Endurance training is not only about distance. Learn how why elevation matters and how to track STIFA.
STIFA
STIFA is an innovation from the duo behind the Swedish podcast "Lagom Kondition" - a podcast about training. STIFA is short for "stigningsfaktor", and can be translated to Elevation Gain Factor. The claim is that when you do endurance training like running, cycling, skiing or similar, you should not stare blind on distance, but also consider the elevation gain of the route or course.
How to calculate STIFA
You calculate STIFA by dividing elevation gain in meters with distance in kilometers for the route or course. The resulting number is STIFA. Simple as that. Here's what the formula looks like:
Elevation gain (m) / Distance (km) = STIFA
So why do we need a number when many devices already track both distance and elevation, you might ask? By having a number you will start to get a feel for how challenging your sessions are, and you will be able to compare routes and courses even if the the distance may vary.
Pepp and STIFA
Pepp will calculate STIFA automatically for activities recorded with distance and elevation. The STIFA number is shown on the detail view for each activity and on the Dashboard the average STIFA is calculated for the selected date range.
More resources
- If you have a Garmin device you can install the STIFA app
- The official STIFA site in swedish
- The official STIFA site in english via Google Translate