How to Switch From Strong to Kenso Without Losing Your History
To switch from Strong to Kenso without losing your history, export your data as a CSV from Strong's settings, then drop that file into Kenso's free importer at Settings → Import Workouts. Your sessions transfer in minutes — date, workout name, sets, weight, reps, and RPE where Strong recorded it — and immediately count toward your PRs and progress charts inside Kenso.
That's the short version. Below is the full walkthrough, including what transfers, what doesn't, and what Kenso can actually do with years of training data once it has it.
Step 1: Export Your Data From Strong
Strong makes this straightforward. Inside the app:
- Open Settings
- Tap Export Data (sometimes labeled Export Strong Data)
- Save the CSV file to your device or send it to yourself
The exported CSV carries the data Kenso needs: date, workout name, sets, weight, reps, and RPE.
If you want to keep a permanent copy of that file — which is worth doing regardless of which app you move to — the Kenso guide to workout data export and backup covers why owning your training history matters and how to store it safely.
Step 2: Import Into Kenso
Kenso's importer is free on every plan and lives at Settings → Import Workouts. You can drop the file directly or browse to it. Kenso auto-detects the format — Strong CSV, Hevy CSV, or a previous Kenso export — so you don't need to rename or reformat anything. Files up to 10 MB are accepted, which covers most training histories comfortably.
Before a single session is written, Kenso shows you a preview:
- Total number of workouts and exercises found
- The first three workouts so you can confirm the data looks right
- A list of any exercises it couldn't match to its library
That last point is worth understanding. Strong and Kenso use different naming conventions for some exercises. Kenso matches your exercises to its library automatically; any it can't match are flagged in the preview, and those sets are skipped. Everything else imports.
What Transfers — and What Doesn't
Being specific here matters, because "your history transfers" can mean different things.
What comes over:
- Date and time of each session
- Workout name
- Every set's weight, reps, and RPE (where Strong recorded RPE)
What doesn't transfer:
- Routines and program templates
This is honest accounting. If your training relied heavily on saved routines inside Strong, you'll rebuild those in Kenso — though Kenso can extract a program from your imported history (more on that below). Either way, you won't be re-entering years of session data by hand.
One practical note: if you're not ready to fully commit to Kenso yet, you don't have to. Re-importing a newer export later only adds sessions that aren't already there. Kenso deduplicates on import, so you can keep logging in Strong for a few more weeks, export again, and sync the gap without creating duplicates.
What Kenso Does With Your History
This is where the migration becomes more than a file transfer.
Immediate PR and Progress Recognition
Imported sessions count toward PRs, exercise progress charts, and muscle coverage the moment the import finishes. Nothing needs to be re-logged. If you pulled 180 kg eighteen months ago and logged it in Strong, Kenso knows that's your benchmark.
Post-Import Diagnosis (Free, 6+ Sessions)
If your import includes at least six sessions from the last three months, Kenso runs a free diagnostic across two dimensions:
Muscle balance — where your completed sets actually landed across Chest, Back, Shoulders, Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Biceps, Triceps, Calves, and Core. Any muscle group that received under half the median volume of the others is flagged as a potential blind spot. This is based on your actual logged sets, not a template.
Strength standing — your best estimated 1RM on anchor lifts, placed against population strength standards when your sex, bodyweight, and age are on file. This gives you a reference point that's grounded in real data rather than a generic starting-point quiz.
The diagnosis works with what the data actually contains: a muscle-balance read via the half-median threshold, and a strength standing tiered against standards.
Program Extraction
If Kenso detects a consistent routine in your last three months of imported history, it can build a Kenso program from it — so progression suggestions start from your real numbers, not a blank template. One program extraction is free. The auto-progression layer and further extractions are part of the Pro plan ($5.99/month or $49.99/year; use code EARLY for one free month of Pro).
How This Fits Into Your Training Log
Your imported sessions instantly populate Kenso's PR memory and exercise progress charts—no re-logging needed. Review your muscle group coverage from day one in Kenso to spot gaps your old program missed.
A Note on Switching — and Why This Isn't About Loyalty
Strong is a well-built logger. If its feature set covers what you need, that's a perfectly rational setup.
The case for moving to Kenso isn't that Strong is flawed. It's that Kenso reads meaning out of history you already own: a muscle balance picture, a strength standing, a program built from your actual routine, and a progression engine that works from your real numbers. If that diagnostic layer matters to your training, the migration is worth the 10 minutes it takes.
And because Kenso exports your data as CSV or JSON, you're not trading one lock-in for another.
The Full Checklist
- In Strong: Settings → Export Data → save the CSV
- In Kenso: Settings → Import Workouts → drop or browse to the file
- Review the preview — confirm workout count and check the unmatched exercise list
- Confirm import
- Check your PRs and progress charts — they update immediately
- If you have 6+ sessions from the last 3 months, run the free post-import diagnosis
- Review the program extraction if Kenso detected a routine
- Connect Apple Health for readiness signals if you haven't already
Conclusion
Switching apps is only disruptive if you lose context — the record of where you've been and what your numbers actually are. The Strong CSV export preserves that record, and Kenso's importer is built to read it without manual reformatting or re-entry.
What you get on the other side isn't just your history in a new interface. It's a structured read of what that history says about your training: where your volume has been distributed, where your strength stands relative to your bodyweight and experience, and a program that starts from your real baseline rather than a generic Week 1. That's the practical value of the migration — not the app switch itself, but what becomes visible once your data has somewhere to go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kenso charge to import my Strong history?
No. The importer at Settings → Import Workouts is free on every Kenso plan. You don't need a Pro subscription to transfer your history.
What happens to exercises that don't match Kenso's library?
Kenso flags unmatched exercises in the preview screen before anything is written. Those specific sets are skipped; everything else imports. You can see the full list of unmatched exercises before you confirm.
Can I keep logging in Strong while I try Kenso?
Yes. Kenso deduplicates on import, so you can export a newer CSV from Strong later and re-import it — only sessions not already in Kenso will be added. This makes a gradual transition practical.
Does importing old sessions affect my PRs in Kenso?
Imported sessions count toward PRs, exercise progress charts, and muscle coverage immediately. If your all-time best bench press was two years ago and it's in your Strong export, Kenso recognizes it as your PR from the moment the import finishes.
What Strong data doesn't transfer to Kenso?
Routines and program templates aren't imported. The underlying sets — date, weight, reps, RPE — do transfer, and Kenso can extract a program from your imported history if it detects a consistent routine.