STRAVA Relative Effort on the Suunto 9 & Suunto 5
Today, Suunto 9 (+5) owners have a surprising and welcome addition (firmware v2.10.18) that includes STRAVA Relative Effort as well as a Christmas Stocking that will be filled progressively over time.
If you want STRAVA Relative Effort summarised in a nutshell, then the phrase “It’s TRIMP-baby” should suffice, or, instead, “It’s TSS-baby” for all you power-mad cyclists. For the rest of you: “It’s a numeric score of your workout that gets disproportionately higher the more time you exercise at harder effort levels.”
The great thing with STRAVA’s Relative Effort is that you should be able to compare your score with your mate’s score and whoever has the highest should be the one who tried the hardest, regardless of how fit either of you are. So there is no more slacking on your Sunday group rides.
Your STRAVA Relative Effort is shown on your workout details at STRAVA.com as well as on your watch’s workout summary; thus, the two scores must be the same. STRAVA Relative Effort is based on your heart rate zones and so for the score on your watch to match the score on STRAVA.com, then your watch must have a copy of your heart rate zones from STRAVA.
This is what you need to do to get STRAVA Relative Effort
- STRAVA Relative Effort is a STRAVA Summit feature ie you have to pay STRAVA for it by subscribing, and then check your Suunto account is linked to your STRAVA account
- Check your zones on STRAVA and Suunto match (optional but sensible)
- STRAVA Relative Effort is enabled before you start an exercise. It looks like you have to enable it every time. #Strange.
- Look at your post-workout result on the watch or on STRAVA.com.
SuuntoPlus
The STRAVA Relative Effort feature is the first specific feature to be delivered under the umbrella phrase of SuuntoPlus. Over time Suunto will add new functionality to their watches — currently, they are looking for suggestions and planning to implement those that are most popular.
Suunto App
There were also some new additions to the Suunto app over the weekend: Notifications update (you can now filter what notifications are shown on your watch); Routes and Map (see the altitude profile of the route you’re planning); Insights descriptions in your activity summary for EPOC, VO2Max and recovery.
Thoughts & Opinion
The introduction of STRAVA Relative effort as a paid-for, 3rd-party feature is not earth-shattering; yet SuuntoPlus does point Suunto towards a way forwards where they are planning to introduce more physiology-related features. If Suunto can couple that with a 3rd-party app infrastructure then they are probably moving in the right direction. Albeit a little slowly.
Last Updated on 28 May 2026 by the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
I’m not convinced by having the Strava RE on my watch, it isn’t Earth-shattering information, but agree that having more physiology related features is a good thing.
My current pet peeve is having native support for more devices such as Humon Hex integrated into the Suunto watches.
that’s not going to happen without a 3rd party app capability.