It’s no secret that fitness is important. It’s one of the most essential aspects of a healthy lifestyle. However, many people find it difficult to stick with a fitness routine, whether it’s because they don’t have enough time or they’re not sure what exercises to do.
That’s where at-home fitness programs like Peloton can be helpful. Peloton allows you to work out at home on your schedule and with minimal equipment. However, there are some disadvantages to using Peloton that you should be aware of before you invest.
If you’re considering purchasing a Peloton to use for fitness, there are some things you should consider before making your decision. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the 10 disadvantages of owning a Peloton.
Keep in mind that these disadvantages may not apply to everyone, and some people may find that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. But if you’re thinking about buying a Peloton, it’s important to be aware of all of the potential pitfalls. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is a Peloton Bike
In recent years, the fitness industry has seen a surge in the popularity of high-end fitness equipment. One such example is the Peloton Bike. The Peloton Bike is a high-end indoor bicycle that comes rigged with a Wi-Fi–enabled, 21.5-inch touchscreen tablet.
This tablet streams live and on-demand classes, allowing the rider to compete with other participants (by way of a live leaderboard that ranks riders based on “output,” or the total wattage of energy expended). The device also allows users to get a strenuous cardio workout in the process.
Until very recently, the Peloton Bike was the only game in town, with a devoted following. The most popular on-demand classes have tens of thousands of rides completed; special live rides have been known to pull in more than 20,000 riders at one time.
The pandemic fueled the demand even further, provoking a swell in sales in 2020 that handed the company its first quarterly profit. That popularity and profitability have since dipped, but why? It looks like after a while people stop using their Peloton bike as intended, and end up with an expensive clothes hanger.
Who Likes the Peloton Bike?
The honest answer is that pretty much everyone who tries the Peloton Bike (or Bike+) likes it, at least on a test ride. Peloton’s customer ratings for the Bike average 4.8 out of five, across more than 19,000 reviews.
Every editorial article and blog post is overwhelmingly positive, including those from Racked’s reviewer, the experts and testers of The Good Housekeeping Institute, a NextTribe writer who described her family’s experience owning one, and a writer for The Atlantic, who didn’t think she’d fall for its charms (but did). Pretty much all of them raise the price question as the biggest concern.
But demand for the company’s equipment has slowed more recently. Peloton replaced CEO John Foley in February 2022 (he is now executive chairman) and announced that it will lay off 2,800 employees, or 14 percent of its workforce.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced people to reconsider their fitness routines and home gyms. For these reasons, it’s important to consider whether the Peloton Bike is right for you before making a purchase.
Initial Purchasing Investment
The bike comes with a variety of features that make it ideal for fitness enthusiasts of all levels, from beginners to experienced athletes. The base price for the bike is $2,000 but it’s important to note that this doesn’t include sales tax or delivery and setup fees. Even so, the Peloton bike is still one of the more expensive exercise bikes on the market.
On top of the base price, there is an additional $250 fee for delivery and set up of the equipment. This fee is not included in the base price. Delivery and setup are important factors to consider when purchasing a Peloton bike because it ensures that the bike is set up correctly and safely.
Now if you do not have any cycling shoes, You will need to fork out an additional $125 for the Peloton-brand cleats. The included limited warranty covers the bike and service from issues related to normal wear and tear for one year, with an additional year available for just $145. Putting your initial purchasing investment at around $2,500.
Membership Fees
One of the main disadvantages of owning a Peloton bike is the monthly membership fee that is required to have access to live and on-demand classes. The membership fee is $39 per month, which gives you access to all of the live and on-demand fitness classes that are available on the Peloton bike.
This membership fee also includes access to the leaderboard, which ranks riders based on “output,” or the total wattage of energy expended. If you do not have a monthly membership, you can still purchase classes a la carte for $12 each.
In addition, the membership fees help support the company’s ongoing costs for providing live and on-demand fitness classes. Considering the basic membership cost over a year, then you will be spending an additional $468 per year, which means that in your first year of Peloton ownership, you will need to invest close to $3,000!
While the monthly membership fee may not seem like a lot, it is worth noting that it is not significantly less expensive than joining a gym and an actual gym especially after considering the cons for the first year of ownership.
Without the monthly membership, the bike’s functionality is seriously limited.
Virtual and On-Demand Classes
One of the most attractive features of a Peloton bike is the access to virtual and on-demand fitness classes. The membership fee includes access to all of the live and on-demand fitness classes that are available on the Peloton bike.
This means that you can choose from a variety of fitness classes that are available at any time. You also can take classes with other riders from around the world.
As the number of Peloton customers has increased, so too has the number of live streaming schedules and on-demand classes available. The company has expanded its offerings to include yoga, meditation, boot camp, and even its new Peloton treadmill.
Peloton seems like the perfect solution for busy people who want to stay in shape. But is it a fitness company? Or is it simply an entertainment company that happens to provide great fitness content?
There’s no doubt that Peloton offers great content. The classes are well-produced and the instructors look like models. But at the end of the day, you’re not interacting with a real fitness instructor. You’re just following along with a scripted class.
So while you may get awesome workout content from Peloton, are you getting real coaching? Are you getting a good workout that will help you reach your goals?
From this perspective, Peloton seems more like an entertainment company providing you with great content, rather than a fitness company committed to providing you with a well-designed plan to help you meet your goals. Ask yourself: Is that worth $3,000 in the first year?
Furthermore, since Peloton delivers all content through the tablet on the bike, and since the tablet is a connected device, nothing is stopping Peloton from pushing a software update that even further limits the bike’s offline usability at any point in the future.
Peloton Lacks Accountability
One of the main disadvantages of owning a Peloton bike is the lack of accountability that comes with working out at home.
When you’re working out at a gym, you have the accountability of others around you who are also working out. This can help to motivate you to keep going and to push yourself harder.
But when you’re working out at home, there’s no one around to push you or motivate you. You’re on your own, and it’s easy to get lazy and give up.
The lack of accountability can be a major hindrance for those trying to stick to a fitness routine. It can be hard to stay motivated when you’re working out by yourself in your own home.
Peloton offers some level of accountability, as riders are ranked on the leaderboard based on “output.” However, this level of accountability is not as strong as that offered by a traditional gym.
Working out at home seems so convenient. You don’t have to drive anywhere, you can work out on your schedule and you can customize how long you work out.
Home workouts can save time, but only those disciplined enough will stick with a fitness routine. And frankly, most of us are not disciplined enough to do things on our own. So what’s the trick? Accountability through the community.
We are social creatures. Even self-described introverts need to be around others. If you simply look at human history, community matters a lot. At first, it was simply to survive (a few of us will hunt for the tribe while others take care of the kiddos, etc). and now it’s built into our DNA to connect with others face to face.
The Peloton classes offered through their media empire will never come close to providing the type of community that a gym offering group classes with real people can.
At IKAIKA, you have coaches to guide you through our workout curriculum and correct you when you need it. You have peers surrounding you for both the physical push and the social interactions. And you will progress a heck of a lot faster because of both.
At IKAIKA, we push each other to do more in workouts; we create accountability to show up (in an obvious “Hey, see you tomorrow!” or a less obvious “I RSVP’d for the 6:00 class—I can’t back out now!”), and we relieve stress when we’re able to laugh and connect with others.
When you’re chatting with others before and after a workout and have people that genuinely care about what’s going on in your life, you experience a connection that can’t be made through a screen.
This is what Peloton and many other companies are missing—and it’s what we pride ourselves on.
The Peloton Fitness Program is Repetitive
The Peloton fitness program can be repetitive and boring. After a certain number of classes, you will note that despite the instructors, and the high production value of outdoor guided rides delivered, you are essentially just doing a spin class over and over again.
This can be frustrating, as it can be hard to stick with a fitness routine that is not challenging and your body to change because you are always doing the same exercise. In the fitness world, this is called adaptation.
Routine can be the enemy of fitness for a few key reasons. First, research has shown that people quickly adapt to routines and stop seeing results. To keep progressing, it’s important to switch things up and keep your body guessing.
Additionally, routine can lead you to neglect your weaknesses. It’s easy to just stick to the exercises you’re good at and avoid the ones that challenge you. However, by working on your weaknesses, you’ll become a well-rounded athlete and be less likely to get injured. Finally, routine can simply become boring over time.
When it comes to fitness, the saying “no pain, no gain” definitely holds. To see results, you have to put in the work. And that work will be different for everyone, depending on your fitness goals.
If you want to become a marathon runner, you’ll need to do a lot of long-distance running. But if you’re more interested in lifting weights, you’ll need to focus on strength-training exercises. The important thing is to be specific with your goals and then tailor your workout routine accordingly.
Specializing in one type of exercise will help you see better results, but it’s important to remember that everybody is different. What works for one person might not work for another. So don’t be afraid to experiment until you find what works best for you.
So if you have a very specific fitness goal not related to cycling, then the Peloton bike will not be a good choice for you.
Poor Quality of Coaching
The Peloton fitness program does have coaching, but it lacks it when compared to other fitness programs.
One of the benefits of having a personal coach is that they can help you specifically with your weaknesses. A good coach will know how to push you to reach your fitness goals and help you stay on track. They can also provide motivation when you’re feeling down, and create a sense of community in the gym.
This type of coaching is not available through Peloton. The coaches are great at delivering motivating classes, but they are not able to provide personal attention or help with weaknesses.
Additionally, the quality of coaching can vary from instructor to instructor. This can be frustrating, as you might not enjoy a class because of the instructor’s teaching style. If you don’t enjoy the class, it’s less likely that you’ll stick with it for very long.
The lack of personal coaching and varying quality of instruction makes it difficult to achieve long-term fitness success with Peloton.
A professional coach will help you design a program so that you can meet your fitness goals in a fast and efficient manner, and despite the high cost of investment, Peloton will never be able to provide such a plan for you.
The quality of coaching at IKAIKA Fitness is unparalleled. Our certified and experienced coaches will guide you through our fitness program and help correct your form when needed. Additionally, our coaches are passionate about fitness and are always looking to help others reach their fitness goals.
At IKAIKA, we pride ourselves on our community atmosphere. Our coaches are dedicated to creating a supportive environment where everyone can push each other to reach their fitness potential. We believe that this type of community-based coaching is essential for long-term success.
When it comes to fitness, it’s important to find a coach or program that you can stick with for the long haul. At IKAIKA, we believe that our community-based coaching is the key to success. Our coaches are passionate about fitness and are always looking to help others reach their fitness goals.
Final Thoughts from IKAIKA
Peloton is a great equipment and media company, but it is not a fitness company. As such Peloton does have lots of disadvantages when it comes to helping you meet your fitness goals.
These disadvantages can be seen when looking at the cost of the machine, membership fees, virtual and on-demand classes, accountability, coaching quality, and program repetitiveness.
Although these disadvantages may not outweigh the positives for some people, it is important to be aware of them before making a purchase decision.
If instead, you are interested in a gym that will help you meet your goals in a healthy, fast, and efficient way, look no further than IKAIKA Fitness.
IKAIKA Fitness is a gym in Durham NC dedicated to providing personalized fitness programs to busy moms and professionals.
IKAIKA Fitness strives in providing personalized programs that are safe, fast-paced, and efficient so busy moms and professionals can get back on track with their life goals – whether it’s exploring new places or just taking care of themselves mentally by seeking adventure through the activity!
We provide a safe, flexible and effective way to help you reach your fitness goals.
Read what our members are saying about us, and how satisfied they are with the results through our Google Reviews.
We use functional movements along with customized nutrition plans so that we can get the most out of each workout for optimal results – it’s all about having fun while achieving success!
Schedule your FREE No-Sweat Intro so that we can learn about your goals, and help you reach them.
The best way to get in shape and healthy is by joining IKAIKA Fitness. Whether you want a quick workout or are looking for more of an intense experience, this place has something that will suit your needs! So don’t miss out on the opportunity- join now through HERE.
So don’t miss out on this opportunity to get fit and healthy and find out why IKAIKA is on its way to becoming the best gym in Durham. If you do not believe us, please take a minute to read our Google Reviews HERE.
So, what are you waiting for? Book your FREE No-Sweat Intro today!
References
- Peloton Claims It’s a Media Company, Not a Bike Business. Is It Taking Investors for a Ride?
- “The Netflix of Wellness”: Inside the Hollywoodization of Peloton
- Principles of Physiologic Conditioning
- 8 Things I HATE about the PELOTON Bike+
- Is Peloton Worth It?
- Subjective, physiological, and behavioural responses towards evaluatively conditioned stimuli
- Defining CrossFit, Part 1: Functional Movements
- Defining CrossFit, Part 2: Intensity
- Defining CrossFit, Part 3: Variance
- What is fitness and who is fit?
- Peloton Review: What to Know Before You Buy
- Peloton Bike Review (2022): Does It Live Up to the Hype?
- Toning Workouts for Women: Get Your Dream Body
- Dangerous Side Effect That Is Affecting Weekend Warriors
- The 10 Best Peloton Bike Alternatives of 2022
- Peloton Recalls Pedals After Multiple Injuries: What to Know
- Considering a Peloton? Here’s the Full List of Pros and Cons.
- IS PELOTON WORTH THE MONEY?