First Steps

Welcome to OpenAthlete! This guide will help you get started with the platform.

Create Your AccountCopy Anchor Link

1. Navigate to the OpenAthlete login page
2. Click "Sign Up" to create a new account
3. Fill in your details and verify your email

Connect Your Strava AccountCopy Anchor Link

OpenAthlete integrates with Strava to automatically import your workouts.

1. Go to Settings → Connectors
2. Click Connect Strava
3. Authorize OpenAthlete to access your Strava data
4. Your workouts will start syncing automatically

Import Activity FilesCopy Anchor Link

Activities recorded elsewhere can be imported from their FIT, GPX or TCX files:

1. Go to Settings → Connectors
2. Under Import activities (FIT, GPX or TCX), select one or several .fit, .gpx or .tcx files (up to 20 MB each)
3. For GPX and TCX files, choose the sport if the file does not state it
4. Click Import

Each activity appears in your calendar on its original date and is processed like a synced one. Importing the same file again does not duplicate it, and a file whose start time matches an existing activity is refused.

• FIT keeps all the data the device recorded (heart rate, power, laps...) and its summary. Planned workouts, courses and multisport files are not accepted.
• GPX has no laps or summary: distance, moving time and elevation gain are calculated from the track. Points need times, so planned routes are not accepted. The activity takes the track name stored in the file.
• TCX keeps its laps and the device's lap summaries (timer time, distance, heart rate). What the laps lack is calculated from the track, as for GPX. TCX only names running and biking, so choose the sport for anything else. Courses, workouts and multisport files are not accepted. The activity takes the notes stored in the file.

The same imports are available to scripts at POST /activity-import/fit, POST /activity-import/gpx and POST /activity-import/tcx (see the API reference).

Explore Your DashboardCopy Anchor Link

Once logged in, you'll see your dashboard with:

• Recent Workouts - Your latest activities
• Statistics - Weekly/monthly summaries
• Training Plan - Your current training schedule
• Progress Charts - Visualize your improvement

Set Up Heart-Rate ZonesCopy Anchor Link

Workouts and training load use your zones. To create them:

1. Go to Settings → Training zones → Heart Rate
2. Click Create zones (or Edit zones)
3. Choose how to enter them:
   • Manual: limits in bpm
   • % of heart-rate reserve (Karvonen): needs your maximum and resting heart rate. Target HR = resting HR + percentage × (maximum HR − resting HR)
   • % of Max Heart Rate: needs your maximum heart rate
4. Click Save

New zones start from six default ranges (Zone 0 below 50%, then 50–60% up to 90–100%), which you can edit. The heart rates saved in your profile are filled in for you; enter your resting heart rate, not the lowest one of the day.

Limits are rounded to whole bpm, and a shared limit belongs to the higher zone. Zones are saved in bpm: they do not change by themselves when your maximum or resting heart rate changes. Open the editor again to recalculate them.

Create a Manual Training SessionCopy Anchor Link

You can also add training sessions manually:

1. Right click on a day in the calendar
2. Select Create Training
3. Fill in the workout details:
   • Activity type (Run, Ride, Swim, etc.)
   • Date and time
   • Duration
   • Distance (if applicable)
   • Workout description...
4. Click Create

View Your ProgressCopy Anchor Link

Navigate to Statistics or Progression to see:

• Weekly/monthly summaries
• Distance and time trends
• Elevation profiles
• Pace analysis

Next StepsCopy Anchor Link

• API Reference - Integrate with OpenAthlete
• Self-Hosting - Deploy your own instance