The Peloton App Has a Surprising Amount of Workouts (Even If You Don't Own Its Equipment)
-
The Good
- Keeps track of all workouts
- Excellent variety of classes and workout types
The Bad- Costs extra if you don't have Peloton membership
- Not super customizable
- Requires internet access
Table of Contents
Years after the pandemic boom, I am still an ardent supporter of all things Peloton. I have my trusty, standard Peloton Bike, use it every single day, and am always excited to find new features on it. Even on days when I can't use my bike, however rare I try to make them, I still use the company's other offerings to make sure I'm getting in some kind of workout. That's why I rely on and love the Peloton app. It enables me to do a ton of things and, since it's available on iOS, Android, and even on other devices like my Roku, I can use it anywhere.
What can you do with the Peloton app?
The question is really, "What can't you do with the Peloton app?"
When you log in, you are greeted by many options. You can find guided courses in stretching, walking, running, strength, meditation, yoga, and cardio. It also has "outdoor" functions like "30 min Mental Health Awareness Walk" and "20 min HIIT Run," plus classes you can run specifically while you're on a treadmill, bike, or rowing machine, even if they're not the Peloton-branded ones. For the most part, I stick with stretching, yoga, and strength, choosing to access the cycling classes only from my Peloton Bike, but I've been known to follow along with a pre-made treadmill workout at the gym from time to time, too.
As is true with the classes you can take on your Peloton Bike, Bike+, Tread, and Row, you can take these classes live or dig them out of the archive and take them on your own. Later today, for instance, instructor Hannah Frankson will be leading a 30-minute run, which you can join her (and hundreds of other people) on in real time. Later, there's a 20-minute strength class targeting arms and shoulders and using the music of Teddy Swims.
I tend to take these classes out of the archives when I use the app. I'm not preoccupied with battling my way up a leaderboard against hundreds of people who are taking it at the same time, but if that motivates you, the app gives you plenty of opportunities.
It's not customizable, but the app does know you
You can't customize too much about the classes on here. They're pre-recorded and feature an instructor leading you through whatever the class is, whether it's a stretching session or a run. When searching for classes, you have a few filters, like length, instructor, and class type, but that's about it. When you tap on a class you might want to take, it'll give you details like what language it's in, what equipment you need, and what songs are featured. Peloton's other app, Strength+, is much more customizable and lets you input which types of equipment you have on hand, what you want to focus your workout on, and more, but the trade-off there is that you aren't taking classes. Rather, with Strength+, you're just receiving a generated workout plan to follow. Here, you do watch an instructor work through the entire workout, which can be helpful if you're a beginner, unsure of how to perform a specific exercise, or enjoy being motivated by a peppy, educated pro.
While it's not highly customizable, it is algorithm-driven. The app gets to know you a bit. When I log in now, I'm served a "Recommended For You" tray that features classes similar to ones I've taken in the past. Right now, it's offering me a 20-minute R&B walk, a 10-minute stretch, and a 20-minute Bollywood run. Those aren't really my types of music, but I see that the app is trying to challenge me to do more cardio. Thoughtful!
There are other trays on the home page that remind me of the algorithmically generated suggestions you get from Spotify throughout the day. Some are based on what time it is, like a selection of classes to "Beat the afternoon slump." Others are specific, like "No equipment needed." They change throughout the day and make it easy to quickly identify a class and get started.
The instructors are knowledgeable
I've taken classes from dozens of Peloton instructors and all of them have been knowledgeable and helpful. As a spin teacher, I know how valuable succinct, clear cues are to keeping participants safe and maximizing the benefit they get out of a class. Whether I'm taking a cycling class through Peloton or working on a new stretching routine, I find that the teachers give really helpful instruction and perform the movements carefully, making them easy to replicate. I'm a lot better at cycling than I am at, say, yoga, so I rely on solid instruction to make sure I'm staying safe and maximizing the workout. The ability to play the classes on my television using my Roku is also a major benefit. With a big screen, I don't have to crane my neck to look at my phone or guess what I'm supposed to be doing.
The app tracks your progress
I am devoted to apps and their ability to monitor and manage all elements of my life, so I enjoy that the Peloton app keeps so much data on my workouts. From the Profile tab, accessible via a menu on the bottom of the home screen, I can see a calendar detailing my active days, charts about my activity breakdown, and all kinds of stats and pieces of info, like how many calories I've been burning and which muscles I activate most often. I can see my workout history, achievements (like milestones and times I participated in special events), and any music I've enjoyed in a class and saved for later. You can bookmark classes, mark instructors as favorites, and track your progress closely. It also syncs up to your phone's health-tracking system, which for me means that it works seamlessly with my Apple Watch to record workouts, count calories, and more. The more all of these things—my Bike, my watch, my phone, and, hell, my body—work together, the easier my fitness journey is and the more I can focus on just putting in the work.
You might have to pay (and other considerations)
Because I have a Peloton All Access membership for $44 per month, I can use this app as much as I want to, but you might not have one of those memberships if you don't own any of the company's at-home workout equipment, like their bikes or treadmills. In that case, you'll be spending on this app. The price for the Peloton app without an All Access Membership is $12.99 per month. I don't think that's too bad, given that you can use it to guide you through a variety of workout types at home and at the gym, but you might not agree.
Another thing to consider is that you do need an Internet connection for it to work. I've worked out in plenty of gyms where the cell service was spotty and the wifi password was akin to a state secret, so I can imagine it would be frustrating to try to follow a treadmill workout on this app if you couldn't get full service on your phone. Still, in this day and age, we're connected nearly all the time, so it might not be that big of a deal that you can't download workouts or save them for offline access.
The app adds a lot to the workout experience
Whether you have Peloton equipment to use at home or you just want a little boost to your existing workout program, I do recommend this app. The instructors know what they're doing, new classes are added every single day, and the variety is unbeatable. (Last month, I accidentally took a stretching class in German, but the instructor was so precise with his movements that I had no problem following along, even though the foreign language was a little distracting.) I use this when I'm walking somewhere, running on the treadmill at the gym, or hoping to get in a stretch or arm workout at home and would pay the $12.99 for it each month even if I didn't already have an All Access Membership for my bike.
