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Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks
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 2014-07-07 9:46 PM |
 278   Atlanta, Georgia |  Subject: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training PeaksI am a Garmin athlete top to bottom & I upload every workout to Garmin Connect religiously. I am a data junkie to the point that sometimes I don't know what to do with everything I collect & Connect isn't exactly the best translator of whether the data is good or bad relative to my fitness or improvement. I have always been intrigued by Strava & Training Peaks. I know they are different purpose products, but they both collect training data & provide analysis. My question is what real benefit do Strava & TP provide (for free or paid premium) that I am not already getting out of Garmin Connect? Are they worth getting to be able to go deeper with my data, or are they simply popular for people who either dislike connect or have a multi-brand ecosystem of technology? |
| 2014-07-07 10:25 PM in reply to: Meathead |
Regular 1161 Hamilton, IL | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks I'm posting so I can follow this. Very interested in benefits of each and comparisons. I did just get a Strava account and uploaded a few rides. I even found out that I hold a record on some local hill. The funny thing is that it was wind aided for sure, so right there I know that the competition aspect is worthless. |
| 2014-07-07 11:01 PM in reply to: Meathead |
Extreme Veteran 875 Issaquah | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks I'm only a casual user of all 3 but here's my view: Garmin is really basic at analysis. If you use a PM on the bike it's about the worst product I've used. The Garmin devices are great a collecting that data, Connect is terrible for analysis. I find looking at any data set on Connect a bit clumsy. I primarily use Connect to keep records so at the end of the year I can tell how many miles I ran, how many hrs I biked etc. Strava is better at biking analysis but only the paid version. The real benefit of Strava IMO is the social and competitive aspect of it. Great tool for finding routes, comparing yourself to others, or even just measuring your own progress. Strava is much less useful as a run analysis tool, and AFIK doesn't do anything for swimming. Training Peaks is best at overall S/B/R analysis. The interface is horrible though, and it's best if you are the type of person who is OK with the canned reports you get (again with the paid version). It's not nearly as good as Strava at looking around to see what your local cyclists are doing etc, but way better than Garmin. The real downside to TP is the crappy interface. The beta version looks like a step in the right direction but there are so few features actually implemented that I don't bother and just use "classic". If you are looking for a lot of control and really powerful analysis tools I would recommend the desktop app from SportTracks (although their online version is getting quite good to, but it's not quite at the same level of options and customization the desktop is). Across the board S/B/R SportTracks has plugins to analyze anything you want, in any system you choose (HR, Power, Pace, Daniels, Maffetone, etc.). I've yet to find a better tool for swim or running metrics. Golden Cheetah is probably the most powerful, do-it-yourself bike analysis tool I've used but being open source the documentation is pretty non existent and the interface isn't as polished. |
| 2014-07-08 6:45 AM in reply to: cnsegura |
Extreme Veteran 5722 | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Originally posted by cnsegura I'm only a casual user of all 3 but here's my view: Garmin is really basic at analysis. If you use a PM on the bike it's about the worst product I've used. The Garmin devices are great a collecting that data, Connect is terrible for analysis. I find looking at any data set on Connect a bit clumsy. I primarily use Connect to keep records so at the end of the year I can tell how many miles I ran, how many hrs I biked etc. Strava is better at biking analysis but only the paid version. The real benefit of Strava IMO is the social and competitive aspect of it. Great tool for finding routes, comparing yourself to others, or even just measuring your own progress. Strava is much less useful as a run analysis tool, and AFIK doesn't do anything for swimming. Training Peaks is best at overall S/B/R analysis. The interface is horrible though, and it's best if you are the type of person who is OK with the canned reports you get (again with the paid version). It's not nearly as good as Strava at looking around to see what your local cyclists are doing etc, but way better than Garmin. The real downside to TP is the crappy interface. The beta version looks like a step in the right direction but there are so few features actually implemented that I don't bother and just use "classic". If you are looking for a lot of control and really powerful analysis tools I would recommend the desktop app from SportTracks (although their online version is getting quite good to, but it's not quite at the same level of options and customization the desktop is). Across the board S/B/R SportTracks has plugins to analyze anything you want, in any system you choose (HR, Power, Pace, Daniels, Maffetone, etc.). I've yet to find a better tool for swim or running metrics. Golden Cheetah is probably the most powerful, do-it-yourself bike analysis tool I've used but being open source the documentation is pretty non existent and the interface isn't as polished. I don't know SportTracks so can't comment on that, but I pretty well agree with everything above. Training Peaks is also very good for interacting with a coach or buying online plans. |
| 2014-07-08 7:24 AM in reply to: marcag |
| Regular 272 Apple Valley, Minnesota | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks I use multiple ones for multiple reasons, here is a site to sync them all together. http://www.syncmetrics.com/ |
| 2014-07-08 9:29 AM in reply to: GotBackup |
| Veteran 379 | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks strava now has a sister-app if you will. veloviewer.com it picks up the data from your strava uploads and gives you more data than a junkie can handle. |
| 2014-07-08 9:53 AM in reply to: Meathead |
| 278 Atlanta, Georgia | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Thanks for all of the analysis on the products. I am a runner first & a cyclist last (still on a MTB until I can get a roadie or TT later this year), so it sounds like Strava is not something I want to invest in now. TP sounds good, but I don't have the need for a detailed training plan (especially when there are plenty of free ones out there that fit my current needs well) & that seems to be the cornerstone of their business. I have been considering a coach, and maybe I will change my tune when that starts, but for now, TP may also be something that I wouldn't want to invest in at this time. SportTracks won't work for me because it is a Windows only product & I am on a Mac. I guess I am stuck with GC for now. |
| 2014-07-08 10:03 AM in reply to: Meathead |
Extreme Veteran 799 | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Originally posted by Meathead (still on a MTB until I can get a roadie or TT later this year), so it sounds like Strava is not something I want to invest in now. Strava is great for trails if you happen to ride your mountain bike on a mountain. |
| 2014-07-08 10:32 AM in reply to: jmcconne |
Extreme Veteran 2263 Ridgeland, Mississippi | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Another Strava user here. If you use a PM the features you get with the premium version are very nice. The fitness/fatigue curve, best efforts curve that's easy to follow and analyze. The ability to follow along your ride's data in a way that I haven't seen TP or GC replicate. The social environment and KOM chasing is a nice bonus on top of it. There are also fun challenges that can help keep you motivated. TP is good for implementing training plans, and a lot of coaches like to use it. Garmin Connect is garbage, imo. |
| 2014-07-08 11:52 AM in reply to: jmcconne |
| 278 Atlanta, Georgia | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Originally posted by jmcconne Originally posted by Meathead (still on a MTB until I can get a roadie or TT later this year), so it sounds like Strava is not something I want to invest in now. Strava is great for trails if you happen to ride your mountain bike on a mountain. I wish that was the case. It's a 20 year old Cannondale that I had in college & the only bike I have. I put road slicks on it & have done two sprints on it this year. Not the best bike for training or racing, but at least it has two wheels! |
| 2014-07-08 12:42 PM in reply to: sheesleeva |
Veteran 493 Cloverdale, BC | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Originally posted by sheesleeva strava now has a sister-app if you will. veloviewer.com it picks up the data from your strava uploads and gives you more data than a junkie can handle. Yep, I'm totally addicted to Veloviewer now. It ranks your segments according to how many people have ridden them in the past, and assigns a score to each one. I just keep trying to get my VeloViewer Score higher. My goal is to make it to 99 by the end of the summer. |
| 2014-08-26 7:51 AM in reply to: #5022783 |
| 1 | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks I'm a relative newbie to the world of gps watches and tracking software. I've been running a fee races this past year without the aid of any tracking device other than my smart phone. I recently purchased a forerunner 220 and I was looking at downloading. A training plan to use for prep on my next race in November. I'm curious as to the precious poster's comment about plenty of free training plans available. Could someone point me in the right direction to find these plans? I did some searching on line but I couldn't find any. Thanks in advance. |
| 2014-08-26 9:19 AM in reply to: msteiner |
Pro 6011 Camp Hill, Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Originally posted by msteiner Another Strava user here. If you use a PM the features you get with the premium version are very nice. The fitness/fatigue curve, best efforts curve that's easy to follow and analyze. The ability to follow along your ride's data in a way that I haven't seen TP or GC replicate. The social environment and KOM chasing is a nice bonus on top of it. There are also fun challenges that can help keep you motivated. TP is good for implementing training plans, and a lot of coaches like to use it. Garmin Connect is garbage, imo. One of the advantages to TP that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is also one of the things many coaches like best about it - It's Performance Management Chart (PMC). If you have a power meter, it works best, but it can also produce useful data and reports using a combination of heart rate and pace. Basically, it calculates a Training Stress Score (TSS) for every workout. Think of it as the total amount of stress that you applied to your body during the training session. Then it compares that to the average TSS you've applied to your body over the last 6 weeks [Chronic Training Load (CTL)] and the last week [Acute Training Load (ATL)] to estimate whether you're gaining or losing fitness and your level of fatigue and recovery. When used correctly, it can be a good tool to help you peak for targeted events. Here's a geeky detailed explanation: TP PMC
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| 2014-08-26 10:13 AM in reply to: TriMyBest |
| 928 | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Interesting that this thread has been revived. Garmin Connect software is very annoying and buggy, in my experience. I have always used Garmin Connect as my primary place to load my data and keep track of other workouts, but lately it has been giving me a hard time and won't always synch properly. In the meantime, Strava now has direct upload from Garmin devices, which I have started using. So now I'm using Strava as my primary log and it works really well. I also really enjoy the social connectivity through Strava- Garmin Connect has tried to start that, but it hasn't really taken off. |
| 2014-08-26 10:45 AM in reply to: TriMyBest |
Extreme Veteran 2263 Ridgeland, Mississippi | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Originally posted by TriMyBest Originally posted by msteiner Another Strava user here. If you use a PM the features you get with the premium version are very nice. The fitness/fatigue curve, best efforts curve that's easy to follow and analyze. The ability to follow along your ride's data in a way that I haven't seen TP or GC replicate. The social environment and KOM chasing is a nice bonus on top of it. There are also fun challenges that can help keep you motivated. TP is good for implementing training plans, and a lot of coaches like to use it. Garmin Connect is garbage, imo. One of the advantages to TP that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is also one of the things many coaches like best about it - It's Performance Management Chart (PMC). If you have a power meter, it works best, but it can also produce useful data and reports using a combination of heart rate and pace. Basically, it calculates a Training Stress Score (TSS) for every workout. Think of it as the total amount of stress that you applied to your body during the training session. Then it compares that to the average TSS you've applied to your body over the last 6 weeks [Chronic Training Load (CTL)] and the last week [Acute Training Load (ATL)] to estimate whether you're gaining or losing fitness and your level of fatigue and recovery. When used correctly, it can be a good tool to help you peak for targeted events. Here's a geeky detailed explanation: TP PMC
Question about the PMC. I haven't messed with TP's premium filters, but I have tried Race Day Apollo. My biggest gripe with calculating TSS of running and swimming workouts is that the stress load seemed very low compared to equivalent efforts in cycling. |
| 2014-08-26 12:35 PM in reply to: msteiner |
Extreme Veteran 5722 | Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks Originally posted by msteiner I haven't messed with TP's premium filters, but I have tried Race Day Apollo. My biggest gripe with calculating TSS of running and swimming workouts is that the stress load seemed very low compared to equivalent efforts in cycling. How is the TSS estimate for TP with running and swimming? It all depends on how accurate your threshold paces are, but I find it pretty consistent, ie, 70TSS points on the run feels likes 70 on the bike and on the swim for a 1hr workout. The thing about the swim is it doesn't take rest into account. For example if I do 20x100 at 1:30/100 with 5 seconds rest I get the same sore as 20x100 at 1:30/100 with 1 min rest. But if you are consistent across workouts I find it works pretty well. |
| 2014-08-26 2:17 PM in reply to: Meathead |
| Subject: RE: Garmin Connect vs Strava vs Training Peaks I like Strava for my everyday uploads and general monitoring of my bike workouts. All I do is ride now, so it makes it pretty easy. I do have the premium membership which gives me access to more detailed power analysis. I also have WKO+, but I don't find myself using that lately as Strava is good enough for my general needs. If Strava invested a little more into their analysis, I think it could be a great tool. Good combination of easy uploads, being able to access data anywhere, maps, social aspects, route finding, segment challenges, and power analysis. Strava is slowly coming around on more features for running and swimming, but I would say it's still a ways off for being an ideal training database for a triathlete. Training peaks would still be the leader there but there is no reason Strava can't match some or all of their tools in the future. |
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