Strava as a motivational tool for beginners?

[u/greytechbeard]

I was speaking with a friend, who is new to running, about Strava and it got me thinking about how I use Strava in my fitness journey. The thing is, both my friend and I use an advanced fitness tracker (Garmin in our cases) so does Strava actually add anything above what we get from that?

I gathered my thoughts on this, below, so I can share them more easily. What do you think? What have I missed? Or is my experience atypical?

Many people's first thought is that Strava is for posers bragging about their super fitness and that they need to be really fit before they should "post their results to Strava". Sure, there is some of that, but in reality that's not what I see.

The thing about a fitness journey is that "showing up" is the most important thing. Not how fast or how far you go. Consistency is king and anything that helps you get out there is good.

1. Reading Atomic Habits helped me understand a bit; getting a "like" on Strava triggers the reward centre in the brain, just like any other social media. But this time it's a reward for being active.

2. In reality, most people I know on Strava give the likes for the effort. If you just about manage to struggle through a slow 3k, you will likely get more love than a super athlete knocking 1 second of their PB.

3. Strava encourages this; if you haven't trained for a while, it will send push notifications to your followers when you do manage to get back to it so they can support you with a "like".

4. Strava also awards "Crowns" to the person who most often exercises on a certain "segment" - no matter how slow you may be. I.e. they reward consistency.

5. You can set up your own clubs or groups on Strava. It makes your solo exercise a bit more social. 

6. Finally, when I am out there at 6am in the dark and cold, it helps  - just a little bit - to know that *someone* will know i did that 😁

I have no affiliation with Strava and there is plenty I dislike about it. But I think it can be a really helpful social support tool for people at all levels - maybe especially beginners

[u/databaaz]

You have put it well. Strava for sure is a motivational tool for beginners and oldies alike. Go ahead and share it!

[u/NoName-420-69]

It’s as motivating as you want it to be but it can have to opposite effects if you easily get discouraged from others fitness levels or compare yourself to whoever you’re following

I use it to track my personal progress over long periods of time and don’t use the social aspect at all

[u/kinboyatuwo → u/NoName-420-69]

Comparison can be the thief of joy if you let it.