Before I begin, I’d like to address one of the most frequently asked questions.
YOU DO NOT NEED A PELOTON BIKE OR TREADMILL TO DO THEIR CLASSES.
YOU DO NOT NEED A PELOTON BIKE OR TREADMILL TO DO THEIR CLASSES.
....one more time for the people in the back that don’t hear me....
YOU DO NOT NEED A PELOTON BIKE OR TREADMILL TO DO THEIR CLASSES.
You can have another bike brand or no bike at all and still participate. They have a 30-day free trial of their digital subscription that you can install on your phone or iPad and enjoy other workouts. After the trial, it will cost you $12/month which is a great deal for all that you get. They even have workouts using resistance bands if that’s all you have. Or, you can take some yoga or meditation classes or strength classes if you have weights.
FAQ: What bike do I have? I have the Bowflex C6 there's also the Schwinn IC4 which is the exact same bike as mine. I used a military discount so check for that if you can. Dick's carry these bikes and sometimes you can find a coupon online to get one at a good price. So still top of the line, just not peloton luxury LOL
Before the pandemic, I was a faithful 9Round Fitness member. I’ve been going there since 2015 and have belonged to gyms in NC, CA, and PA. I was hype to learn that the one in Philly was Black and it was also one of the bigger gyms I’ve ever been to. Sadly, due to the pandemic, the owner decided to shut down operations. It was truly sad to see because so many of us have built community there.
Beyond the shut down, I wasn’t really open to public gyms even with all of the safety precautions. For the longest, my argument for working out at home was that my interior designer did NOT design my apartment for me to be up in here sweating and moving furniture around. Jokes on me, I guess lol
I decided to finally write this since I just completed my 100th peloton bike ride, which puts me in the century club! It's literally a whole thing and hopefully, even though I am on digital, I'll get a t-shirt! lol
1. The instructors
Over the summer I became obsessed with Alex Toussaint. He is my type in all the wrong ways and I hope he never reads this lol. Beyond the vanity 😍, I loved the motivation he incorporated into his workouts, even if that meant he was cursing me out lol. The one that I remember the most is “inhale that confidence, exhale that doubt!”.
When I finally stepped away from AT, I discovered the other spin instructors and now I love Tunde Oyenin, (Cousin) Kendall Toole, Ally Love, Robin Arzon, Jess Sims, and Cody Rigsby.
Yoga/Meditation
When shelter in place first began, I wanted to practice yoga at home to calm my nerves and had no success finding Black yogis on YouTube. Color me surprised when I learned Peloton had yoga AND a dope Black woman yogi!!! Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts is hands down one of my favorites. She’s a Spelman Alum and AKA from Dayton, OH and I love how unapologetic she is about bringing all of her identities to the mat - each and every time.
Last week I completed my 50th yoga class during her Bob Marley flow and I’m truly grateful for the ability to practice with her and her 🔥 playlists. I also love her meditations. One thing I’ve learned from Dr. CJR is to “breathe before you move”. A lot of times we are so quick to move from one thing/action to the next without first taking a breath. Much love to Dr. CJR for helping me protect my peace.
2. The community
I’ve taken so many classes with my friends and honestly, during a time where we’re all supposed to be in isolation, that has made this process much more bearable. It’s cool to tell folks how dope peloton is and then welcome them to it with a joint workout session. I’ve planned yoga and rides with folks from the east coast to the west coast. It’s really my favorite thing to do.
Beyond working out together, I can see what classes they’ve taken and bookmark them for myself. I can also see how much they’ve been working out and get my life together if I’ve been slacking. Additionally, I can ask folks like my friends Raven, Robin, and Sukari to hold me accountable when I just don’t want to workout or meet a milestone.
Also, there are several peloton Facebook groups and my favorite one is the Black Girl Magic group - both laughs and accountability for days!
3. The accessibility
So let's start with the fact that I don’t even have a peloton bike. Last summer, I started the peloton free 30-day trial via the iPad app while visiting my friends mom’s house and rode her bowflex bike. While there, I told myself that if I ride the bike consistently, I’d buy one for myself. The fact that I don’t need to buy the peloton bike (or tread) and still get to participate is super dope and I only pay $12/month for access.
This is actually a huge misconception with peloton that I try to debunk as much as I can. YOU DON’T NEED THE BIKE lol. They even have outdoor walk/runs that you can try, as well as, body weight classes and dance classes. Honestly, they have it all.
4. The workouts / The playlists
There’s really no other way to say this but, these workouts are hard AF! There are certain instructors that are consistently hard and you silently curse them out when they ask you to go harder. Some how, its like they know you’re slacking off because as soon as I say “girl bye I ain’t doing that” they yell at me to do more 😂
Anyway, I love that they have so many different types of workouts (again, you do not need their bike or their treadmill - I will say this until I am red in the face lol). You can do spin, run/walk on the treadmill or outside, do a bike or tread bootcamp, yoga, cardio, meditation, or guided stretches.
As a former DJ, I also love that I can filter and search for certain types of playlists and ‘control’ the music I hear while working out. I used to hate when I’d go to a workout and the playlist was whack lol I’m generally on the hip-hop or R&B rides because they’re usually very lit. I also love the many artist series that they have. My favorite was the Beyoncé rides/yoga, naturally.
5. The accountability
Peloton has gamification down pact and honestly, I feel like its even better for folks who have their actual bike/treadmill. You earn badges for every type of work out, daily/weekly streaks, challenges, etc. You also can see how far along your friends are in challenges, which pushes me to go even harder to keep up. This is the accountability I need for at-home workouts because it is so easy to fall off, even if you have to look at your gym equipment every single day.
All in all, I am very grateful for the peloton community and that I get to participate just using my iPad and bowflex. Since my beloved 9Round gym closed here in Philly and running is just not my ministry, I get to enjoy a full workout experience and all I have to do is roll out of the bed and put on my workout clothes (and shoes b/c I def have almost started a workout with slippers on lol).
While I hated the idea of sweating in my beautifully designed apartment, it actually isn’t so bad.
I wanted to get this out so I'll follow up either here or on another post that I can consistently update with my favorite rides! In the words of the peloton instructors, it is a privilege to be able to move our body. You deserve.
