Quarantine has impacted many of us mentally and emotionally. That is why I found working out to be such a therapeutic activity. It takes away all my stress and anxiety about the unknowns in 2020. Peloton products bring every aspect of a studio celebrity professional fitness class to the comfort of your own home. This fitness company has a different goal in mind than others, simply providing its users with a platform where they can work hard, feel good, and stay healthy. 

Peloton is most famous for their $2,300 stationary bike or their $4,300 treadmill. This equipment is wonderful and having the bike myself is definitely worth the cost, but owning their equipment is not the only way to become part of the Peloton family. 

You can join the Peloton Digital from your phone for $12 per month. When you download their app, you receive access to a full library of live and on-demand workouts which include outdoor running, treadmill running and cycling (which you can modify to do in any standard treadmill or stationary bike), bootcamps (a combination of cardio and lifting), cardio classes, strength classes with weight training and full-body workouts, as well as stretching, yoga and meditation. The digital membership is available on every platform using the app. 

However, there are negatives to only being a digital member; it can only be used for one person. But, when you are a bike or tread owner, for $39 per month, your access to the app contains a greater amount of family members that can use the app as well. Additionally, as a digital member only, members must modify most workouts if using a regular tread or standardized bike and if they do not have the equipment, rely solely on bodyweight workouts, which is a negative. However, at the end of the day, any physical activity is good for you. 

Personally, being part of the swim and waterpolo team at Central, I did not think I would enjoy it, but Peloton has really changed my mind. Most classes range from five minutes to 90 minutes and have levels of difficulty from beginner to pro level. No matter what your schedule looks like, you can fit some physical activity into your day to help you improve your health or athletic abilities without focusing on unrealistic weight expectations. In the past almost two months that I have been in quarantine, I have tried all of the classes provided by the Peloton app. 

The video and audio quality are great for on-demand classes and even during live classes. Since Peloton is such a widespread app, even when you are not taking a live class there are still other people that are taking the class with you. You can join a workout community using hashtags and give out “virtual hi-fives” anytime during your live or on-demand workouts, as well as engage in some healthy competition using the leaderboard, which rates users according to performance. For cycling and treadmill classes, performance is based on the total output, a combination of cadence and resistance. In other workout classes, performance might be measured by heart rate zone or calories burned, although it varies for each person. 

Instructors can be picked according to your choice and you can also pick your favorite music genre to go along with your workout. Instructors use fitness techniques in their cardio, treadmill and cycling programs. The most popular ones are using HITT (High Intensity Interval Training) as well as Tabata which consists of several sets of exercises performed with a rest interval. These strategies create resilience and perseverance. Strength and bootcamp classes mostly work through circuits of exercises and a recovery interval. Stretching and yoga classes use breathing exercises and holding positions. There is always a clear warm up and cool down in each workout which will keep you safe from injury and muscle pains. My favorite part is what instructors call the “reset song,” which is a recovery set right in the middle of each workout which sets you up for the end of the session. 

The most amazing part is how instructors do the entire workout alongside you. Compared to other workouts I’ve taken, where it feels as though the coach looks at me to do all the work, Peloton instructors become more like your workout partner; they are with you every step of the way. 

Overall, I think this company’s products are great because their difficulty levels fit everyone, it creates a virtual fitness community, and each workout is programmed specifically to give you a quality session, even in a short amount of time. If you still aren’t convinced and would like to see all this for yourself, you can try the Peloton app free for 30 days, no commitment required. After all, quarantine has become the platform for new experiences!