05/20/2020
What does a Doctor of Physical Therapy really think about the Peloton bike. Is the Peloton worth it?
Is the Peloton Worth it?
Here’s my review of the Peloton bike, which I purchased two months ago. I had to wait one month for it to be delivered. The normal wait is 1-2 weeks. Since it arrived, I’ve exercised with it for 30 days in a row.
What is a Peloton? A Peloton is a high-end indoor bike that is fully equipped with a touch screen monitor and everything that you need for the ultimate indoor exercise experience. It’s stylish, top of the line, and able to track all of your metrics along with keeping track of your progress. It tracks your cadence, or the speed of your legs, resistance from 0 to 80, and total output, which is a combined number calculated based off of your resistance and cadence. For fellow science nerds out there, here’s how output is scientifically calculated: Output ~= (Cadence - 35) * (Resistance/100)2.5 * 24. Luckily for us, the Peloton bike does all of these calculations automatically in real-time.
There are four different packages that you can choose from when purchasing a Peloton: basics, essentials, works, and family. I recommend purchasing the basics package at $2,245 along with investing in their mat, which goes underneath the bike. Trust me, the mat is essential as you will sweat more than you think and it makes for easy cleaning. It’s nice to have weights as many of the different workout classes use them and there’s a place for dumbbells on the back part of the bike for easy access during a ride. Also, it’s essential to have cycle shoes. Specifically, you’ll need the cleats that are three-pronged. You can purchase them on amazon or through Peloton.
If you don’t have $2,245 lying around for a bike, you can use Peloton’s payment plan for $58/month for 29 months at 0% APR. The Bike Mat costs $59 with the dimensions at 36’ x 72’ and is well worth it. If you purchase the cycling shoes from Peloton, they cost $125 and come with the cleats. You can also buy shoes and cleats on amazon.com that will work with the Peloton and save you some serious money. You can find and purchase basic cycling shoes on Amazon for between $60-80. I’ve had mine now for 9 years and they have not needed to be replaced with indoor cycling use of multiple times per week. The cleats if you purchase them separately at Peloton will cost you $25. I bought a pair for my husband on amazon for $15. Just remember to buy the ones compatible with look delta. I’ll include links for everything at the bottom of this blog post. It is easy to change out cleats if you already have cycling shoes. Other accessories that will be useful for your optimal ride on the Peloton are Earbuds the best would be a blue tooth, cord-free headphones, but if you already have headphones, it’s easy to plug them into the bike. You can also ride and do the classes with the sound audible, but it’s nice to have it quiet as an option. I’m a big fan of using a heart rate monitor with the Peloton as it’s easy to track your heart rate during your ride. Peloton sells a heart rate monitor that automatically connects with blue tooth via their bikes for $49. It works pretty well, but you could use any heart rate monitor so I don’t see a major advantage with purchasing theirs. I invested in the Works Package, which included the bike, cycle shoes, one set of free weights, headphones, mat under the bike, and heart rate monitor. For me it’s been well worth the investment as I was not sure about whether or not I’d be able to go to a specialty bike shop during the COVID-19 lockdown and I wanted to have everything that I needed. Also, I have multiple family members that use the bike. I saved $38, but could have saved more money had I ordered the heart rate monitor and free weights, but I don’t have any regrets as the Peloton was an investment in me and my health.
So is the Peloton worth it?
Here are the major benefits to the Peloton:
• 24-hour access to high-end fitness classes with an expert instructor
• State of the art indoor cycling equipment and tracking method
• Ability to connect with other Peloton members via video and share rides
• Full-body exercise class access including yoga, stretching, strengthening, running, walking, meditation along with cycling
• Leader board to see how your performance measures up
• Ability to high-five and connect virtually with other participants
• Multiple member access via one monthly subscription
• At home system
• Ability to ride with headphones for quiet ride or through the bike
• App with access to all of the workouts
• One-year warranty
• Tracking system for during and after each class
• Blue tooth capability for heart rate monitor and headphones
• Excellent instructors and thousands of classes to choose from
I’ve been teaching Les Mills RPM classes for the past 8.5 years until our fitness center shut down due to COVID-19. I’m also a physical therapist and a strong advocate for cross-training and doing different types of exercise. Before I purchased my Peloton after my gym closed, I was walking daily 1-2 hours and using free weights along with doing classes via youtube from my home. There is honestly no comparison. I’m in much better shape from having the Peloton. The cycling classes are excellent. I wake up wanting to exercise and find myself doing multiple classes throughout the day, which I love. I’ve been also teaching Pilates and yoga for years and am thrilled that the Peloton has yoga classes along with strengthening, which isn’t the same as Body Pump but, is still a great way for me to target specific muscle groups. I also enjoy doing arm weights while I ride the bike. It’s pushing and encouraging me to get into the best shape that I’ve been in since my daughter was born 11 months ago. Since, I’ve been using the Peloton, I’ve lost over 10 lbs and can wear my non-maternity clothing again!
The Peloton has been great for my family. My husband and father have also been able to ride the bike and take advantage of the different classes. There are also amazing scenic rides that have beautiful footage from places around the world. My sister, who lives in Boston with her three sons is an avid fan of Peloton and I’ve been able to participate in live rides with her where we’re able to connect via video and encourage each other. I’m also able to ride with my nephew and at 9 years-old for someone who has not been interested in fitness or organized sports, he now enjoys a daily ride with either me or my dad. Even her 8-year old is now riding the Peloton getting great exercise.
I love the classes on the floor. They have many options including 5-30-minute strength classes where you can focus on upper body arms, chest and back, core, or lower extremity. The yoga classes range from 15-75 minutes. As an avid meditator, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Peloton offers meditation with classes ranging from 10-30 minutes.
Cons to the Peloton:
• Need to purchase monthly subscription $39/month
• Yoga classes use pop/popular music
• Instructors all based in NYC
• Competitive nature with leader board and everything being tracked together instead of done by sex or age
• Need cycle shoes and cleats
• Heart rate monitor doesn’t work all the time
• Internet connection needs to be very strong or system might freeze during a ride
• Not able to pause a workout after you start
• Have to take separate cool-down ride and/or stretching after class
• Not much warm-up time or cool down time given during the ride
• Fewer longer classes ex: yoga and meditation
• Some instructors extremely verbose while trying to deliver the class especially with yoga and meditation
• No real-time feedback on form or technique
• May be difficult for beginning riders, but they do offer class series and you can take the resistance and classes at your own pace if you need to
So is the Peloton worth it?
It depends…yes, if:
• You have one or more exercise enthusiasts in your home
• You’re ready to lose weight and/or take your health and fitness to the next level
• You’re open to making the financial investment in yourself and your health
• You want to work out safely from home
• You want to connect with others online or ride with fellow family members in different locations
• You want to be toned and look great
No, if:
• You exercise a few times a year in January, but for the most part, don’t go to the gym
• You’d rather spend your free time watching Netflix
• You don’t plan on losing weight or building up a sweat
• You already have a gym at home
• You prefer working out on your own without the option of exercise classes
• You prefer traditional yoga studios
If you’re still not sure check out their 90-day free trial of the app. This is a great way to try out some of the floor classes with various instructors. As always thank you for your interest and for reading. Feel free to pass this on to your friends and/or leave a comment if you have anything you’d like to add or ask about.
