A friend and I were chatting about fitness stuff recently and she inspired me to work on myself and my fitness even more this year. I had been coming off a bad month of fibromyalgia flare after a cold took me down (colds really do my muscles in and leave me with no energy) but I am finally back at the fitness game.
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A while back I wrote a review of my Bladez Master GS bike [read the review here] and I've been loving it but wanted to push myself further. So I decided to try out the Peloton app, which has live and on demand cycling classes all from the comfort of your own home.
The app is perfectly set up and easy to navigate. There are classes from 5 to 10 minutes all the way up to 120 minutes. There are both male and female trainers to choose from and a variety of ride styles like Endurance, Metrics, and different theme rides like Hip Hop or 90's rides. You can ride live or on-demand once classes are over. The On-Demand filter let's you narrow down your choices by time, theme, and trainer to make what you are in tthe mood for easy to find. My favorite rides have been by Alex Toussaint, especially his Bless Up rides - definitely check them out! (And I love his motivational quotes so I included a few here).
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| Peloton App - Available Classes |
Feel Good. Look Good. Do Better. - Alex Toussaint
As for the bikes, a quick comparison in price (Peloton vs my Bladez):
The Peloton bike costs $1995, plus $39 a month for the workout app/plan. The bike includes weight racks behind the seat and a water bottle holder. There are a few accessory packages such as The Essentials Package which includes Peloton spin shoes with cleats, hand weights, and headphones for $149.
My Bladez Master GS was around $500 (on Wayfair) and the Peloton app for iPhone/iPad is $12.99 a month or $5.99 for a week. The app gives you the freedom that if you were on vaca or away but had access to a bike rental or a hotel gym with a bike you could get the week and still sneak in some fit time.
I currently use the Shimano WR42 in Black ($79.99) with SPD cleats I transferred from my last pair since they were in good shape. I also use 2lb and 5 lb C9 weights from Target ($3).
My only other accessories are: my Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor (around $63) and my iPad Air 2 ($499 on sale at Target) in an OtterBox Defender series case that can be positioned in multiple angles for easy viewing on my bike.
Using the app at home with a solid bike is a great option, especially if you already have an iPad, iPhone, or some other device you can use the app on. There are lots of stationary bikes on Amazon with great reviews that are $500 or under. The Peloton bike looks amazing. I love the added weight and water bottle holders but my home set up is working out pretty darn great right now. The app is keeping things fresh and interesting.
Overall I have been so pleased with the Peloton app and have continued my subscription after my free trial expired. I highly recommend it for those with bikes at home, at a gym (earphones!), or for those looking for a bike as a way to stay motivated. For less than half of ONE Soul Cycle class you can get a months worth of spin classes plus their growing Beyond the Ride classes like yoga, strength training, cool downs, and stretching.
"Smile. You woke up today. Don't look so damn mad." - Alex Toussaint
The Peloton Cycle app is available on the iTunes Store.
Again, please check out my bike review here and let me know what your favorite workout apps and home workouts are in the comments below!
