I went from not exercising to a month on a Peloton – 5 things I learned


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Most won’t admit that they hate exercise, but unfortunately I’m one of them. Despite countless efforts and hobbies over the years, nothing has remained – that’s why, in a desperate attempt to improve and regulate my fitness, I bought a platoon last month. It was by no means a cheap investment, but I had high hopes that it would finally get me into the habit of exercising regularly, and dare I say it, enjoy it.

In the month since I bought the platoon, I tried all kinds of classes besides cycling, from yoga to meditation to boxing. I stuck to it, completed 19 workouts and rode 41.6 miles in total, which I’m actually pretty proud of. Here are five things I learned from this experience.

Classes are hard – very hard

Obviously, you would assume that the courses are going to push you; after all, that’s the whole point. But, even after a month of a beginner’s course, I still don’t feel ready to take it to the next level – I’m covered in sweat and exhausted after just 20 minutes. Still, most of the classes encourage you to progress, which makes me a little pathetic. I didn’t feel that bad when I told our fitness editor about it, she said ‘On the Platoon Conveyor Belt there are some walking lessons which are very much aimed at beginners, but i think it is more difficult on a bike because even going slowly is strenuous, and the lessons are so motivating that i think it is easy to push yourself too hard. ‘

If you are new to cycling it may take longer than you think to climb the experience ladder.

Exit between classes varies, however, and some are more difficult than others. You can roughly understand how difficult a class is by scrolling through its breakdown and description; and other runners are also rating the difficulty, which is helpful. I am not at all bothered by this quality, I want to be pushed; Just keep in mind that if you are new to cycling it may take longer than you think to work your way up through the experience ladder.

I even found the beginner’s yoga classes to be hard work, especially with the speed involved in switching between poses. If you’re new to yoga, you’ll constantly find yourself forcing your neck to check the screen for visual guidance, and even these classes will make you sweat.

The Peloton Bike + screen showing the results of a workout

(Image credit: Avenir)

At first, I wasn’t so bothered by the community aspect of the Peloton bike. It wasn’t until I started training that I realized how useful it really was. It makes me competitive during a class – if someone’s just a few steps in front of you you really find yourself pushing to beat them, then before you know it you’ve got a head-to-head run. head as they start to chase you. It makes the course more exciting and definitely makes it harder for me.

The community is also very united. During one class, everyone started yelling at me and I couldn’t understand why. I had about 20 random high-fives; no exaggeration. It wasn’t until the end of my session that I realized this was my tenth outing and had achieved an achievement for it. Others had seen me and wanted to congratulate me, which I found very sweet.

It doesn’t get old – not that far anyway

I was worried enough that I would quickly get bored of the Peloton events, and the bike would eventually gather dust. However, so far everything is fine. I varied the courses I took as mentioned before, but even sticking to beginner cycling courses caught my interest. There’s always a new one to try, even though I liked the music selection of a class so much that I took it more than once.

The boxing program announced on the Peloton Bike +

(Image credit: Avenir)

There are plenty of types of classes that I haven’t even had a chance to take yet, like strength, cardio, and running. In addition, there are also course programs offered that take place over a few weeks – this is where I found boxing. So there is always something new to try. I should point out, however, that programs tend to take up the majority of your time while they are running. I’m halfway into boxing and only managed to do a few more classes this week as a result. Some programs require daily dedication.

Placement is important

Due to the layout of my apartment, I had to press my Platoon against a wall in my office. The bike adapts easily, but I had no idea that placing it against a wall would limit me in some ways. For example, almost all classes end with stretches, some of which I can only do if I rotate my body to face sideways. It’s not the end of the world – I can still get off the bike, although after a tough run it’s hard to do it quickly so I don’t miss the stretches.

I bought the Peloton Bike + (starting at $ 2,195 / $ 52 per month), which gives me the benefit of the rotating screen. It has been great for the alternative classes. However, since I can only access the bike from the right side, it makes some classes difficult. For example, when practicing boxing, my stance has my right leg pulled back, so I am facing to the right – this means I have to cran my neck to look at the screen.

Because the space in my room is limited, I also cannot face the other side. This is by no means a fault on Peloton, but rather advice on where to place the bike. Ideally, you want space on both sides and room to rotate the screen.

Adjusting the bike can be tricky

The handlebar adjustment increments on the Peloton Bike +

(Image credit: Avenir)

If several of you are using the Peloton, this naturally complicates things as you will have to adjust the seat configuration between each ride. Increments are provided for seat height, depth, and handlebar height, so you can easily remember your settings. However, each of them is quite stiff and difficult to adjust at first, especially the height of the handlebars. Hopefully they loosen up over time, but for now I’m trying to encourage my partner to leave the height of the handlebars where they are, as it just depends on preference.

Platoon one month later: final result

Overall, I am still very happy with my purchase and look forward to moving on to the more experienced classes. I even encourage my friends to buy one so we can virtually race against each other!

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About Shirley A. Tamayo

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