Strava is the top fitness app for cyclists and runners.
It makes running and riding feel like a video game.
For example, let’s say you’re riding your bike to work. As you turn the corner from your street to the next, Strava says “Approaching sprint segment in 200m.” Two hundred meters later, Strava gives you the “3,2,1…go!” and you start sprinting. While you’re cranking, Strava shows you your previous best score on that stretch of road; the top ten sprinters along that stretch; and how your friends performed. When you’ve finished, you get audio tones and an updated leaderboard. Later, you can check how fast you went; how many watts you put out; how your heart rate changed…and all of the tech stuff that endurance athletes love.
It’s really addictive. And with 5G upgrades, you can bet the platform will feature coaching too.
But that doesn’t mean your athletes don’t need you. In fact, runners and cyclists need you more than ever.
I know, because I am one. In the previous post in this series, I shared my training plan. Here’s how you can use Strava with your athletes and keep them training in your gym.
Schedule 1:1 time with your athlete each month.
Join Strava and follow them so you can see their running, swimming and cycling.
Then prescribe “gym time” around their scheduled rides.
What do you do? That’s up to you, coach (but I’ll break down some ideas in my next blog post.)
Track their progress with their diet. Adjust their macro and caloric needs as required.
This is critical: stay in constant contact, with meaningful feedback about their performance. Don’t just give them a thumbs-up on Strava; demonstrate that you’re paying attention.
That’s how this transaction works: they pay you money, you pay them attention.
Meet with them again the next month. Review their rides. Set goals for new PRs. Review their training plan, even if it was prepared by another coach.
Does it seem too simple? It IS simple. But most coaches miss this great opportunity (and great tool!) because they take the wrong approach: they see everything outside the gym as competition to what happens IN their gym. That’s just not the case in the real world.
You interact with your clients on Facebook, because that’s where they are. Now they’re on Strava. Coach them there.