Best Fitness App of 2019

First off let me begin by saying I did not get paid favor this app in any way.  I simply saw an awesome product that will help you thru your fitness journey, and I want to tell you all about it, the good and the bad.  I am betting this this will be the Best fitness app of 2019.

Peloton is a fairly new company, started in 2012 and they are taking the fitness industry by storm.  They simply wanted to bring an easier way to cycle at home to save time, and that they did.  They started with the Bike, then the treadmill and has now introduced an app that you can use to workout anywhere.  And I will say it is by far the BEST on demand workout app out there.  It is already making waves and creating an impact in the fitness community.  There is also no need to buy the peloton bike or treadmill to use the app.  But see the pros and cons of the Peloton workout app below:

Pro’s

User interface or U.I is pleasing–  What this means is the app is easy and simple to use.  It also is pretty to look at so to speak. The picture below show how easy it is to navigate the app.  The bottom menu options stay at the bottom when you navigate thru the  app, making it easy to switch options: Featured workouts, Classes( Not- live), schedule (live classes) profile, and more.

 

Workouts are awesome – That statement really speaks for itself, I burn a ton of calories doing these workouts, anywhere from 250 on up.  The highest so far is 459 calories burned in one workout.  I was a collegiate athlete, and while I have been  trainer since 2006, I miss being coached.  The treadmill and spin workouts make me feel like an athlete being coached again.

10 different types of classes- I bought into the Peloton app because I wanted to do the spin workouts on my spin bike at home.  When I opened the app and started looking I had no idea all the different workout options it had:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Cycling – Guided spin class workout on your indoor cycle bike.
• Running on the treadmill – Guided workout on your treadmill for all fitness levels.
• Outdoor running – Take the peloton app outside and go thru a guided run by your own personal coach
• Strength – Guided total body workouts using dumbells and other  home strength equipment
• Yoga – Take your yoga practice to the mat inside your own home
• Meditation- Guided meditations such as stress relief, gratitude etc.  It really teaches you to be still and in the moment.  If you have not tried guided meditations you should now, it will leave you with a new sense of positive well-being
• Bootcamp-  a mix of cardio and dumbells  to get you into the fat burning zone and burn a ton of calories
• Walking – sometimes taking a nice walk is just what you need for a recovery day.  These are guided walking workouts done on the treadmill
• Stretching – Guided stretching workouts that you can use after the workouts or simply just need a good stretch.
• Cardio – Guided no weights workouts designed to keep your body moving and the calories burning.  These can also be low impact,for those with knee or hip issues.

 

I use the treadmill and cycle workouts but do not own the bikes, here’s how I do it for cheaper!

When we decided to make our home gym, post coming soon about that, I wanted to bring all the things I loved about the gym that kept me motivated the most!  Naturally I loved the treadmill and spin classes.  So we invested in a spin bike and treadmill.

While the Peloton bike and treadmill packages start at  $2,245 and $ 4,295, respectively, It can be a big investment.  Here is a cheaper version to be able to use the Peloton app.

Spin bike: I did extensive research on this because I wanted a good quality bike but didn’t want to spend a ton of money. I invested in the Schwinn IC3 indoor cycling bike.  I LOVE it, it is quiet, smooth and has a digital tracker to monitor my workouts, along with tracking your heart rate.  Way less than the Peloton bike and I still get the benefit of using the workouts and live workouts.

Here are a few other Good spin bikes I found while doing my research.

Treadmill: I love the guided treadmill workouts and would absolutely love a Peloton Tread at my house but its out of our price range.  So instead I got this treadmill,  Gold’s Gym Trainer 720 Treadmill.   We are looking to upgrade in the future so I will keep you updated on that.

Use the App on your outdoor runs – Like to be outside and run or walk?  You can take the Peloton app outside to do guided workouts.  It super motivating to have a coach in your ear telling you what to do each minute of the workout.  If you have a coach you are going to workout harder, and that is a huge benefit to your weight loss.

They use real music  If you are like me, music motivates you.  Music can control how you feel during oyur workout and also help with the intensity.  For example, you are going to workout harder if you listen to Dance hits as opposed to classical music.

There is nothing more disappointing to a music lover, like myself, to take a class, hear a beyonce song but its not her voice.  How annoying is that?!  At that point I just sit there, annoyed that I am not listening to the real song.

The Peloton app, has REAL music and lots of variety of it.  90’s pop. EDM, Dance, 70s etc.  They have it all.  The fun part about it, is the instructors use the music to motivate you.  For example, Run to the beat, or do squats to the beat etc.

They have 20 live classes per day – I didn’t think this was a big deal when I first started using the app, But one morning I just got done feeding my daughter, saw there was a spin class starting in 8 minutes, and I hustled to get ready to join it.  Just like i would at the gym, you have a spin class starting at a certain time you need to be there, ass in seat.  Where as I may have taken my time to go workout but with the live workout, I got it done quicker and moved on with my day

You never have to leave your house – as I am writing this there is a snow storm coming thru my area.  I don’t want to leave in the middle of this to go to the gym.  I also have a newborn and an almost 4 year old.  I am more likely to have time to workout in the least amount of time possible.  When you miss a workout you are more likely to miss the next one, and then the dominoes fall, you have completely stopped.  That is why the app is so effective in any fitness routine, you literally have it at your finger tips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10,000+ and counting workouts to choose from – Tell me you wont get bored with that many workouts.  And its not 10,000 running workouts the variety is there with 10 different types of classes.  You can not get bored with that type of variety, that just equates to you staying motivated as well as still loving your workouts after 3 weeks, months or years!

The app has different fitness levels to suit your need – If you are a fitness beginner or a workout veteran, there are 3 types of workouts to satisfy your workout level.  I have done all 3, and they are challenging in their own way.  Beginner, intermediate and advanced are the labeled workout levels for each workout.  Even if you start as a beginner you can work your way up to intermediate and advance as you progress in your fitness journey.  The workouts can be low impact too for those with joint issues or injuries.

 

Don’t have a lot of time, Don’t worry –The workouts range from 5 mins to all the way to 75 mins.  There is no excuse for time when you have that many options for a timed workout.  You could do a 15 min quick cardio or boot camp workout, a 5 min stretch routine or take a 75 minute ride.

They have modifyers for the workouts – This a a plus for those of you starting out in your fitness journey.  The instructors will often say during the workouts, “I am at a 7.6 run you may be at a jog, that’s ok just work for your level and just focus on improvement” or “You may get in 1 push-up that’s ok, just keep working at it to improve each time.”  That is pretty comforting that knowing these instructors are really in shape but they are not pushing unrealistic expectations on you.  At the same time, they are pushing your to do your best and improve

They have scenic rides For all you people who enjoy a good scene while working out, this is fun.  Go to a beach or another part of the world for a beautiful walk, run or bike ride.

You can save your favorite workouts – This is a nice option because with 10,000 + workouts it may be hard to find that bootcamp workout you really like this week.  Simply just click the bookmark in the upper right hand and you will have that workout forever.

You can stream it your tv. If you do not want to workout from your small phone screen, this is a nice option.  You can stream it right to your tv.  However, you can not stream it from the app itself , you will need to open it from the web.  This goes as one of my con’s too, see below.

The workouts have ratings – This is nice because you can see what other peloton users think of the workouts, I’m not gonna lie, most of the workouts are rated pretty high.  That just equates to a user satisfaction and a lot of great workouts for you!

Cheaper than most gym memberships.  We worked out at lifetime fitness and while I loved working out there, it was an over $100 investment each month, and that just adds up.  The Peloton app is just under $20 with a lot of value in just what it can offer for you

 

Con’s

I’m not gonna lie, it was hard for me to find con’s with this fitness app.  But here are some things to think about.  However, none of them deter from the effectiveness of the Peloton app.

They use Peloton lingo for the cycle and tread workouts – If you have ever been on many cardio machines you will know that each is different with its own programs, buttons and general setup on the digital board. Peloton is no different.  During the cycle,  and treadmill workouts you will hear the instructors tell you certain settings, resistance and levels to be at for during the workouts and this varies from minute to minute.  But if you do not have the Peloton machines you won’t be on the same settings the instructor wants you at.

The Peloton Bike has a place for your small weights – Some of the cycle workouts mix it up with weights. On the back of the peloton bikes there is a spot for your weights so you do not have to get off the bike.  If you do not have a peloton bike you will need to get off the bike grab your weights and get back on. If you have taken spin classes before you will know that it takes a minute to get off and on the bike.

They don’t show the time elapsed at the bottom of the screen – I am a time freak.  I like to know how much time I have left in the workouts, especially if it’s a hard one.  While you can see the time elapsed when you pause the workout it’s not in plain site.  Taking the time to pause the workout just takes time out of the workout itself.  I would rather see the time in plain site.

You can’t stream if from the app directly, or on roku – I mentioned this above and i wanted to elaborate a bit more.  From the app itself you can not stream it to your tv, you have to open a webpage on the peloton website, sign in and stream it from there.  This is tougher if you save your workouts because it is harder to find your saved workout list.  You will also have a smart tv that allows streams, as roku does not have an app yet.  although i am willing to bet this will be in the future for the peloton app.

 

Thanks for reading my article.  I always researching and looking for new innovative fitness products.  This is a game changer, I believe it will cause people to use gyms less and have the ability to workout from home and save time.  Up until now we could only take spin classes at a gym,  now we have the ability to take them from home.  Not only that the Peloton app took it a step farther from where it began and added a big workout variety to its app.  I promise you will be hooked and love.

 

Join our Peloton workout community below.  Or our weight loss community for more tips