For years, Strava has been closely linked with running and cycling. Now, the platform says it is rebuilding its strength training experience from the ground up, introducing a built-in workout log, automatically generated muscle maps and 14 partner integrations.
Anyone who trains outdoors will know Strava. Running, cycling and trail running are the activities that have defined the app-helping it grow into a community of 195 million users across 185 countries. Training patterns are shifting, though: strength training is now one of the fastest-growing activities on the app. Strava logged more than 400 million sessions in 2025, according to Matt Salazar, the company’s product director.
With that momentum, Strava needed to move with the times. It has therefore carried out a complete redesign of its strength training experience.
What’s new in Strava strength training
The update brings a native workout log designed to record sets, reps and weights. On top of that, Strava will create muscle maps automatically based on the exercises you complete.
The revamp also includes five new sharing formats intended to showcase gym work with the same social element that has long been associated with outdoor activities. The aim is to make a bench press session feel just as shareable as a 10 km run completed in 40 minutes.
Strava goes social
To appeal to as many athletes as possible, Strava has opted to work with specialist partners rather than trying to compete with them. Fourteen partners are being added to the ecosystem from launch, including Garmin, WHOOP, Hevy, Fitbod, COROS, Amazfit, Runna, JEFIT and iFIT Personal Trainer, among others.
In practice, data captured in these apps will flow straight into Strava without any manual steps. That positions Strava more as an aggregator competing with Apple Health or Google Health than as a standalone strength training tracker.
With strong partners covering the tracking layer, Strava can focus on what it sees as its real advantage: the social dimension that meets the need for recognition.
Global rollout, step by step
Strava says the new experience will be rolled out worldwide over the next few weeks. If it does not appear immediately, the company has warned that the release will be phased.
It also stresses that this launch is only the first stage of its push to win over people who train in gyms.
A market on steroids
In France, sports participation is rising sharply. According to INJEP’s national barometer, 61% of French people aged 15 and over take part in regular sport in 2025, which is 7 points higher than in 2018. Strength training sits prominently within that trend: INJEP also reports that strength training and fitness are among the disciplines practised most consistently throughout the year-more so than hiking or swimming.
Market indicators tell the same story. Based on figures from consultancy Anodyne, France has around 5,500 fitness clubs, with estimated revenue of €2.5 billion in 2024. Attendance increased by 7.7% between 2024 and 2025, and membership is now close to 7 million. As Europe’s third-largest fitness market behind Germany and the United Kingdom, France still shows a penetration rate of about 10%, leaving substantial room for further growth. In other words, the gym is no longer a niche pastime.
Who are the people driving this? First and foremost, younger adults. INJEP’s 2024 barometer indicates that 72% of 15–24-year-olds take part in regular sport, compared with 63% of those aged 25–39 and 55% of those aged 40 and over. In terms of gender, the picture is broadly balanced: in 2025, 61% of women and 62% of men say they participate in sport regularly, according to INJEP.
Motivations extend well beyond appearance. INJEP says health remains the leading reason for taking part, cited by one in two participants. That aligns directly with Strava’s own messaging in its statement: longevity and injury prevention are presented as the drivers behind strength training’s growth on the platform.
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