Which app to rule them all? Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks

Pampa

Pampa

Well-Known Member
If this has been discussed before, please point me to that; I couldn't find it.

I'm getting ready to start a training program and want to track how I'm doing. In addition to tracking progress with the workouts, I'd like to track weight, fat %, FTP, LT, and possibly sleep hours. Right now I'm using Garmin Connect, Strava and Training Peaks. Garmin syncs with Strava and Training Peaks but not everything carries through (weight, sleep, which bike I used). I bought my training program through Training Peaks and that syncs from TP to GC/Edge 830.

Can I ditch Training Peaks and just use Garmin Connect? I'd be losing the fitness metrics from TP (fitness, fatigue & form) but have other ones from GC (Training Status, Training Load, TSS & IF). I'd like to keep Strava for finding routes around me and use the segments for motivation. This one doesn't require much work to keep updated.

Any thoughts?
 
Pearl

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
i let my strava premium lapse about 2 months ago and now it is really just twitter for riding.

the only thing i "miss" on strava now is that you cant use the "create a route" function, but ridewithgps.com is still free and way better.

cant you set up riding profiles on your garmin and have that import in? each profile i have is labeled mtb, road, gravel, etc. based on the profile, it selects that trait?

i was thinking about jumping into the TP world, but don't think the cost is worth it to me.
 
Norm

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Pearl said:
i was thinking about jumping into the TP world, but don't think the cost is worth it to me.
Click to expand...

IMO TP is only for the people who can tell you what their TSS load was last week off the top of their heads. For that crowd it's great. Otherwise it is overkill for most users.
 
Pearl

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Norm said:
IMO TP is only for the people who can tell you what their TSS load was last week off the top of their heads. For that crowd it's great. Otherwise it is overkill for most users.
Click to expand...
i'm thinking about purchasing a training plan from training peaks, any benefit over the premium option versus the free?

obviously step 1) load in calendar step 2) do the work repeat for 16 weeks
 
Pampa

Pampa

Well-Known Member
mattybfat said:
Heard good things about whoop strap for following sleep recovery ect
Click to expand...
Here I am trying to cut down platforms and you introduce me to a new one :) It looks interesting but I'm trying to start right away and don't want to learn a new platform or spend money. Maybe for later.
 
Pampa

Pampa

Well-Known Member
Pearl said:
i let my strava premium lapse about 2 months ago and now it is really just twitter for riding.

the only thing i "miss" on strava now is that you cant use the "create a route" function, but ridewithgps.com is still free and way better.

cant you set up riding profiles on your garmin and have that import in? each profile i have is labeled mtb, road, gravel, etc. based on the profile, it selects that trait?

i was thinking about jumping into the TP world, but don't think the cost is worth it to me.
Click to expand...
I also let my Strava Premium lapse for about a while. It pisses me off that they don't let you see your workouts first/as a default when you log in. People have been asking for this for 5 years, repeatedly, and they don't budge. When I finish my ride I want to go straight to that, see how I did, add the bike I used, etc. and THEN check who's doing what, maybe. Taking a page from FB, they want to force you to interact and I hate that (the forcing, not the interacting). I came back to Premium because I needed some long routes over the summer and I don't know the place. Here (CO foothills) if you don't hook up the right roads/trails it's a mess. Lot's of restrictions on where you can bike on the trails, lots of long private roads that go into the mountain, turnarounds con be miles long and lots of added climbing. With Premium it's easy to take someone's ride and make it a course, edit it, etc.

I think I'll start by letting Strava Premium lapse again and find out to get in and manage my training plans directly in Garmin.
 
Norm

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Pearl said:
i'm thinking about purchasing a training plan from training peaks, any benefit over the premium option versus the free?

obviously step 1) load in calendar step 2) do the work repeat for 16 weeks
Click to expand...

The canned workouts on the calendar are a great thing. You can probably do it yourself but how much is it for 3-4 months?
 
Pearl

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Norm said:
The canned workouts on the calendar are a great thing. You can probably do it yourself but how much is it for 3-4 months?
Click to expand...
$100, it's almost the same price as using TrainerRoad and event specific, so it seems like a no brainer for me
 
Pearl

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Pampa said:
I also let my Strava Premium lapse for about a while. It pisses me off that they don't let you see your workouts first/as a default when you log in. People have been asking for this for 5 years, repeatedly, and they don't budge. When I finish my ride I want to go straight to that, see how I did, add the bike I used, etc. and THEN check who's doing what, maybe. Taking a page from FB, they want to force you to interact and I hate that (the forcing, not the interacting). I came back to Premium because I needed some long routes over the summer and I don't know the place. Here (CO foothills) if you don't hook up the right roads/trails it's a mess. Lot's of restrictions on where you can bike on the trails, lots of long private roads that go into the mountain, turnarounds con be miles long and lots of added climbing. With Premium it's easy to take someone's ride and make it a course, edit it, etc.

I think I'll start by letting Strava Premium lapse again and find out to get in and manage my training plans directly in Garmin.
Click to expand...
As for routes, the global heat map is still free on strava...
 
Norm

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Pearl said:
$100, it's almost the same price as using TrainerRoad and event specific, so it seems like a no brainer for me
Click to expand...

Christ $100 is a dinner for this family if we order out. Total no-brainer there. To spend $100 to not have to add each workout to the calendar is gold.
 
Pampa

Pampa

Well-Known Member
Norm said:
IMO TP is only for the people who can tell you what their TSS load was last week off the top of their heads. For that crowd it's great. Otherwise it is overkill for most users.
Click to expand...
I found a 50% deal on a training program very specific to the race I want to do. It's on a pdf so no structured sessions but the indications are there. I'm thinking on using this and load it in GC manually (24 weeks ☹️). Do you know what the equivalent (or close) metrics in GC to track fitness & freshness? Training load I guess it's similar to fitness and training status similar to freshness, right?
 
Patrick

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
Pampa said:
don't let you see your workouts first/as a default
Click to expand...

bookmark your athlete page rather than the dashboard.

ie - mine is https://www.strava.com/athletes/206197
(can't find you atm)

or if you want your activities in a feed, use (this should work for whoever uses it)

https://www.strava.com/dashboard?feed_type=my_activity

if you do bring up the default dashboard, your last activity is directly linkable
from your athlete block, top left.

1606750338211.png


On the app, i believe you get your last, unvisited activity?

i do agree that having it configurable would be nice.

---
what are you using for weight/BMI/FAT %?
i think my weight guru scale has some extra sensors for a rough calc
also wifi and app connected - coordinated through apple health.

garmin 35 watch for sleep/steps/HR when not working out ->garmin connect and apple health
 
Pearl

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Norm said:
Christ $100 is a dinner for this family if we order out. Total no-brainer there. To spend $100 to not have to add each workout to the calendar is gold.
Click to expand...
I'm not looking forward to when my children want to eat actual food.

Also, I'm not sure why more coaches don't go this route. It seems like an easy way to make a quick buck if you're good at marketing yourself...
 
Last edited:
Hakimaki

Hakimaki

Active Member
@Pampa
If you want free metrics, intervals.icu is amazing. It gathers data from your Strava to provide you with the fitness/fatigue/form metrics you're looking for, as well as a power curve with estimated ftp. The eFTP I find is pretty accurate if provide it with good data, it correlates very closely with my tested FTP. The advertise schedule planning and I believe workout creation that syncs with Garmin Connect but I haven't tried that as I utilize TrainingPeaks Premium. I never found Garmin Connect to be a suitable training tool. A free Trainingpeaks account will allow for same day workout creation, so you can possibly create the workouts in Intervals.icu and have them sync day of, or just create the workout day of on free TP and sync it to your headunit, zwift or whatever to follow structure that day.
 
Pampa

Pampa

Well-Known Member
Patrick said:
bookmark your athlete page rather than the dashboard.

ie - mine is https://www.strava.com/athletes/206197
(can't find you atm)

or if you want your activities in a feed, use (this should work for whoever uses it)

https://www.strava.com/dashboard?feed_type=my_activity

if you do bring up the default dashboard, your last activity is directly linkable
from your athlete block, top left.

View attachment 144321

On the app, i believe you get your last, unvisited activity?

i do agree that having it configurable would be nice.

---
what are you using for weight/BMI/FAT %?
i think my weight guru scale has some extra sensors for a rough calc
also wifi and app connected - coordinated through apple health.

garmin 35 watch for sleep/steps/HR when not working out ->garmin connect and apple health
Click to expand...
Thank you for the workarounds. I didn't know/had not noticed them. I'll start using them. Still, I just downgraded to free. I hate that they don't listen...

For the weight I've been using a Garmin index for about 4 years. I don't know how good the sensors and/or algorithms are though. By now I can pretty tell how fat%, BMI and muscle mass are going to be after reading the weight. Everything looks too "linearly correlated" to total weight, even the bone mass (?!).

For off the bike I've been using a Fenix 5X for about 3 years. I only take it out for showering, when I charge it. Getting tired of its bulkiness but it's absolutely bomb proof and the updates to its OS/firmware have kept it reasonably up to date. Wish for the better HR sensor on the newer versions but have dozens of other things I'd spend that money on first.

I had not been really using/checking the Connect app for a while and I see a lot of new features/options now. Will focus on getting the most out of this now. Probably going to start using My Fitness Pal and sync that too to see if it can help me close my mouth :)
 
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