Last month, I shared that I was Hopping on the Peloton Trend, Kinda by setting up a non-Peloton exercise bike and using the Peloton app for my workouts. Now that I’ve been using the Peloton app for 1 month, I thought it would be a good idea to do a check-in!
Do I like the equipment I bought?
As I mentioned, I did not purchase a Peloton bike. Instead, here is what I purchased:
- CHAOKE Indoor Cycling Bike with digital monitor
- Sunny Exercise Equipment Mat
- Wahoo RPM Cycling Cadence Sensor
- Zacro Gel Bike Seat Cover
I very much like the CHAOKE cycling bike and the equipment mat is great too! After a few rides, I did realize that my handlebars needed to be a bit higher and that was a quick adjustment. I find the seat comfortable and the bike easy to use. I also like that the pedals have the cage pedals, so I can use my regular running shoes when I ride. After each ride, I wipe down the handlebars and seat with a bleach wipe and it’s good to go for my next workout. (Also, as an added endorsement, one of my sisters bought the exact same bike as I did and she likes hers too)
I have mixed feelings about the Wahoo Cadence Sensor. I originally bought it because when doing Peloton rides they tell you what cadence to do throughout your workout. The Peloton bikes have the cadence built in to the bike. I run the Peloton app on my iPhone during my workouts, so if I’m also running the Wahoo sensor, it is in the background. After my workout I can check to see if my cadence was where I intended, but it’s more of a reactive thing if I think about it. If I ran my Peloton workouts on my laptop rather then my phone, I could have my cadence sensor running on my phone and watch it during my workouts. All in all, I’m fine with being more intuitive for my rides. When they say “go at a cadence between 60 – 80” that is a more comfortable speed. And when they say “go 100 – 120” that is code for RIDE LIKE THE DEVIL IS CHASING YOU.
As for the bike seat cover, I found that it was completely unnecessary and I never even took it out of the packaging. I’ll returned it over the weekend, since I ended up not needing it at all.
Knowing what I know now after 1 month of use, I would have skipped the seat cover and cadence monitor and just purchased the bike and mat.
Do I like the Peloton app?
YES. I like the Peloton app SO MUCH! I purchased the individual Peloton Digital Membership app for $12.99/month but the first 30 days were free. I love that it has a variety of classes and so far I’ve done classes in cycling, stretching, strength, meditation and yoga. I love that you can sort by class type, class length, instructor and more. It makes it super easy for me to fit a workout into my day when I can narrow it down to how much time I have. Often I will do a 20 minute cycle ride and then add on a quick 5 minute strength session… because it’s only FIVE minutes and my arms still feel like jello afterwards.
Also, I really like that my iWatch and the Peloton app work together so that it can pull my heart rate into the app for each of my workouts. By keeping an eye on my heart rate while still looking at the screen, I can make sure I’m working as hard as I should be.
Who are my favorite instructors?
Ben Alldis: I have a workout crush on my buddy Ben and I love his cycling classes! Even if I pick a 20-minute ride, he has me jamming along with the music and sweating more than I’ve ever sweat during a workout in my life. And that’s including running a 10k. He’s cute, he’s positive and he has great taste in music.
Adrian Williams: I first found Adrian when I was looking for some good stretching sessions and he totally delivered. Since then, I’ve also found that I really enjoy his strength workouts. I find him motivating without being annoying and he also makes me laugh when he does something like shout out “PEEKABOO” when doing a weights move.
Ally Love: Ally has a 5 minute strength class that I love adding on to my cycle workouts. She moves the entire time and as I mentioned above, it’s pretty darn easy to get myself to pick up the weights if it’s as quick as 5 minutes. I wish there were more short strength workouts with weights!
Some other instructors I’ve taken classes with: Emma Lovewell, Cody Rigsby, Robin Arzon, Chelsea Jackson Roberts, Leanne Hainsby, Aditi Shah, Kristin McGee, Hannah Corbin, Olivia Amato, Denis Morton, Jess Sims, Sam Yo, Alex Toussaint, and more.
Am I keeping motivated?
Yes! I’ve given myself a goal of doing SOMETHING on the Peloton app each day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cycling class + a strength class, or just a 5-minute meditation. Every single day, I take a little bit of time just to myself and it’s been wonderful.
Another way I keep motivated is that each weekend I do a Sister’s Ride with my sisters. We set up a Zoom so we can all see each other and we sweat through a cycling ride and typically add on a strength or stretch workout too. I’ve been doing both Saturday and Sunday, since not all of us can make the same time/days. It’s been a great way to see some of my favorite people AND keeps me motivated, since I certainly am not going to leave my sister’s hanging!
Overall thoughts
I’m going to be honest, I’m getting lonely. I’m still working from home every day (and have been most of the time since March) and I’m still overseeing Jack’s online school. So basically I talk to my co-workers by Slack, phone or Zoom and my kid and husband. I barely leave the house and when I do it’s to go somewhere like the grocery store, or to pick up carryout dinner. It’s cold outside, so we haven’t been meeting up with anyone to do any outdoor get togethers. By adding the Peloton to my daily routine, not only am I forcing myself to get motivated to do something, I feel more connected to the world. I take classes with hundreds or thousands of other people. I zoom with my sisters on the weekends. It gives me something to look forward to. And it’s great for my cholesterol and hopefully will help me lose a few pounds. For less than $350, I call that a win!
Let me know if you have any questions!
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