Strava: Adding and Changing Sport Types for Activities

How Do I Add a Sport on Strava?

Adding or changing a sport type on Strava is a straightforward process, essential for accurate data tracking, performance analysis, and community engagement, and can be done either during activity recording via the mobile app or by editing an existing activity on both the mobile app and web browser.

Understanding Strava's Activity Categorization

Strava, as a premier fitness tracking platform, relies heavily on accurate activity categorization to provide meaningful insights into your training. Each activity you record or upload is assigned a "sport type"—such as cycling, running, swimming, or weight training. This categorization is not merely for organizational purposes; it fundamentally influences how your data is analyzed, how you interact with segments and challenges, and how your training load is interpreted. Correctly identifying your sport ensures that metrics like pace, speed, power, and elevation gain are processed within the appropriate context, providing a truer reflection of your performance and progress.

Adding a Sport While Recording (Mobile App)

For athletes using the Strava mobile app to record their activities in real-time, selecting the correct sport type before you begin is crucial for immediate data accuracy.

• Step 1: Open the Strava App Launch the Strava application on your smartphone.
• Step 2: Navigate to the Record Screen From the main dashboard, tap the "Record" icon, typically located at the bottom center of the screen (a circle with a plus sign or a record button).
• Step 3: Select Your Sport Type Before pressing the "Start" button, locate the sport icon, usually displayed prominently at the top or bottom of the recording screen. This icon represents the currently selected sport (e.g., a bicycle for cycling, a running shoe for running). Tap this icon to open a menu displaying a list of available sport types. Scroll through the list and select the sport that corresponds to your upcoming activity.
• Step 4: Begin Your Activity Once the correct sport type is selected, you can confidently tap "Start" to begin recording your activity. The app will now track your metrics according to the parameters relevant to that chosen sport.

Changing a Sport for an Existing Activity (Mobile App)

It's common for an activity to be miscategorized, either due to oversight during recording or automatic synchronization from a third-party device. Fortunately, Strava allows you to edit the sport type of any uploaded activity.

• Step 1: Access the Activity You Wish to Edit From your Strava feed or profile, locate and tap on the specific activity you need to modify. This will open the activity details page.
• Step 2: Tap the Ellipses Menu On the activity details page, look for the three dots (ellipsis menu icon), usually located in the top right corner. Tap this icon to reveal a dropdown menu of options.
• Step 3: Select "Edit Activity" From the dropdown menu, choose the "Edit Activity" option. This will take you to the activity editing screen.
• Step 4: Change the Sport Type On the editing screen, you will see various editable fields, including the current sport type. Tap on the existing sport type to open a list of alternative sports. Select the correct sport from the provided options.
• Step 5: Save Your Changes After selecting the new sport type, scroll down or look for the "Save" or "Update Activity" button, usually at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to apply your changes. The activity will now be re-categorized, and its metrics will be re-processed accordingly.

Changing a Sport for an Existing Activity (Web Browser)

For those who prefer managing their activities on a larger screen or need to make bulk edits, Strava's web interface offers similar functionality.

• Step 1: Log In to Strava.com Open your web browser and navigate to Strava.com. Log in to your account using your credentials.
• Step 2: Locate the Activity From your dashboard, find the activity you wish to edit. You can typically do this by scrolling through your feed or by navigating to "My Activities" from your profile dropdown menu. Click on the activity title to open its details page.
• Step 3: Click the Pencil Icon (Edit) On the activity details page, locate the pencil icon (representing "Edit Activity") usually found on the left side, below the activity title and date. Click this icon.
• Step 4: Select the Correct Sport Type The editing interface will appear. Look for the "Sport" dropdown menu. Click on the current sport type to reveal a list of all available sports. Select the appropriate one for your activity.
• Step 5: Save Your Activity After selecting the new sport type, scroll down and click the "Save Activity" button to finalize your changes. The activity will be updated immediately.

Common Strava Sport Types and Their Biomechanical Implications

Strava offers a wide array of sport types, each designed to categorize and analyze activities based on their unique biomechanical demands and data collection methods. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for accurate training analysis:

• Run: Focuses on pace, cadence, ground contact time (with compatible sensors), and elevation gain. GPS-dependent.
• Ride: Emphasizes speed, power output (with power meter), cadence, and elevation gain. GPS-dependent.
• Swim: Tracks distance, pace, stroke count, and SWOLF score (for pool swims). Often relies on dedicated swim watches with internal accelerometers.
• Walk & Hike: Similar to run but generally at lower intensities, focusing on distance, pace, and elevation. GPS-dependent.
• Weight Training: A non-GPS activity, primarily for logging duration and perceived effort. Users often add notes for specific exercises, sets, and reps.
• Yoga: Another non-GPS activity for tracking duration and perceived effort.
• Crossfit: Similar to weight training, for logging duration and effort.
• Elliptical/Stair Stepper: Indoor, non-GPS activities where duration and machine-reported metrics are logged.
• Virtual Ride/Run: For activities performed on indoor trainers or treadmills connected to platforms like Zwift or Peloton, often including power and cadence data.
• Alpine Ski/Snowboard: Tracks downhill metrics, vertical descent, and speed. GPS-dependent.
• Rowing: Can be GPS-based (on water) or non-GPS (indoor rower), focusing on pace, distance, and stroke rate.

The precise categorization allows Strava's algorithms to apply sport-specific calculations and display relevant metrics, ensuring that your training data is contextualized correctly.

Why Accurate Sport Categorization Matters for Your Training

Beyond mere organization, accurately categorizing your activities on Strava has profound implications for your training efficacy and data integrity:

• Precise Data Metrics: Different sports utilize different primary metrics. A "ride" focuses on speed and power, while a "run" prioritizes pace and cadence. Correct categorization ensures that the appropriate algorithms are applied, providing valid performance data.
• Segment Matching: Strava's popular segments are sport-specific. If your run is accidentally categorized as a ride, you won't match against running segments, and vice-versa, skewing your personal bests and competitive comparisons.
• Training Load Analysis: For athletes utilizing Strava's Summit features or integrating with third-party training platforms (e.g., TrainingPeaks), accurate sport types are critical for calculating training stress (e.g., Training Stress Score - TSS) and managing fitness, fatigue, and form.
• Community Engagement: Joining clubs, participating in challenges, and connecting with other athletes are often sport-specific. Correct categorization ensures you engage with the most relevant communities and content.
• Personal Records (PRs): Strava tracks your PRs across various distances and efforts for specific sports. Inaccurate categorization would lead to incorrect PR tracking or the inability to record new achievements.

Troubleshooting and Best Practices

• Set Default Sport: On the Strava mobile app, you can set a preferred default sport type for recording. Access this via the 'Record' screen settings.
• Review Before Saving: Always take a moment to review the activity details, including the sport type, before saving an activity, especially if it was synced from an external device.
• Manual Uploads: When manually uploading files (e.g., .GPX, .FIT) to Strava, ensure the sport type is correctly selected during the upload process.
• Multi-Sport Activities: For activities that genuinely involve multiple sports (e.g., a brick workout combining cycling and running), consider recording and uploading them as separate activities for more granular data analysis, or use the multi-sport recording feature on your device if available.
• Consistency is Key: Maintaining consistent and accurate sport categorization over time builds a robust training history, enabling more reliable trend analysis and performance insights.

By diligently managing your activity sport types on Strava, you empower yourself with clearer, more actionable data, enhancing your training effectiveness and overall fitness journey.