I Tried Strava’s New Instant Workouts Feature and It’s Not Very Good.
Earlier this month, Strava introduced a new feature called “Instant Workouts,” a subscriber-only tool that appears to be a natural way to leverage the benefits of the Runna acquisition . In a Reddit post, Strava stated that this feature builds on Runna’s already successful “Instant Workouts” feature.
The Instant Workouts feature uses your activity history to create personalized workouts across four categories (Maintenance, Build, Explore, and Recovery). The idea is that the more data you upload, the more personalized your recommendations become. Another key benefit is the automatic route-building feature, which uses Strava’s massive database of billions of historical activity data to suggest optimal routes for each workout.
The timing of this feature’s launch seems deliberate, as the company prepares for its anticipated IPO . And on paper, it sounds like exactly the kind of innovation that would truly justify a Strava subscription. However, in practice, the implementation leaves much to be desired.
Failed launch
Unfortunately, the current implementation of this feature falls far short of its potential. The most glaring issue: you can’t view workout details once you’ve started it in the app. Strava generates complex, multi-interval workouts, but doesn’t offer the ability to view them on your watch while you’re running or riding. You’ll have to take a screenshot of the workout beforehand or print it out.
For most athletes who rely on their devices to plan interval training, determine target pace, and determine recovery periods, this feature is practically useless. Strava acknowledged this limitation in a Reddit post, promising that integration with Garmin devices and Apple Watch is “coming soon.” But the timing of this “soon” is questionable, to say the least.
Relations between Strava and Garmin reportedly soured following a lawsuit last fall, leaving Garmin with little incentive to prioritize features that primarily benefit Strava’s subscription revenue and investor appeal. Without Garmin’s cooperation and prompt implementation, a significant portion of Strava’s serious sports users remain unable to utilize all of the service’s features.
Thoughtful training design
On the other hand, I think the workouts themselves look promising—though others disagree . The training plans seem to be quite well tailored to individual fitness levels. Based on my testing, the prescribed intervals, tempo, and progression were consistent with my current fitness level and recent activity history.
However, user experiences vary significantly . Some athletes report receiving workouts that seem disconnected from their actual fitness or goals, while others note that workout descriptions use unconventional terminology that doesn’t align with how most training plans describe intervals and tempo.
Next comes route generation. In busy, high-activity areas like New York City, the routes I suggest are generally quite reliable and logical. As always, I prefer to avoid overly crowded streets or questionable areas, which Strava never seems to consider. Ultimately, the algorithm benefits from years of user-generated data, which shows which streets, paths, and routes are truly popular among runners and cyclists.
However, users in less populated areas or regions with less Strava activity report extremely inconsistent results. Some routes don’t make logical sense, directing athletes down inefficient paths or suggesting roads unsuitable for the intended type of workout. The quality of this feature appears to be directly dependent on the amount of local data Strava has, resulting in a dramatic degradation in performance.
Again, until I can download a workout and the corresponding map to my watch, this feature means little to me.
Result
In my opinion, Strava’s Instant Workouts feature feels rushed to market, likely to generate positive press before the IPO rather than to truly help athletes. Basic features that should have been available from the start—like the ability to see your workout in the app or send it to your watch—are mysteriously missing. Clunky workout descriptions and inconsistent route quality only reinforce the feeling that this project needed more development time.