Stryd Workout app with an Apple Watch
This page describes how to configure the Stryd Workout app on an Apple Watch
The Stryd Workout app is the recommended app for running power-based structured (interval) workouts using a Stryd footpod.
Initial Setup
Once you’ve received your footpod, follow the setup instructions in the box.
The Apple Watch setup instructions are also on the Stryd website.
Once you’ve finished setting up your footpod, you should have:
- created a login to Stryd PowerCenter
- installed the Stryd mobile app on your phone (and paired your footpod to the mobile app)
- paired your Stryd to your mobile phone
- installed the Stryd Workout App on your Apple Watch
Settings that apply to every watch / power meter
Based on the experience of hundreds of runners who’ve used power, there are some watch / power meter settings that every runner wishes they’d understood or configured when getting started. These are detailed on the Settings & Configs page.
Because these instructions are quite detailed, the following sections are collapsed – please expand the sections you’d like to know more about.
Height & Weight: ‘set it and forget it’
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to ‘set and forget’ your height and weight.
Instructions for setting your height and weight are on the Stryd website.
Height and Weight are entered in the Stryd mobile app (for iOS or Android) and stored in the Stryd footpod.
Auto-lap: disable auto-lap when running intervals/structured workouts
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to disable auto-lap when running intervals using a structured workout.
Enabling/disabling Auto-lap is described in How to use the Apple Watch – Auto-lap on the Stryd website.
Auto-lap is enabled or disabled for all workouts – the same settings will be used for all activities.
Auto-pause: The app doesn’t offer auto-pause; never manually pause
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to disable auto-pause, and never manually pause when Running with Power.
The app doesn’t offer auto-pause – in effect, it’s already disabled.
Auto-calibrate: the app doesn’t offer auto-calibration
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to disable auto-calibration if you want to track changes in your Running Effectiveness changes..
The app doesn’t offer auto-calibrate – in effect, it’s already disabled.
If you have concerns, testing and fine-tuning Stryd’s pace and distance accuracy with an Apple Watch is described in Pace and Distance accuracy – Apple Watch on the Stryd website.
Recording frequency: the app always records ‘every second’
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to choose ‘every second recording’ so that power averages (used for your metrics) are calculated correctly.
The app always records ‘every second’.
Power averaging: for ‘current power’ use 3s smoothed; for ‘keep-to-target’ use lap (or step) average
As explained in Settings & Configs, real-time power is ‘spiky’ – you may prefer your power numbers to be averages:
- for ‘current’ power, use smoothed power matched to the lap duration (3-second or 10-second)
- for ‘keep-to-target’ power, use lap power or step power.
The Stryd Workout App offers real-time, smoothed and lap power. You can choose which power averages to see when running via settings (a cog at top-left) > Screen Configurations in the app.
Power units: The app only offers Watts
As explained in Settings & Configs, it may be possible to display your power targets and actuals as Watts, Watts/kg or percentage of Threshold Power (depending on the power units available in the app you’re using).
The Stryd Workout app offers Watts.
Displaying Pace & HR: I prefer not to show pace or HR; some activities (in the book) suggest you show power, pace and HR on your watch
As explained in Settings & Configs, some of the activities in the book ask you to display power, pace and HR on your watch so that you can keep track of changes in those metrics as you begin to experience running with power.
To do this, ensure you choose a screen containing at least a 3-field stack, with 3s (smoothed) power, pace and heart rate included.
Moving to the next lap: press both side buttons together
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s worth familiarising yourself with the way to move to the next lap before you find that you want to do it but don’t know how.
You can press both side buttons together to move to the next lap. On the Apple Watch Ultra you can program the action button as a lap button.
These options are described in How to use the Apple Watch – Side Buttons on the Stryd website.
Settings specific to the Stryd Workout app
These settings are specific to using the Stryd Workout app on an Apple Watch.
Pace and Distance from Stryd: Rather than relying on GPS accuracy/signal reception
Stryd’s Pace and Distance calculations do not rely on GPS, which can be useful if you regularly run routes with a poor GPS signal.
In addition, Stryd’s Pace and Distance numbers are often more accurate than calculating pace and distance using GPS.
The Stryd Workout app always uses Pace and Distance from the Stryd footpod.
Adjusting what’s displayed on your watch
The Stryd Workout App allows users to customise which metrics are displayed during activities – customisation is described in How to use the Apple Watch – Add and Change Screens on the Stryd website.
I’ve found it most useful to use a 5-field stack. This allows me to combine workout information (lap time, targets etc.) with lap and 3s (smoothed) power.
Running workouts using the Stryd Workout app
Planning: Training plans; building your own workouts
You can purchase training plans via Stryd, TrainingPeaks or Final Surge and sync the workout schedule to the Stryd PowerCenter.
Or you can build your own workouts using Stryd, TrainingPeaks or Final Surge (although you may need to use the paid / subscription version in some cases) and sync them to Stryd PowerCenter.
Downloading: The app only downloads workouts from the Stryd PowerCenter
Planned workouts are downloaded from Stryd PowerCenter to your watch using the Stryd Workout App.
If your planned workouts are in TrainingPeaks or Final Surge, you can connect these apps to the Stryd PowerCenter to make them available to the Stryd Workout app.
The process to download and execute planned workouts is described on the First Run with Apple Watch page on the Stryd website.
Executing: Use the app to download Workouts, then execute the workout; or choose Open Run
Planned workouts are downloaded from Stryd PowerCenter to your watch using the Stryd Workout App.
If your planned workouts are in TrainingPeaks or Final Surge, you can connect these apps to the Stryd PowerCenter to make them available to the Stryd Workout app.
The process to download and execute planned workouts is described on the First Run with Apple Watch page on the Stryd website.
If you’re not using scheduled workouts, or you don’t have a workout planned for that day, you can choose to do an ‘Open Run’ in the app.
Uploading: All non-Duo Stryd metrics are uploaded automatically to Stryd PowerCenter; Duo metrics need a Footpath sync
Completed workouts are uploaded to Stryd PowerCenter by the Stryd Workout app.
All non-Duo Stryd metrics are recorded and uploaded in your workout file. You don’t need to ‘offline sync’ using the Stryd Mobile app.
If you use Stryd Duo, you’ll need to use Footpath sync in the Stryd Mobile app to transfer balance data to Stryd PowerCenter.
If you use TrainingPeaks or WKO as your reviewing app, you can connect TrainingPeaks to the Stryd PowerCenter to transfer completed workouts (which will also make them available to WKO).
You may also be interested in…
Watchletic is another Apple Watch app that you can use for Running with Power using a Stryd footpod.
Why would you use Watchletic rather than the Stryd Workout app? From the Watchletic website:
- You can train using a wider range of workout target types – power, pace, HR, RPE etc.
- You can use a broader range of external services for planning and reviewing – TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, Intervals.icu and many others, while still uploading to Stryd PowerCenter (import of planned workouts is a premium feature)
- Watchletic uses Stryd (once connected) as the source for power, pace, distance, vertical oscillation, ground contact time and stride length
- Your completed workouts contain all of Stryd’s additional metrics – form power, air power, impact loading rate, leg spring stiffness etc.
- You can still use Stryd Duo and Footpath sync to collect Duo metrics via Stryd Mobile – which communicates directly with your footpod
If you have feedback or a question, please let me know in the from1runner2another Facebook group.
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