Why Peloton is Better Than the Gym

What comes to mind when you think of the gym? Once, perhaps, you might have envisioned the rows upon rows of cardio machines, the clamor of weights being lifted and re-racked, or the many faces you came to recognize. Now, however, the very things that made the gym your favorite place are what could make it seem daunting or even threatening — and your not-so-favorite things about it are coming to light.

Although there may be no better time than the present to invest in a home gym setup, some of our Peloton Members said goodbye to the gym far before they had to. We spoke with three Members who traded the gym for Peloton equipment. Here’s why they say it was the decision of a lifetime.

Time-Saving Convenience

With a Bike or Tread in your very own space, you can go from sleep or work mode to beast mode in no time. Member Staci B. (#Pedalin2Disney), who cancelled her gym membership after just three days with the Bike, says, “it took me 10-15 minutes to drive to the gym and about the same amount of time find a parking spot and make it into the facility...add that time up and I could already have completed a 30 minute ride!” Not only do your Peloton equipment and classes maximize the time you spend working out, but also can help you make the most of the rest of your day. Bike and Tread owner Adrianne J. (#Nawlins) quickly realized that “every minute of sleep was precious, and the 10 minute travel time to and from the gym...cost me 20 minutes where I could have been doing anything else,” such as spending time with her three kids. “As a wife and a working mom to three children with crazy busy schedules, I would skip the gym just because I could not get there,” says Staci. “Now I can wake up and within a few minutes, I can start a workout.”

Just You, Yourself And Thousands Of Other Members

If you’ve ever been caught between using your trips to the gym as either social hour or an intense sweat session, Peloton can offer you the best of both worlds. Adrianne, who has competed in triathlons and Iron Man races, says that her Bike and Tread “allow me a physical workout, but also a mental sensation that sometimes I need to be working out alone to get.” Free from the “distractions at gyms,” which Member Aaron L. (#SkokieSwift) cites as a reason for his transition to at-home fitness, you can be completely attuned to your body and focused on the instructors directly addressing you. If the gym is your place to be a social butterfly, we have great news for you: the community features built-in to your Peloton touchscreen allow you to connect with a global, like-minded fitness family. And, you might even find yourself engaging in behaviors that you wouldn’t in an IRL gym setting. Adrianne says, “I have high-fived with people I don’t know and encourage those who are strangers because I can.” In a Peloton class, you’ll never be alone, and there’s certainly no place for judgment when everything’s about the communal experience of sweating together, no matter where or who you are.

It Fits Seamlessly Into Your Routine

Let’s face it: it can be a challenge to muster up the motivation day after day to decide to work out. Couple that with the fact that a trip to the gym requires premeditation and travel time to get there, and you have a recipe for a membership going unused. Aaron echoes this sentiment, saying that “gyms’ luster wears on people after a few months, and it has to become part of your routine.” However, with a Peloton Bike or Tread under your roof or the App in your pocket or on your TV, the chances of you actually starting that workout (even if you don’t feel like it) increase exponentially. In a study conducted to determine how home exercise equipment helped users “stay motivated for doing regular work-outs,” which examined “the effects of immersion and coaching by a virtual agent on intrinsic motivation and the sense of presence of participants cycling on a stationary home exercise bike,” there was found to be “a clear positive effect of immersion on both motivation and presence.” In short, keeping your Bike or Tread at the front of your mind every day by having it in your living space will begin to establish positive habits within your routine. Says Staci, “my husband ordered the Bike in December 2019, and his hope was that he would use it to exercise more often since he wasn’t making it to the gym at all,” and the rest is history. She continues, “I make sure to carve out the time to take my classes at home because it is essential for my physical and mental health. My workouts never had to stop just because the world around me did.”

Variety, At Your Fingertips

We all have that one friend who still thinks that Peloton is just “that bike company.” Even if we didn’t have running, strength, yoga, meditation, bootcamp and cardio classes available on our platform, you would still be able to take a different cycling class every single day and never repeat a workout once. This epic variety not only makes it exciting to find new ways to sweat every day, but also offers the opportunity for Members to craft a personalized training program. No longer are you at the mercy of an instructor whose programming remains enshrouded until you’re clipped in on the bike! Adrianne takes full advantage of this benefit, saying that she and her husband “needed longer rides and runs on our schedule, and that is what Peloton provides us.” The parents aren’t the only ones getting in on the action in Adrianne’s household, though — each of her three daughters is partial to either the Bike, Tread or Dance Cardio, and the whole family joins in for audio-guided outdoor walks.

If you’re still wondering how a workout at a full gym can translate into at-home fitness, Aaron outfitted his home gym with weights and resistance bands (aside from the Bike and Tread, of course) for a complete workout, every time. He adds, “both my wife and I thought we made the right decision to leave the gym.” Staci also feels that her Peloton workout regimen leaves nothing to be desired, saying, “besides taking cycling classes, I incorporate strength classes to get a full body workout. Now that I am working at home with my entire family, I appreciate my Peloton even more.” Regardless of which workout you choose to tap into, there’s always something to be gained from the Peloton experience. Says Adrianne, “I can turn it up loud or take a low impact ride, but every workout provides me with the reminder that I am here, I am breathing and I will get through whatever the hell is in my way!”