Peloton is one of the most popular exercise tools that allows you to take studio fitness classes in the comfort of your own home. As a personal trainer, I get a lot of questions about Peloton, if it’s worth adding to your home gym, and how clients can use it to lose weight. Whether you are already an avid Peloton user or are considering buying one of their pieces of equipment, this article is going to break down how to lose weight with Peloton—the right way.
In this article:
Pros and Cons of Peloton
Before you rush to buy a few thousand dollar piece of equipment, let’s talk about Peloton and whether or not it’s worth it. Peloton is obviously one of the most popular fitness brands and it’s certainly effective way to get a great workout. But it’s not for everyone.
With a subscription (app or “all access”) you get access to thousands of on-demand classes that are led by the fun Peloton instructors. When you are a member, you get access to studio level spin classes, bootcamps, full body workouts, and so many other types of fitness classes. If you have an apple watch, you can sync it with your device and it’s a great way to monitor your heart rate while you exercise.
Pros:
- Access to unlimited in-home fitness classes
- Personalized fitness content tailored to your goals
- Social accountability, motivation, and assessment
- Can be used even when you can’t get to the gym
Cons:
- Expensive
- Requires self programming
Which Peloton Equipment is Ideal for Weight Loss
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of coming up with a program that suits your weight loss goals, let’s talk about the different Peloton equipment.
Peloton offers a variety of equipment, from treadmills to stationary bikes to weights and now a row machine. While all of the equipment can benefit you if you want to lose weight, the best option for you ultimately boils down to what kind of exercise you prefer. While you may burn more calories jogging on a Peloton treadmill than you would on the Peloton bike, it doesn’t matter if you hate jogging.
The key to a successful weight loss plan is consistency. You’re not going to get the results you want if you can’t stick with it. And choosing a piece of equipment that you dread using is a recipe for failure. With that said, let’s go through the different options.
Peloton App
Before you cough up a few thousand dollars for one of Peloton’s expensive pieces of equipment, you should know that you can still access all of their classes through the Peloton App.
The Peloton App offers access to all of the classes you would get with the bike, treadmill, or rower—all you need is a compatible device and a subscription. For those of you on a budget and who have access to some basic gym equipment, this may be the best option for you because it is only $12.99 per month to use the app. Where (this is one of my complaints) if you buy one of their machines, you must pay $44 per month to access the classes.
Peloton Bike
The Peloton bike is among the most popular of the Peloton equipment because it was the OG. With the bike, you can do various types of indoor cycling classes or just go on a scenic ride through different parts of the country. Choose from a variety of different cycling classes, from HIIT to climb rides. Of course, you can also access all of the other types of classes as well with the membership—from strength to yoga and beyond. The bike starts at $1,445 to purchase
Peloton Treadmill
The Peloton treadmill is what I have and is ideal if you prefer running or walking over biking. I personally hate cycling and was a runner all growing up, so this was my top pick. Like the bike, you can access many different classes, from walks to hikes to HIIT runs and more. The tread is quite a bit more expensive than the bike, however, as it starts at $3,495. Again, this cost does not include the membership.
Peloton Rower
For those of you who prefer rowing, Peloton recently released a rower that starts at $3195. The rower features a variety of row classes, including scenic rows, studio-like row classes, and row boot camps. Rowing is going to be a great option for those who cannot do high-impact exercises and want to engage the entire body.
How to Lose Weight with Peloton
Now that you’ve considered the different pieces of Peloton equipment and the app let’s move on to the program. As I have discussed in other parts of my website, you cannot successfully lose body fat without being in a calorie deficit. For this reason, you should be mindful of what you are eating if your goal is weight loss.
Creating a Calorie Deficit
Create an approximate caloric deficit that works for you: When it comes to weight loss, the calories from your food intake should be less than your calorie expenditure. I recommend creating a deficit of somewhere around 25% of your total daily energy expenditure (resting metabolic rate + activity level—well, that’s the oversimplified version). Use a calorie calculator to find the amount of calories you are burning a day and multiply that by around 0.75 to figure out how much you should be eating. Using the peloton workouts to burn more calories will help increase the amount of calories you can afford to eat in a day while still maintaining a deficit.
The Best Peloton Weight Loss Program
Now that we have figured out how many calories you should be eating let’s dive into the actual classes and how to structure an effective weight-loss program with Peloton. Now, of course, by doing a ton of cardio and eating fewer calories, you will certainly lose fat. However, what most people don’t realize is that burning fat does not necessarily lead to you developing your dream body. As you do cardio and maintain a caloric deficit, your muscle mass will also deplete and you will experience metabolic adaption that will make it difficult to maintain progress without constantly re-adjusting your program. To prevent this, you must ensure that your diet is high in protein and that you are maintaining a healthy balance of both resistance and cardio training. But thankfully, regardless of what Peloton option you choose, you will have access to both.
How Often to Train
When it comes to how often to train, the answer ultimately boils down to your schedule, and the time you can realistically commit to the program. If you spread yourself too thin and end up missing a workout, it can be discouraging, and in reality, you do not need to work out six days a week to make significant changes to your body composition.
For a weight loss workout plan, I recommend doing at least three days of workouts a week, although of course, the more you can exercise, the quicker you will see results. Most of your training should include resistance classes from the Peloton strength, pilates, or yoga categories. For more details on why this is ideal for weight loss, you can check out my resistance vs. cardio article. You can also incorporate boot camps into these. You should aim to do 1.5 to 2 hours of cardio per week on top of at least three resistance training sessions. If you are pressed for time and are not able to do the resistance training and the cardio, resistance training (paired with the dietary calorie deficit mentioned above) should be prioritized over the cardio classes.
Of course, if you have the time, six days of consistent training is going to make it so you reach your goals quicker. I also find a lot of my clients tend to adhere to a program better when they have to make it part of their daily routine and thus, build a habit out of it. So if you find that you do better in “all or nothing” scenarios, you may want to aim for six days instead.
Which Peloton Classes are Best for Weight Loss?
Now that we’ve gone over some of the fundamentals let’s talk through the best classes for losing fat with peloton.
Selecting Classes for Your Skill Level
Ok, so one of the things I love about Peloton is that they have classes categorized by level of difficulty. So if you are just starting to work out, I suggest you start with the beginner classes so that you can avoid injury and can focus on improving technique, posture, and stability. Stick with the beginner-level classes for 2-4 weeks or until you feel like they are too easy. If you have been working out for a while, you can start with the intermediate classes and progress to advanced if it’s too easy.
Peloton Weight Loss Training Splits for Women
I have put together the best peloton workout splits below based on the number of days you have available to train. Remember that you should be doing 1.5 to 2 hours of cardio on top of this. This can include any of the cardio classes that you enjoy. HIIT is preferred once you have reached intermediate or advanced levels—Peloton offers plenty of fun and engaging HIIT classes.
Include three to four 30-minute cardio sessions in your week of training. Ideally, 1-2 of them are HIIT, with the third and fourth (if applicable) being lower intensity steady state. But if HIIT workouts are not for you, any cardio will suffice.
Note the following splits are specifically for women. Although my blog is called Girl, Let’s Glow. I know I have some male readers, so I will include the male splits below.
3-Day Peloton Training Split
For those of you who only have three days to workout, I suggest structuring your splits like this:
Day 1: Glutes and Legs Strength
Day 2: Upper Body Strength + 10 Minute Core Class
Day 3: Full Body
4-Day Peloton Training Split
For those who plan to exercise 4 days a week, you should structure your split like this:
Day 1: Glutes and Legs Strength
Day 2: Upper Body Strength + 10 Minute Core Class
Day 3: Glutes and Legs Strength
Day 4: Upper Body Strength + 10 Minute Core Class
5-Day Peloton Training Split
For those looking to train five days per week, this is for you. If you want to hit the 6th day, you can make it a cardio or full-body day.
Day 1: Glutes and Legs Strength
Day 2: Upper Body Strength + 10 Minute Core Class
Day 3: Full Body Bootcamp
Day 4: Glutes and Legs Strength
Day 5: Upper Body Strength + 10 Minute Core Class
Peloton Weight Loss Training Splits for Men
Now that we have gone over the optimal training splits for women let’s talk about men.
In addition to the following classes, include three to four 30-minute cardio sessions in your week of training. Ideally, 1-2 of them are HIIT, with the third and fourth (if applicable) being lower intensity steady state. But if HIIT is not for you, any cardio will suffice.
3-Day Peloton Training Split
Day 1: Upper Body Strength + 10 minute core class
Day 2: Legs Strength
Day 3: Upper Body Strength + 10 minute core class
4-Day Peloton Training Split
Day 1: Upper Body Strength + 10 minute core class
Day 2: Legs Strength
Day 3: Upper Body Strength + 10 minute core class
Day 4: Full Body Strength or Bootcamp
5-Day Peloton Training Split:
Day 1: Upper Body Strength + 10 minute core class
Day 2: Legs Strength
Day 3: Full body strength or bootcamp
Day 4: Upper Body Strength + 10 minute core class
Day 5: Full body strength or bootcamp
Other Strength Classes: Yoga, Barre, & Pilates
Now, if weight classes are not for you or you have an affinity for the more elegant exercise practices such as yoga, barre or pilates, Peloton does offer engaging varieties of these classes as well. You can still effectively lose weight with any of these classes but you should be mindful of how you include them in your splits.
Peloton offers different focuses for each class, so if you’d like to include them into your strength split, try to find a class that compliments the muscles you are trying to work. For instance, you are fine to sub a 10 minute core class for a 10 minute pilates class with a core focus.
Alternatively, you can do a split completely full of these practices. For instance, doing yoga every day instead of a more traditional strength class. If you choose to do this, my suggestion is to do the full body workouts or “flows” rather than the focused ones. I recommend this only because it makes it easier to make sure you are working all parts of your body. On the contrary, if you are able to effectively balance the focuses between all parts of the body, that’s also fine.
How Long Should Your Peloton Classes Be for Weight Loss?
To stick to this Peloton weight loss program, I suggest choosing between a 30 and 45-minute class. If you don’t have that much time to dedicate to your workouts, 20 minutes will suffice.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to structure your Peloton weight loss program, make sure you are consistent with your workout routine and follow the guidelines above to the best of your ability. Incorporating strength training, low intensity steady state cardio and high-intensity interval training into your workouts will help you burn more calories and keep the weight off long-term.
