Are you looking for the best Peloton rides for weight loss? I know some of you are probably cringing at the thought of this. Peloton is notorious for being a cult-like fitness craze that’s created by super hipster bros. The reason I wrote this article wasn’t to list all the rides that are good for burning calories, or to help people get in shape. My aim was something different.
Some of the Best Peloton Classes (in No Particular Order)
Best Peloton Rides
- 30-Minute The Jess King Experience Ride on Nov. 4, 2021: POPSUGAR Fashion Editor Sarah Wasilak suggests King’s rides in her Jess King Experience series, and Geoff Schiller, Group Nine’s chief revenue officer, recommends the high-energy Jess King Experience as well.
- Kendall Toole’s 30-Minute World Mental Health Day Ride on Oct. 9, 2021: Bree Donnelly, a project manager, suggests any of Toole’s mental health rides because “she always makes me feel empowered.”
- Hannah Frankson’s 30-Minute Turn It Up: Carnival Special on Aug. 27, 2021: Jada Gomez, POPSUGAR Executive Editor, Entertainment and Style, says of Frankson, “She is my sister in my head. With her help and motivation, I lost over 20 pounds and got my asthma in check this year.”
- Leanne Hainsby’s 30-Minute Spice Girls Ride on July 13, 2021: Both Donnelly and Sophia Panych, Content Director, POPSUGAR UK, wanted to highlight Hainsby’s Spice Girls ride. Donnelly says the music is so fun that you don’t feel like you’re working out — “you just wanted to dance the whole time!”
- Christine D’Ercole’s 20-Minute Low-Impact Ride on Jan. 14, 2021: Chris Skae, Group Nine’s Director of Design, Product, likes low-impact rides from D’Ercole the most because they’re beneficial for his mental state and physical health.
- Robin Arzón’s 30-Minute HIIT Ride on Sept. 25, 2020: Former POPSUGAR Fitness Senior Editor Christina Stiehl named this ride from Arzón as one of her favorites. “If you want to challenge yourself and really break a sweat, try this 30-minute HIIT ride,” she said. “It’s filled with bursts of hard work followed by rest periods. Luckily the music is so much fun that riding to the beat will make it suck just a little less.”
- Robin Arzón’s 30-Minute ’90s Ride on Aug. 28, 2020: Stiehl loves the positive energy that Arzón brings to her rides. “This ride is just 30 minutes so it makes me feel accomplished, and the playlist is filled with an eclectic mix of throwback jams from the ’90s!” Stiehl said. “I had so much fun singing and dancing to the music that the time flew by.”
- 45-Minute All For One Ride on July 4, 2019: This class includes a number of different instructors and is one of Senior Vice President, Branded Content at Group Nine, Rebecca Gruber’s favorite rides. “I’ve taken it several times and PR each time I take it. The mix of instructors is energizing and puts me in such a great mood!” she says.
- Jenn Sherman’s 60-Minute Epic Sing-Along Rides: Sherman has hour-long rides that are labeled as sing-alongs on the app. “The playlists have me singing at the top of my lungs and my kids making fun of me endlessly,” Gruber says.
Best Peloton Yoga, Peloton Pilates, and Peloton Barre Classes
- Hannah Corbin’s 10-Minute Pilates on Dec. 16, 2020: I’ve done this class a bunch of times when I want a quick glute-activating session, or I’ll do it while wearing ankle weights for a nice finisher at the end of a longer workout. It’s entirely on the floor!
- Kristin McGee’s 30-Minute Keith Urban Yoga Flow on Sept. 27, 2020: Wasilak says she’s not a country fan but thought this was a great class “where I could feel myself making progress with yoga.”
- Ally Love’s 30-Minute Barre on Sept. 21, 2020: Wasilak also calls Love’s barre classes “amazing.” She notes, “They’re hidden in the strength section for those who may be unfamiliar. If you like Ally on the bike, you’ll appreciate this more laid-back side of her.”
Best Peloton Treadmill Sessions
- Jess Sims’s 20-Minute Hike on June 26, 2019: One thing that made me stick with Peloton in the beginning was the fact that its trainers led walking workouts that brought the heat and challenged me through and through. I love the power-walking and hiking classes on the treadmill, and this hike from Sims is an example of how to break a sweat on an incline. I also am a huge fan of her choice in music.
- Any of Jess Sims’s Saturday 60 Treadmill Classes: POPSUGAR Executive Style Director Dana Avidan Cohn recommends Sims’s Saturday 60 classes on the treadmill, which are (you guessed it!) an hour long. There are running sessions as well as bootcamp sessions (a mixture of running and weights). Avidan Cohn’s favorite is the 60-minute 2010s bootcamp because of the songs.
Best Peloton Strength Classes
- Robin Arzón’s 10-Minute J Lo Core Strength on Sept. 29, 2020: POPSUGAR contributor Victoria Moorhouse names Arzón as one of her favorite Peloton instructors, and Moorhouse especially loves the 10-minute core sessions. “It’s so easy to commit to 10 minutes of exercise, and I’ve learned so many new and interesting core moves that don’t include your standard, and often really boring, crunch,” she says.
- Rebecca Kennedy’s 30-Minute J Balvin Full-Body Strength on Sept. 16, 2020: Rebecca Kennedy is just the trainer for you if you’re looking to challenge yourself and learn new moves. This 30-minute strength class set to J Balvin songs is fun, features a slew of squats, and even has a dance section! I can’t dance, but I still enjoyed myself (especially since I was in the privacy of my own home).
- Any of Jess Sims’s Flash 15 Classes: These EMOM (every minute on the minute) workouts are short but pack a cardio and strength-training punch. They’re meant to be standalone sessions, so I usually do them when I’m short on time or just not in the mood to work out for longer than 15 minutes.
Are peloton strength workouts effective?
In general, peloton strength workouts work well because they are set up in a way that works all muscle groups at the same time. They can be done on their own by people who are just starting out, or they can be used as parts of more advanced workouts.
The main set is where you’ll do most of the work, and it typically includes exercises like squats, lunges, presses, and rows. The key to getting the most out of these workouts is to push yourself hard during the main set – if you can do that, then you’ll see some great results. So if you’re ready to sweat it out and see some real progress, then give Peloton strength workouts a try!
Will Peloton Strength Classes Help Me Lose Weight?
Yes, Peloton strength classes can help you lose weight. Strength training helps to build lean muscle mass, which in turn helps to boost your metabolism and burn more calories at rest. Additionally, strength-training can help you torch more calories during your workout, leading to greater weight loss over time.
Can you build muscle with peloton strength classes?
To be precise; Yes, peloton strength can help you build muscle because the 20- to 30-minute workouts focus on different muscle groups and use progressive overload. The whole workout is focused on one muscle group, which increases the amount of time that the muscle needs to be under tension in order to grow.
How often should you take strength classes at Peloton?
Peloton strength classes should be done 4–6 days a week, depending on your goals, fitness level, and the time you have to train. People who are just starting out or don’t have a lot of time can start out by working out 3–4 days a week.
Best Peloton Cycling Classes For Weight Loss
I’m gonna start this list from cycling class as peloton rides are the core of all the sessions. Peloton offers over 9,000 rides and the majority of them are great for weight loss.
Obviously, I haven’t done them all (it would take me over 30 years to complete all cycling classes on their app).
Here are some of the reasons why I think the peloton bike is one of the best ways to shred extra pounds.
- You can control the intensity (more on that later).
- You burn more calories by increasing your metabolic rate (a typical 30-45 minute class can burn 400 to 700 calories.
- You can lose this stubborn belly fat (of course, that means using a peloton daily, combined with a calorie deficit to create a negative energy balance).
- You create life-changing habits (it’s much easier to learn how to stay consistent once you find the workouts you like).
- You have many weight loss workouts to choose from (you have a large variety of classes for people of all fitness levels.
Related article: I didn’t review here the beginner’s workouts. I’ve already done that in “best peloton classes for beginners“, which I recommend you read.
Plus, you also have fun (which is what I think is the most important becasue it keeps me engaged and motivated to train).
Upper Body Strength and Lower Body Strength
One of the most effective ways you can do to lose weight is by building muscle mass. Having more muscle increases your resting metabolic rate. However, without the gym, it can be challenging to do it in the most optimum way.
In a nutshell.
- The upper body strength peloton allows you to burn more fat by building muscle mass because it has classes that just focus on the upper body.
- This helps to isolate the muscle, increase time under tension, and stimulate muscle growth better, compared to a full-body workout.
The classes run for 20 – 30 minutes and they focus mainly on doing chest, shoulders, arms, or back.
It increases time under tension and stimulates muscle growth
If your goal is to lose weight and you like exercises with weights, I recommend you create your peloton workout plan for each day with different classes.
This way to will exhaust each muscle to the most optimum point, stimulate muscle protein synthesis, and burn more fat.
Peloton offers pre-made programs, one of them is Total Strength with Andy Speer which lasts for 4 weeks.
However, in this program, Andy only asks you to train 3-4 days a week for the first 3 weeks (only in week 4 he increase the frequency to 5 days).
Why I choose this class
- I like this type of class becasue they’re great for beginners.
- For advanced, if you want to get the most benefits, you should increase frequency right from the start.
Here is an example of how I would do a peloton strength program for weight loss:
| Day of the week | Peloton class |
|---|---|
| Monday | Chest and Back Strength |
| Tuesday | Glutes and Legs Strength |
| Wednesday | Core Strength |
| Thursday | Glutes and Legs Strength |
| Friday | Pilates |
| Saturday | Arms and Shoulders Strength |
| Sunday | Active recovery or 5 min class |
An example of a peloton workout plan for weight loss
As you can see, we only target one muscle group per day.
This allows you to keep going even if you pushed the day before because the next day you will work the muscle parts that haven’t worked.
Best Peloton Tread Classes For Weight Loss
Next on our weight loss list are tread classes. That includes running, walking, and everything in between.
- Running is great for weight loss because not only does it burn lots of calories but also increases your aerobic capacity.
- Higher aerobic capacity means faster recovery and clearance of pro-inflammatory byproducts like myoglobin, creatine kinase, and lactate.
This basically means you feel less tired and less sore after a hard workout (good aerobic capacity means less muscle soreness, whereas poor aerobic capacity means more pain and discomfort).
Studies have shown that the best form of active recovery and reduction of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is by doing cardio exercise
HIIT Run
HIIT is one of my favorite peloton tread classes when it comes to weight loss because it gets you out of breath for the entire class.
Interval running is an effective way not only to improve body composition but also to increase your endurance.
In a nutshell.
- Peloton HIIT run is a series of high-intensity classes where you combine running for 60 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of walking.
- This is a tough session that can range from 20 to 45 minutes and depending on your fitness level, you can modify the speed.
It elevates the afterburn effect
Peloton HIIT run is good for weight loss because it elevates your breathing and burns calories not only during the run but also for several hours after.
Interval running increases your EPOC and helps to burn more calories for the whole day.
Why I like this class
- One of the reasons why I like this class is becasue of the time efficiency. On the days when I don’t have much time on my hands, I like to do HIIT Run first thing in the morning.
- The 20-minute session isn’t exhausting but is long enough to get my heart rate up, sweat, and make me sharp for the entire day.
- I prefer to train in the morning becasue it ramps up my metabolism for the day, which means I consume more oxygen and burn more calories later.
Heart Rate Zone Power Run
Another smart way to use running for weight loss is by keeping the intensity high, without changing the speed.
As you can imagine, this type of workout is more advanced and usually done for people who want to compete or improve their running time.
In a nutshell.
- Peloton Heart Rate Zone (HTZ) Power Run is a series of classes designed for running at selected heart rates and intensities.
- This is not interval training but rather running at the highest possible level, just under the lactate threshold.
NOTE: In case you missed it, the lactate threshold is the level of your intensity where the blood concentration of lactic acid exceeds the body’s ability to clear it from the blood. It happens during higher intensity exercise where the muscles “feel the burn” and stop moving.
It’s an excellent challenge for runners
The peloton HRZ Power Run is good for weight loss because it challenges you to run at the most efficient level.
Running just below your OBLA (onset of blood lactate accumulation) threshold creates an energy deficit and oxidizes fat for energy in the most optimum way.
Why I love this workout
- One of the reasons why I love this class is becasue of the intensity. I love challenges and if you give me any advanced method for running, I take it.
- Keep in mind you need to be fit to be able to maintain the peak heart rate (80-90% of maximum heart rate) for the whole 20 – 45 minutes.
- Another reason why I choose this class is that the instructor doesn’t care about the actual speed. The most important is the heart rate.
Tempo Run
I often use tempo run when I feel like I want to push myself. In the fitness world, we call it PR (personal record). Now and then, I use the tempo run to go beyond what I thought I was capable of doing.
In a nutshell.
- A peloton tempo run is the series of classes that prepare you for your first 5k, 10k half-marathon, or even full marathon.
- Classes vary in duration between 30 to 45 minutes.
- This class is excellent for all levels of fitness, regardless if you’re a beginner or an advanced runner because you choose your own best speed.
It improves your fitness level
The peloton tempo run pushes you to reach and surpass your current limits.
With a faster pace, you will be able to run more efficiently, burn more fat and improve your aerobic capacity to recover from other workouts you do.
Why I love this class
- I love this class because it works for everyone. Whenever you want to touch your toes or run a marathon, this class will help you move forward.
- If running is your goal, I recommend using that class as your assessment once every 2-4 weeks. Seeing your own progress is the best motivation you can get.
Hills Run
I think this is one of the most challenging tread classes. After I did my first peloton Hill Run, I was exhausted.
Running on a flat surface is easy. However, running uphill is a different animal. All of a sudden, just after the first mile you feel out of breath and your quads start to scream (that is how it felt for me).
In a nutshell.
- Peloton Hill Run is a series of classes that range between 10 to 45 minutes and it uses the incline feature of the peloton tread.
- Class is designed to progressively increase the incline so you get the feeling of running uphill while doing intervals in between.
Its burns a lot of calories
In general, a peloton Hill Run increases the intensity and heart rate more significantly than running on a flat surface. It also engages muscle groups, especially the gastrocnemius-soleus complex.
Why I love it
- I often use this class becasue running (or walking) uphill requires much more energy, compared to an even surface.
- I like using hills, even on the days when I don’t feel like going all out but just walking. Adding an extra incline makes a huge difference.
Best Peloton Bootcamp Classes For Weight Loss
If you like to include running in your weight loss program, peloton tread Bootcamp is a great way to combine weights together with cardio in one structured way.
This program reminds me of a popular training method endorsed by former Mr. America and Mr. Universe Bob Gajda – PHA (peripheral heart action training)
- This training method works by a combination of cardio and resistance training within one session, back to back.
- Normally, you would do either one or another.
- And if you do cardio and weight together then they would be probably in some order (first weights then cardio).
The tread Bootcamp is different.
- Tread Bootcamp is a class series where you combine weight with running or cycling within one session.
- The class runs for 20 – 60 minutes.
- Class is divided into cardio where you run/cycle for 5-7 minutes. Then you get off the tread/bike and start a 5-7 minute weight session.
To be honest, you don’t even have to have heavy weights or run fast (just do the class and you will understand.
Bootcamp Full Body
This one is tough. Bootcamp is all about alternating weights together with cardio in a structured and repeated way. This way it helps to work the muscles during resistance training and it also flushes the blood lactate from the extremities during cardio training.
In a nutshell.
- The peloton bootcamp body burns more calories because it increases the oxygen demand in the body.
- Plus, you can exercise and you don’t feel that overwhelming burn from the lactate because you constantly remove the accumulation of lactic acid.
- This helps you to continue to exercise and keeps your heart rate high.
It’s a full body strength and cardio session
Peloton Bootcamp full body helps you to maintain exercising with your heart rate high, without muscle fatigue. It enables you to exercise while flushing the blood from the periphery and consuming more oxygen.
In case you’ve missed the biochemistry seminar, the body burns calories during exercise by consuming oxygen and transporting it through the blood
The more you increase the demand for blood to flow, the more oxygen it will consume. Alternating the weights with running or a bike keeps the blood flow going more effectively than running or a bike on its own.