Strava: Why this fitness tracking app is the friendliest social media network

Initially built for athletes, the platform has quickly become an amazing tool for finding motivation and friends

The author uses Strava to meet up with like-minded cyclists for rides around Al Qudra bike track in Dubai. Courtesy Dubai Media Office

As the world of social media spirals into a cesspit of negativity, trolling and general gloominess, there has been an exception to the rule: Strava. It's the remedy to the rampant doomscrolling that we've allowed to creep into our lives. It's also the perfect tonic to not only escape it, but to make yourself physically and mentally healthier.

It was initially launched as a fitness app in 2009 for serious athletes and weekend warriors to record their running and cycling routes via GPS data. It works on a “freemium” model where you get a basic amount of stats for free and a tonne more with an annual subscription for $60 – and both come with a social feed.

Fast-forward to 2021 and it has become an integral tool to track all manner of fitness activities. Swimming, weightlifting, yoga – there isn't much it doesn't cover. It also spawned the tongue-in-cheek phrase: "If it's not on Strava, did it really happen?"

I’ve had a Strava account for a while, but only started using it frequently in the past 12 months. I’m not alone, as the app saw an incredible upsurge in subscribers and fitness activities in 2020 as more and more people used the pandemic to up their fitness game.

Personally, gamifying my exercise with the little digital trophies you get for setting personal bests is the easiest way to get me off the sofa. That little dopamine hit keeps me coming back for more – it’s all very Pavlovian. But much more than this, I’ve found the unequivocal positivity of the Strava community to be key in pushing me to loftier fitness goals.

Comments underneath my workouts, rides or runs fall into two categories: congratulatory or encouraging. You can type out a description of how your exercise went without fear of some troll jumping in with something negative. It genuinely feels like we’re all helping to motivate each other without exception.

Injury and rehab advice, too, is dished out by those with a similar experience. A great example of this is when I damaged my Achilles tendon. A virtual friend read my description and asked for my WhatsApp number. They then sent me the name and contact details of a consultant in Dubai who I was able to make an appointment with that same day. A scan and diagnosis later, and I had a full treatment plan that helped me recover. I dare not think of the "advice" I'd have received from a random stranger on Twitter.

And that's the other thing – lots of these connections on Strava have led to real-life friendship groups offline, too. I've gone from riding solo around Al Qudra Cycle Track, to having a number of people I can call on to join me. I'm also in a few cycling WhatsApp groups made up of people who not only ride together, but also socialise off the bike. This includes a "cake ride", where most of the participants meet up for a big cycle and then bring homemade cakes and treats out afterwards.

I can’t recall a single time this has happened with any other social network.

So I find myself drawn to Strava each morning to see what everyone has achieved the previous day. I’ll stop and “like” every single effort, and will even drop a comment on notable achievements, because this is what my small group of followers do for me and it works wonders for my motivation. It doesn’t matter if it’s simply a walk to the shops and back or a 100-kilometre bike ride, there’s always a positive response that follows.

But if you’re more of an introvert, you don’t have to become part of these fitness groups. Many people exercise alone, but finding the motivation to continue when you’re not seeing tangible progress either in the mirror or on the scales can be tough. I have a friend who used to go for a walk every other week and record it to Strava. However, they’ve recently upped it to daily walks, increasing in distance, and admitted that gaining a few “likes” on each workout is providing the fuel to spur them on.

One final thing that adds to the Strava experience is the end-of-year wrap-up. If you’ve ever had a subscription to Spotify or Apple Music, you’ll be well aware of these. They give you an annual breakdown of what song you listened to the most, favourite genre and so on. But with Strava, it packages together all of your exercises and achievements in a handy infographic that you can screenshot and share. Sure, it can certainly look like bragging – especially when shared across networks other than Strava – but there was plenty of praise in the WhatsApp groups for each person’s round-ups.

It’s too easy to be sucked in by the negativity of various social networks – and that serves no purpose other than to simply put you in a bad mood. By switching my morning routine away from all that and simply congratulating my virtual friends for their physical efforts – and vice versa – it has really helped me to kick each day off in the best possible way.