folks you love, but you can also use it to stalk the world's best athletes, like the one and only Killian Jornet, or drool over Nike and Hoka's high-flying athletes.
See posts from whomever you follow on your feed, and watch as they shower you with kudos and words of encouragement.
Once you're all set up and following a few diehards, join a club! This can be a local or international sports community where you can witness what your fellow gym rats are doing.
With over 5 million members, Strava's own Strava Club is the biggest in the game. In addition to the standard stats, it posts coaching and motivational tidbits to help you smash your goals and conquer every trail.
As you wade deeper into the Stravasphere, you'll unlock achievements and bling to celebrate your successes. achievements can be community-focused, like taking the lead on a local route, or personal, like hitting a new PB or clocking a record distance. Share your victories with your followers to flaunt your triumphs.
Premium Subscription Perks
Strava is free to download and use, but if you want to take things up a notch, you can cough up $11.99 (£8.99) per month or $79.99 (£54.99) annually for the premium subscription. This isn't mandatory, but it does offer some enticing features if you want to measure your runs with pinpoint accuracy.
With the premium subscription, you can plot a route ahead of time, access offline maps during your streak, and reap the benefits of advanced analytics after your workout.
Advanced analytics include Strava's Perceived Exertion feature, which shows you how much energy you're burning, and personalized heart rate zones, giving you an in-depth look at your ticker. There's also a range of additional coaching tools to help you set personalized goals and unleash your full potential.
If you already have a Garmin watch, you likely already have access to many of these features through the Garmin Connect app. Connect has plenty of training plans and in-depth health analysis, so forking out the extra dough might not be strictly necessary.
Up your game with the best cheap GPS watches or splurge on some feature-packed timepieces. Whatever floats your boat!
- With the ability to track various sports like running, cycling, swimming, basketball, and tennis, Strava is a technology powerhouse that has integrated seamlessly with advanced gadgets such as the Garmin Fenix 8, allowing users to monitor their fitness progress in the most remote locations.
- To fully leverage the potential of smart-home devices such as Garmin wearables, subscribing to Strava's premium subscription offers features like offline map access, plotting routes in advance, and personalized heart rate zones, which can provide a comprehensive analysis of one's health and exercise data.
