Apple Fitness Plus is renewed in the Strava application. The two companies just announced that they are collaborating to revamp how Fitness Plus integrates with the popular fitness community, including more detailed workout summaries, Strava athletes featured in Fitness Plus content, and a free trial of three months of service for Strava subscribers.
Starting today, you'll be able to see a thumbnail of the Fitness Plus workout and information like episode number, music genre, trainer, metrics, and achievements. While it's primarily a design update, this brings Fitness Plus more in line with other Strava integrations from services like Peloton and Ladder.
Technically, Apple Watch users have been able to import their workouts to Strava from the beginning. However, that integration has been limited with basic exercise summaries. While you could see the type of activity, calories burned, and basic heart rate metrics, there was no information about the class or instructor. (As you can see from this screenshot, you'd be hard-pressed to know that my New Year's Day yoga workout was even a Fitness Plus class.)
The Fitness Plus and Strava integration goes both ways. To start, new and existing Strava subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia will get a free trial of Fitness Plus for three months, regardless of whether they have an Apple Watch. (You do need an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to access the service, however.) Popular Strava athletes will also appear as guests in Fitness Plus workouts. That includes strength training with a runner. Hellah Sidibe on January 13 and a treadmill workout with Kayla Jeter.
Until now, Apple has only offered free trials of Fitness Plus with the purchase of a new Apple device. And while the service regularly features well-known athletes as guest hosts on its programming, it never gets those guests from a third-party fitness community.
Sidibe, for example, may not be as famous as two-time Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (who recently hosted a Fitness Plus series). However, if you like running and using social media, there's a good chance you're familiar with Sidibe. seven years Daily running streak and penchant for running with four smartwatches.
“Over the last 10 years, we've greatly admired what Strava has done to impact the fitness space, especially in the community,” says Jay Blahnik, Apple's vice president of fitness technologies, acknowledging that Apple doesn't typically engage in this type of collaboration.
Blahnik says working with Strava also presents a new opportunity for Fitness Plus' reach. When the service was first launched, emphasis was placed on ensuring it was inclusive, motivating and accessible to people of all abilities. And in those early days, it often seemed like Fitness Plus was like a fitness starter pack for the average person who might need a little encouragement, something The edge noted in his initial review. That's not exactly your typical Strava user.
“They don't need us for motivation! They are already motivated,” says Blahnik. Instead, for experienced athletes, Blahnik presents Fitness Plus as a complementary resource for cross-training and discovering new types of activities.
“Maybe they're starting to run for the first time and want to make sure they don't get injured, and they need to do yoga and strength training,” adds Zipporah Allen, chief commercial officer at Strava.
Both Allen and Blahnik also note that the collaboration is not a one-size-fits-all type of deal, hinting that the integration could evolve down the road. While both declined to provide specific details, Blahnik noted that the companies “have bold ambitions about what they could do in the future in terms of sharing.” (When asked if maybe one day you could access a Fitness Plus class a Strava friend took and immediately access that workout on your phone, Blahnik said they'd keep that in mind.)
In the short term, it is a beneficial measure for both companies. Strava recently angered users by changing the terms of its API for third-party apps, leaving some disgruntled users questioning the value of a Strava subscription. A three-month free trial of Apple Fitness Plus might appease some of those users. Strava has long been a de facto fitness data center for dedicated athletes, giving Fitness Plus easy access to long-term athletes who aren't likely to give up on their New Year's resolutions.
