How to Export Workout Data Before Switching Apps
Stay Fit Team··6 min readSwitching trackers doesn't have to mean losing your history. Here's how to export your data properly and what actually transfers to a new app.
Export your workout history as JSON if you're moving to another app that supports JSON import, or CSV if you just want a readable, portable record. Do this before you delete an old app or account, not after - once an account is closed, the export option usually disappears with it.
Switching workout apps is when you find out whether your old tracker respected your data or just held it hostage.
Apps with real export let you leave with your history. Apps without it mean starting from zero - no matter how many months you've logged.
Do the export before you delete anything. Once the account's gone, so is the export button. That's the one mistake in this whole process you can't undo.
JSON vs CSV: which to export
JSON keeps the full structure - routines, sets, reps, weight, dates, notes - in a format another app can parse and import. Use this when your destination app explicitly supports JSON backup import.
CSV is a flat table. Easy to open in a spreadsheet, easy to reference manually, but it loses nested stuff like routine structure. Use it when you just want a portable record, or when the new app doesn't do structured import.
Not sure which you need? Export both. Takes a few extra seconds and covers either scenario.
Exporting from Stay Fit
Settings → Storage & Data → Export Backup (JSON) for a full, restorable backup.
Export Data (CSV) for a readable record.
Both go through the share sheet to Drive, Files, or whatever cloud storage you use. No account tied to the export - it's yours to keep even if the app changes later.
Importing into a new app
If the new app takes JSON, the transfer is usually straightforward. In Stay Fit, the path is Settings → Storage & Data → Import Backup; most JSON-capable trackers have something similar.
If formats don't match, your CSV becomes the reference doc. Rebuild key routines manually and pull numbers from the spreadsheet instead of staring at a blank log pretending you never benched 100kg.
What to check before you commit
Open the export file. Confirm it's not empty or truncated. Thirty seconds, and it saves you from discovering a bad export after you've already canceled a subscription and deleted the old app.
What doesn't survive most transfers
Even a clean JSON export won't perfectly recreate everything. Custom exercise definitions, routine note formatting, streak history, achievement unlocks - those are usually app-specific. Expect to rebuild routines and re-earn gamification stuff.
Your actual training numbers - weight, reps, dates - should survive intact. That's the part worth exporting for.
Frequently asked questions
What format should I export my workout data in?+
JSON if you're moving to another app that supports JSON import, since it keeps the full structure. CSV if you just want a readable record or plan to reference it manually.
Can I import old data into Stay Fit?+
Yes - Settings → Storage & Data → Import Backup accepts a JSON backup file.
What if my old app doesn't export in a format the new app understands?+
Most trackers export CSV at minimum, which is universally readable even without automatic import. Keep the file and rebuild your key routines manually, referencing the CSV for numbers.
Reader reviews
- S
I used to screenshot my log like an animal. Did this guide inside Stay Fit instead - still free, still on my phone, still mine.
- T
How to Export Workout Data Before Switching Apps only helps if the app will actually let you do it. Stay Fit did. The tracker I paid for last year still gates this. One star off because I still want a bigger exercise demo library.
- U
Practical write-up. I ran it on Stay Fit between sets. No account, no cloud lecture, just the thing this article describes.
- R
Followed this in Stay Fit the same evening. The steps work because the app does not hide the feature behind Pro. I had been stuck in apps that do.
- W
I tried this workflow in two other loggers first. Both wanted a plan upgrade. Stay Fit let me finish the steps and save the session. One star off because I still want a bigger exercise demo library.
- V
Bookmarked this and installed Stay Fit so I could execute it, not just read it. That combo is the first time a "how to" post earned a workout.
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