How to Post Strava on an Instagram Story

You just crushed a personal record on your morning run, finished a monster bike ride with incredible views, or completed a hike you've been planning for weeks. Now, it's time to share that feeling of accomplishment. Posting your Strava activity to your Instagram Story is a fantastic way to connect your fitness journey with your social audience. This guide walks you through the exact steps to share your activity and provides pro-level tips to make your stories engaging, inspiring, and great for building your personal brand.

Why Share Your Strava Activities on Instagram?

In a world of highly polished content, sharing a raw, real-time accomplishment like a workout is a powerful way to connect with your audience. It’s authentic, relatable, and gives people a behind-the-scenes look at your hard work and adventurous spirit. For fitness coaches, athletes, content creators, and everyday enthusiasts, it serves three key purposes:

• It tells a story of progress and dedication. Each map is proof of the work you're putting in. Over time, these shares build a narrative of your journey, whether you're training for a marathon, exploring new trails, or just staying active.
• It builds a stronger community. When you share your ride or run, you open the door for conversations with followers who share your passion. It's a magnet for like-minded people - your next training partner or biggest cheerleader might be watching your Stories.
• It adds a human element to your brand. Whether you're a business owner, a creator, or a marketer, sharing your workouts shows what you do outside of work. It makes you more relatable and establishes you as someone who is disciplined, motivated, and well-rounded.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Sharing on Your Instagram Story

Sharing your activity is a simple process built right into the Strava app. Let’s get you from "Save Activity" to "Post Story" in just a few taps.

1. Select and Open the Activity in Strava

First things first, open the Strava app on your phone. Navigate to the activity you want to share. This can be your very last workout from your feed (`Home` > `Following`) or any past activity you find in your profile (`You` > `Activities`). Once you’ve found it, tap on it to view the full details.

2. Find and Tap the Share Icon

On the activity details screen, look for the share icon. It looks like a small box with an arrow pointing upward. On iOS (iPhone), it's typically located in the top-right corner. On Android, it might be in a similar spot or hidden behind a three-dot menu icon, also usually at the top right.

Tapping this icon opens up Strava’s sharing menu, giving you multiple ways to export your activity.

3. Choose Instagram Stories

From the sharing options, find and tap on the Instagram icon, specifically the one labeled "Stories." This will automatically generate a shareable image and prepare it for Instagram. If you have any photos or videos associated with your Strava activity, you’ll be prompted to choose a background first. We’ll get into customizing this in the next section.

After you select Instagram Stories, your phone’s operating system will open Instagram with your Strava activity perfectly formatted as a sticker, ready to be placed on your Story.

Anatomy of the Perfect Strava Story: Mastering Customization

Just posting the default map is fine, but why stop there? The real magic happens when you customize the look and feel to match your story and brand. Strava gives you several editing options *before* you even get to Instagram's editor.

Choose Your Background Media

After you tap "share," Strava will give you the option to choose the background for your activity statistics. You have two main choices:

• Your Photos or Videos: If you took any photos or videos during your activity and added them to your Strava upload, they will appear as background options here. Always choose one of these if you can. A stunning landscape photo from your hike or a quick video clip from your ride provides context and is infinitely more engaging than a plain map. It connects the data to the experience.
• The Activity Map: If you didn't take any great photos, your activity route displayed on a map will be the default background. Even here, you have choices!

Customize the Map Style

If you opt for the map background, don't settle for the default. Tap on the map to cycle through different styles, each with its own vibe:

• Default: A clean, light-mode map focused on readability.
• Satellite: Shows the actual terrain, perfect for showcasing impressive trail runs or climbs with dramatic landscapes.
• Dark Mode: A sleek, modern look that makes your route color and stats pop. A great choice for evening or late-night activities.
• Winter: If you logged your activity in the snow, this themed map adds a nice seasonal touch.
• 3D: On some activities (especially with elevation), you will get an amazing 3D flyover view of your route. This is super dynamic and attention-grabbing.

Select Your Activity Stats

Not every metric is created equal, and not every story needs to show everything. Before generating the final image for Instagram, you can tap a "Customize" option or dropdown menu (the prompt varies slightly between iOS and Android) to select which stats are displayed.

Maybe for a long, slow distance run, you want to highlight the Distance and Elevation Gain but hide your Pace. For a track workout, you might only want to show your Moving Time and Distance. Choosing which data to display allows you to shape the narrative. Don't feel pressured to show everything every time.

Once you’re happy with the background, map style, and stats, tap "Next" or "Share," and you’ll be moved into the Instagram Story editor.

Level Up: How to Make Your Strava Story Shine in Instagram

Now that your Strava sticker is in your Instagram Story, you have the entire suite of Instagram’s creative tools at your fingertips. Here’s what pro creators and brands do to make their activity shares stand out.

Resize, Rotate, and Position

The first thing to do is position your Strava sticker. Use two fingers to pinch, zoom, and rotate it. Don't let it cover the most important part of your background photo. Consider placing it in the top or bottom third, leaving room for text and other elements.

Add Context with Text

This is where you turn a data point into a story. Don't just post the map, tell people what it means. Use Instagram’s text tool to add a headline or a short personal note. Here are a few ideas:

• "Toughest climb of the year, but the view was worth it."
• "First 10k race in the books! So proud of this one ✓"
• "Easy Saturday morning miles to clear the head."
• "This is what 2,500 feet of climbing feels like. Ouch."

Use a consistent brand font and color scheme if you have one. This tiny detail makes your content look more professional and recognizable over time.

Use Engaging Stickers and GIFs

The Instagram sticker library is your best friend when creating visually dynamic stories.

• Link Sticker: If you have access to it, use the link sticker to paste the link to your public Strava activity. This allows highly engaged followers to give you kudos directly on Strava.
• GIFs: Search for GIFs like "New PR," "Finish Line," "Running," or your bike brand. A subtle, well-placed animated GIF can add energy and personality.
• Question/Poll Stickers: Use a poll like "Run or Bike tomorrow?" or a question sticker like "What's an epic trail I should try next?" This is a simple but effective way to boost engagement and interact with your community.

Don't Forget Music

The right soundtrack can completely change the mood of your Story. Add a song that matches the vibe of your workout - an upbeat anthem for a PR, or something chill and melodic for a relaxing scenic hike. It makes the viewing experience far more immersive.

Advanced Strategy: A Few Last Tips from a Social Pro

Ready to go beyond a one-off post? Here are a few strategies to integrate Strava sharing into your content plan.

Tip 1: Safety First with Privacy Zones

Never share a workout that starts or ends directly at your front door. Doing so reveals your home address to everyone who sees your story. Head into Strava's settings (Settings > Privacy Controls > Map Visibility) and set up Privacy Zones around your home, work, and any other sensitive locations. This will hide the beginning and end of your activities within a certain radius, keeping your precise location private.

Tip 2: Don't Share Everything

Resist the urge to post every single 20-minute walk or 5-mile bike commute. Be selective. Share the activities that mean something to you: the personal records, the challenging adventures, the beautiful scenery, or the major milestones. This makes each share more significant and keeps your audience from feeling spammed.

Tip 3: Create Story Highlights for Your Fitness Journey

If you're training for something big like a race, create a dedicated Instagram Story Highlight for it (e.g., "NYC Marathon Prep"). Save all of your relevant Strava stories there. This creates a curated collection that followers can look back on and shows your long-term dedication to a goal.

Final Thoughts

Sharing your Strava workouts on your Instagram Story is more than just posting a map, it's about sharing a piece of your journey. By combining a great photo, the right stats, and a bit of a story, you can create compelling content that motivates others, builds your community, and authentically showcases your brand or personality.

Turning these consistent, daily efforts into a cohesive social presence is the bigger challenge. That's why we built Postbase, to make planning this kind of content feel effortless. With our visual-first calendar, you can see all your content scheduled across every platform at a glance. It helps you design a well-rounded content strategy, spot any gaps, and make sure your fitness journey posts fit in perfectly with your other content, turning random moments into a powerful brand narrative.