How to Import Data from Strong App to Gainflow (2026 Guide)
Strong was one of the first real gym-tracking apps, and if you've been using it for years, there's a good chance your entire lifting career is in that database. Every bench PR, every grinding squat session, every morning where you hit the new five-rep record — all of it lives inside Strong. Which is exactly why switching to a new app feels risky: nobody wants to flush three, five, or eight years of data.
Good news: you don't have to. Gainflow has a native Strong CSV import built in, and the whole migration — from exporting your Strong data to seeing your strength curves live in Gainflow — takes about five minutes. This guide walks you through every step, explains what transfers and what doesn't, and shows you how to verify the import was clean before you start your next workout.
Why People Are Moving from Strong to Gainflow
Before the how-to, a quick note on the why. The users who reach out about Strong imports usually share the same handful of reasons:
✨ Top reasons lifters leave Strong
💸 Strong Plus paywall on the essentials
Unlimited routines, plate calculators, and body measurements sit behind Strong's subscription. In Gainflow everything you need to progress is free — no ceiling on routines, no upgrade pop-ups mid-session.
🧠 No AI technique analysis
Strong is a pure logger — it records the numbers, nothing else. Gainflow adds AI Video Analysis: record a set, upload it, and get feedback on depth, tempo, and bar path. Strong can count reps; a camera with AI can actually see them.
📤 Own your data, no lock-in
Gainflow has free CSV export built in — same format, same freedom. Whatever you put into Gainflow, you can take with you. That's the opposite of how most trackers think about your data.
🏆 Personal Records in context
Every new 1RM estimate, heaviest set, and rep PR is surfaced automatically with a Personal Records Badge right on the workout where it happened — not hidden three screens deep in a stats tab.
What Gets Imported (and What Doesn't)
Clear expectations up front save you frustration later. Here's what actually moves across when you import a Strong CSV into Gainflow:
✅ WHAT TRANSFERS
- 📅 Workout dates & times — your entire training history, in chronological order
- 🏋️ Exercises — auto-mapped to Gainflow's library, including any custom exercises you made in Strong
- 🔢 Every set — weight, reps, and set order preserved exactly as logged
- 📝 Set notes — any notes you left on individual sets
- 💪 Routine & workout names — so your "Workout A", "Pull Day", or whatever you call them show up as-is
- 📏 Body measurements — Gainflow imports both workouts and measurements, so your weight, body fat, and circumference history moves with you
- 🏆 PR history — Gainflow automatically recalculates every personal record from the imported data, so none of your 1RMs vanish
⚠️ What doesn't transfer
Progress photos
Strong's CSV export is text-only, so photos aren't part of it. You can re-upload them straight into Gainflow if you want everything in one place — a 2-minute job, not a rebuild.
Any Apple Health / Health Connect sync settings
Integrations are account-specific and don't travel in a CSV. You can reconnect them in Gainflow's settings in a few taps — none of your logged data depends on them.
To make this concrete: here's a strength progression chart in Gainflow, built entirely from imported Strong data. No gaps, no lost years — the full curve picks up right where Strong left off.
Gainflow — strength chart rebuilt from the imported Strong history.
Step 1: Export Your Data from Strong
First job: get your history out of Strong as a CSV file. Strong lets you do this for free.
📤 Exporting your Strong workouts
1. Open Strong and go to the Profile tab
In the Strong app, tap the profile/person icon to open your profile, then open Settings.
2. Find "Export Workouts" (or "Export Data")
Scroll the settings list until you see the export option. Tap it and Strong will package your entire history into a CSV file.
3. Save the CSV to your phone
Strong usually offers the system share sheet — pick Save to Files, iCloud Drive, or Google Drive. Just make sure you remember where it lands. A name like strong.csv is typical.
4. Don't open or edit the CSV
Resist the urge to "clean it up" in Excel or Numbers. Opening the file in a spreadsheet app can silently change date formats or separators and break the import. Leave the file alone.
Strong — Export Data inside the Settings tab.
Strong — your full workout history, all of it coming with you.
Tip: export from the same phone you'll import on
It removes one step — no need to AirDrop, email, or sync the CSV anywhere. If that's not possible, any cloud drive (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox) works fine.
Step 2: Install Gainflow and Create an Account
If you don't have Gainflow yet, grab it from the App Store or Google Play — links are at the bottom of this article. Install takes under a minute.
Create a free account when prompted. An account is required for imports because your data needs somewhere to sync. Bonus: if you lose your phone, your freshly imported Strong history lives safely in the cloud, not trapped on the device.
Step 3: Import the CSV into Gainflow
Time to turn years of Strong logs into your new Gainflow profile — in a few taps.
📥 Import flow inside Gainflow
1. Open Gainflow → Settings
Tap the profile icon, then open Settings. Look for the Data (or Import & Export) section.
2. Tap "Import"
No source selection needed. Gainflow auto-detects the format — it recognizes Strong, Hevy, and Gainflow's own CSV automatically. You just hand it the file; it figures out the rest.
3. Pick your CSV file
The system file picker opens — navigate to wherever you saved the Strong export and select it. Files from iCloud Drive or Google Drive show up in the same picker.
4. Review the preview
Gainflow shows how many workouts, exercises, sets, and measurements it found. Double-check the counts match expectations — if Strong says 420 workouts, Gainflow should report the same.
5. Confirm import
Tap confirm and let it run. For most users with a year or two of data, import finishes in under 30 seconds. If you've got five-plus years of Strong logs, it might take a minute or two.
Summary screen — every Strong workout accounted for.
Step 4: Verify Your Data in Gainflow
Don't just trust the "import complete" screen — spend two minutes making sure everything looks right. Check these four things and you'll know instantly if the import was clean:
Your Strong sessions, now living inside Gainflow's workout history.
✅ Your 2-minute verification checklist
📋 Home tab → workout list
Under the chart on the Home tab you'll find your imported workouts. Scroll back to your first logged session — the date, exercises, and top set weights should match what you remember from Strong. If they don't, stop and re-import.
🏆 PR badges on sessions
Gainflow attaches PRs directly to the workouts where they happened — not a separate tab. Scan the imported history and you should see auto-calculated 1RM estimates, heaviest-set markers, and rep PR badges on the correct sessions. Verify your three main lifts (bench, squat, deadlift) look right.
📈 Strength progression charts
Go to the chart for any exercise you've been training for 6+ months. You should see a continuous line — no gaps. Gaps usually mean an exercise name wasn't matched and imported as a custom entry.
🗓️ Last 4 weeks
Check that your most recent Strong workouts show up with the correct volumes. This matters because you'll keep training — new Gainflow sessions need to continue from where Strong left off.
Troubleshooting: Common Import Issues
Imports work cleanly for most users, but if something looks off, here are the usual suspects and fixes.
Import fails or gets stuck
Usually a corrupted CSV (opened and re-saved in Excel/Numbers) or an unstable connection. Fix: re-export from Strong, don't open the file, make sure you're on Wi-Fi, and try again. If it still fails, contact Gainflow support with the CSV attached — they'll look at it directly.
Dates look wrong (off by one day, or showing as future)
CSV date formats are a classic source of weirdness. Strong exports dates in the phone's time zone, which can shift by a day if your device's time zone is off. Gainflow normalizes during import. If you see strange dates, check your phone's time zone is set correctly before re-running the import.
Volume numbers look different from what I remember
Strong and Gainflow both calculate volume as weight × reps × sets, but they might differ slightly on how they handle bodyweight exercises, dropsets, or warm-ups. The overall curve should match — if a specific workout is wildly off, tap into that session and compare sets one-to-one with the Strong export.
My oldest workouts are missing
Check the Strong CSV itself (don't open it in Excel — open it with a plain text viewer). If the oldest sessions aren't in the file, Strong didn't export them, which can happen with very old accounts. Re-export and try again; if it persists, reach out to Strong support about the missing range before importing.
What to Do Next (Now That You're In)
Importing is only step one. Here's how to get the most out of Gainflow once your Strong data is inside:
🚀 First week in Gainflow
Pick your next workout and let Gainflow auto-fill your starting weights based on your imported Strong history. The app suggests weights for each set that match your last session, so you keep progressing without having to remember numbers.
Record one set with AI Video Analysis. This is the feature Strong simply doesn't have — it spots form issues you can't see on your own. Start with a moderate-weight squat or bench press.
Scroll through the Home tab — underneath the strength chart you'll see your imported sessions, and the ones where Gainflow auto-detected a PR are marked with a dedicated badge. It's a satisfying payoff for five minutes of import work — and a clean baseline for everything you're about to beat.
FAQ: Strong to Gainflow Migration
Is the Strong import free?
Yes. Import, export, and core workout tracking in Gainflow are 100% free — no "trial" that expires into a paywall. The only paid tier (Gainflow Plus) unlocks advanced AI features, not basic logging.
Can I still use Strong after importing?
Absolutely. Importing doesn't touch your Strong account — your data stays there too. Plenty of people run both apps for a few weeks while they decide. Just don't double-log the same workout in both apps, or you'll confuse your volume numbers.
Will my Strong Plus subscription transfer?
No — they're separate apps with separate billing. Cancel Strong Plus whenever you're ready. Most of what Plus unlocks in Strong (unlimited routines, plate calculator, body measurements) is free by default in Gainflow, so you won't miss it.
How long does the import take?
For a typical year of logging (~150 workouts), under 30 seconds. For long-time Strong users with 3+ years of history, a minute or two. Your phone stays usable while it runs — the import works in the background.
What if I used Strong on iPhone and want Gainflow on Android?
That's one of the nicer things about a CSV workflow: it doesn't care about platforms. Export from Strong on your iPhone, email/Drive the CSV to yourself, open it on your Android, and import into Gainflow. Your entire history crosses operating systems with zero loss.
What if I want to go back to Strong later?
Gainflow has its own CSV export — your data is never locked in. Export any time, import elsewhere. This is on purpose; we'd rather earn your usage than trap it.
The Bottom Line
Switching gym apps used to mean losing years of data. It doesn't anymore. The Strong → Gainflow import takes about five minutes end-to-end, and every set, rep, and PR survives the trip. On the other side you get AI technique analysis, free access to features Strong charges for, and a tracker that keeps evolving instead of sitting still.
If you've been waiting for a reason to move, the import tool is the thing that removes the last real excuse. Your next PR happens in one app or the other. Pick the one that actually helps you see why your squat stalled.
Ready to Leave Strong Behind?
Download Gainflow, import your entire Strong history in minutes, and keep every PR. Free forever — with AI video analysis, auto-detected imports, and no paywall on the features you actually use.
