Alright now before you dismiss what I’m about to say, hear me out. For almost two years I went to Orange Theory pretty regularly. To be honest, I absolutely loved it. I felt it was a full body workout in an hour that left me feeling strong and like I had accomplished something. For those that don’t know it’s a combination of cardio (treadmill & row machine) and strength (weights). The hardest part of the whole program for me though was fitting it into my schedule. Classes are at specific times and at my location were full…a lot. When I started doing fertility treatments this also complicated things because I couldn’t go for periods of time and I still had to keep up my membership. Then I found the peloton app.
First things first, the price. They offer a free 30 day trial and after that the current price is $12.99/month. As for what it offers? It’s like streaming a personal trainer. They have live classes you can take according to their schedule and then they have SO many on demand. There’s yoga, boot camp (running & strength), running (indoor on a tread or guided outdoor runs), cycling, meditation, stretching, walking and cardio (more like a HIIT class).
You can do all of these classes without owning the peloton tread or bike. I have a 6 year old treadmill and am able to follow along just fine with the classes. Full disclosure I do own the bike but I know people who have been able to figure out the conversion to do the classes on a non peloton bike.
The thing about peloton though is the classes are great but the instructors are really why I love it. I have my favorites (Jess Simms and Robin) but all of them are great. They get you through these tough workouts by sharing stories and why you can overcome anything especially the workout you are in. Peloton believes you are an athlete no matter what stage of that definition you are in. I know it sounds hokey but I just love it.
The classes sounded intimidating at first but they have modifications for everything. They also vary in length. If you’re not a runner they have walk/run classes. Depending on the boot camp you aren’t running for 30 mins, you’re on and off the tread which breaks it up nicely, very similar to an Orange Theory class.
So that’s my thoughts on the app, if you don’t have a tread or bike at home it would be pretty easy to even follow at a gym. I definitely workout more than before, at least once or twice more per week. It’s hard to see what progress I’ve made just because of all the modifications I had to make during fertility treatments the past 6 months and now being pregnant. I’m still able to work out now though and I hope to the remainder of my pregnancy.
Any questions just ask – I didn’t buy the bike until after I used the app for a couple of months and that was the result of liking it so much. If you’re looking for an effective workout on your own time this is a great option!