Hi friends! It’s been a hot second (2 months!) since I wrote a post!! Truthfully, life in quarantine has been pretty monotonous, so I’ve felt like I haven’t had a whole lot to share lately! The highlights of my days, honestly, are riding my Peloton! With that in mind, I thought I’d share my Peloton review!
About three months ago, after researching and saving, I decided to move forward with the Peloton Bike. Today, I’ll break down why I decided to invest in a piece workout equipment for our home over the gym, why the Peloton over other bikes on the market, cost, favorite instructors, programs, classes, and more!
Why?
I love indoor cycling classes!
Spin classes are my favorite classes to take at the gym! Particularly, AMP Cycle at Life Time Athletic! If you’ve never taken a cycling class, or don’t know for sure if you’ll love it or not, Peloton does offer a 30 day home trial. If you already know that you don’t love cycling, this might not be the right investment for you, but you can look into Peloton Tread, or the Peloton Digital Membership ($12.99 per month) to access live classes and thousands on-demand. Class types include cardio, cycling, meditation, running, strength, and yoga (including pre & postnatal!). More on that in a minute…
Convenience of working out at home!
In the fall, we had moved a half hour away from our gym, and the closest gyms with cycling classes in our new area were still about that far. With the Peloton Bike, I can hop on for a live or on-demand class whenever I want to, and move on with my day! In the past, I would rush to get myself and the kids out the door to make that 9:30 AMP Cycle class. Also factor in the time it took to pack a gym bag, get the kids dressed, in and out of car, driving, dropping off and picking up from Kids Academy, etc. — one cycling class took up about 2 1/2 hours of my day. I don’t miss that!
Speaking of child care, none of the gyms in my new area had it either. My youngest (2 years-old) cried the entire time she was dropped off at our gym’s play area, and the caretakers would interrupt me during my workout anyway to come pick her up. Of course, there is a downside to working out at home with your kids too!
Cheaper than the gym!
In my case, the Peloton Bike is actually more than half the price of my gym membership! For our gym, we were paying about $200 per month for my membership, with child care. In contrast, to finance the Peloton Bike in full, it costs $58 per month, plus $39 per month for the All-Access Membership, totaling $97 per month. We decided to pay for half the bike upfront and finance the rest, so we’re spending $29 per month for the bike, plus $39 per month for the All-Access Membership, totaling $68 per month. For complete pricing guide, click HERE!
[If you want to receive $100 towards accessories at purchase, use my referral code at check-out: E5DVNX … At the very minimum, you’ll definitely want to get the Essentials Package that includes the shoes (You need them, and should go up one size!), weights, and headphones.]
With all that being said, what really sets the Peloton apart from the other exercise bikes on the market? Here is the most important piece of my Peloton review…
What sets Peloton apart?
Virtual Studio
The energy of the instructors and feel of the virtual studio are what set Peloton apart from similar exercise bikes that I researched! With the All-Access Membership, you have a choice between live classes and thousands of classes on-demand. You will get motivated by class metrics (your resistance + cadence = output, which the instructors use throughout the workout as a tool to guide you, and the stats that determine your place on the virtual leaderboard), instructor shout outs (milestone rides), and virtual high fives with other members as you sweat together.
Did you know that you can follow your friends with Peloton accounts and ride together both in real time or off-line? I’m currently doing a program with a group of gals, and we can’t all ride together on the same days and times, so we filter the leaderboard to who we are following and it looks like we are riding together. It’s a feature I just learned about, and find it so cool! P.S. If you’d like to follow me, my Peloton name is katedeverin
I did look into buying a cheaper exercise bike and streaming the Peloton Digital Membership from an iPad – and I’m so glad that I didn’t! Without those metrics connecting your bike with your screen, you’re missing out, in my opinion. I didn’t think it would matter much to me, but now that I have the bike, I see how the metrics are key to my workout and experience. If you have gone this route though, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments!
My Favorite Instructors
- Alex Toussaint: I lose myself in the music with his hip hop “Club Bangers” themed rides. It’s like a party on the bike, and Alex is always so fresh and positive!
- Ally Love: Her “Feel Good” themed rides are so empowering and give off all the positive vibes.
- * Cody Rigsby: OMG his classes are the MOST fun! Cody has these ridiculous one-liners and mannerisms throughout his workouts, and I constantly find myself laughing at him. To experience Cody in his true rare form, take his Lady Gaga ride!
- * Emma Lovewell: We have the same (excellent) taste in music, so I feel like we could be friends in real life?! Emma is even-keeled, yet motivating and passionate. My favorite class of hers is the Coldplay ride.
- Hannah Marie Corbin: Super cute and energetic! Picks you up, kicks your butt, but gently pushes you to do your best!
- * Robin Arzon: Another LIVELY instructor! Robin is a no excuses, bad ass chick with inspiring and authentic anecdotes! I’m obsessed with her Tabata program!
The playlists the instructors put together are my favorite part! Music is a huge motivator for me while working out, and the jams are almost always on point! They really get and keep me moving! You can even like them during your workout and they’ll get saved into a “My Peloton Music” playlist on your Spotify or Apple Music accounts! How neat?!
My Favorite Classes & Programs
Classes range from 5 to 90 minutes (I usually do anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes), and are diverse with different themes, difficulty levels, and music genres. Themes include: climb, groove, HIIT, intervals, heart rate zones, power zones, and more. Difficulty level include: beginner, advanced beginner, low impact and pro cyclist. Music genres include: classic rock, country, EDM, decards, hip hop, Latin, live DJ, pop, rock, and more!
- Mastering the Basics: Cycling: I highly recommend this 6 week program to start you out on your Peloton journey! You’ll learn “resistance”, “cadence”, and “output”, how to ride “in and out of the saddle”, but most importantly, how to improve strength and endurance!
- Ride Tabata with Robin: A four week interval training method, which combines burst of all-out effort and shorter period of recovery. (2:1 work to rest ratio) Classes are only 15-30 minutes, but you WORK!
- Artist Series: If you’re a music lover like me, there are whole rides dedicated to one artist. My all-time # 1 favorite class is the Coldplay ride. Other favorites are the Backstreet Boys, Billy Joel, J.Lo, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Pitbull, and Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Next, I want to try the Power Zones program!
More than Cycling
By the way, whether you go the All-Access or Digital Membership route, they are more than just cycling! You can take classes off the bike through the Peloton app and stream it through your phone, tablet, TV, or other smart device. As I mentioned before, there are classes for cardio, meditation, running, strength, and yoga (including pre & postnatal!)
One feature that I want to try are the Outdoor Runs and Walks. A killer setlist is already made for you, and you have a personal instructor motivating you in your ear?! Sign me up! Additionally, I’d like to try the Crush your Core program with Emma Lovewell!
Although there aren’t many of them, I do have some cons for my Peloton review…
Cons
- I don’t get to physically connect with my the people and instructors that I took cycling classes with. It was fun to join my sister-in-law or friend for a class, talk to the instructor, and get a smoothie or shake afterwards. It was a form of adult interaction and a nice escape from the kids!!
- Being home in quarantine, my kids are around me ALL THE TIME, especially while I’m riding. On more occasions than I can count, I’ve helped them get Barbies dressed and undressed, dried away tears, and broken up fights all in the middle of riding. Before quarantine, I would ride while they were at school. Man, those were the days… Read more here on How We’re Surviving Social Distancing!
I hope you found my Peloton review helpful! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! Again, if you’re interested in purchasing, you can get $100 towards accessories like cycling shoes, weights, headphones, heart monitors, etc. using my referral code: E5DVNX
Have a great day!
XO,
Kate