Peloton Bike 100 Ride Update

I just hit my century ride on Peloton! Here’s what I’ve learned over the past 100 rides…

If you don’t know what Peloton is, please head over to my Peloton Bike One Week Review post to get the deets of how I got it, and what my initial thoughts were.

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Now that I’m 100+ rides in I have some more feels that I’d like to share. Baseline is – I love this damn bike so much. I have the original Bike, not the Bike+. I had only just gotten my bike maybe a month before and was offered an upgrade, but decided not to take it. Here’s what I’ve learned in my 100+ rides so far…

1. Your butt will in fact get used to the pain. It took probably 4 weeks for my butt to stop hurting. Those first few weeks are brutal if you’ve never ridden. I promise if you push through it’ll be worth it. It’s not 100% comfortable though, still a little sore every once in a while.
2. Always do a warm up ride. I know sometimes you don’t have a lot of time, but trust me the extra 5 mins really helps instead of jumping into a climb on cold hamstrings. They are a game changer and make your main rides so much better.
3. Pace yourself. My first 2 months I don’t think I missed a single day. I rode every. single. day. Three months in and I’m starting to feel like every ride if hard because I’m a little burnt out. Pace yourself, set up a schedule for youeself. For example: Sunday off, 2 harder classes (tabata, HIIT, climb, etc.) per week, 3 Power Zone classes.
4. Switch it up. Along the same lines of pacing yourself – I highly suggest you take your FTP test so that you can make the most out of the Power Zone series. It focuses a lot on endurance and training like a cyclist. It helps work your muscles in ways that HIIT/Tabata rides can’t do. After about a month of so of doing Power Zone classes retake the FTP and level up. Switching it up really allows your to get a more well-rounded workout.
5. Ride with others. This goes for both live classes as well as group classes. I was scared to do a live class at first, I don’t even know why, but it stressed me out feeling like others could see how I was doing. However, I crushed it and PRed my first and second live ride. When I say group classes I mean create a hashtag with friends/coworkers and set up a time to ride. Tap the “Here Now” button in the segmented control on the leader board and you can compete against each other/see how your friends are doing and cheer them on. It’s a lot of fun, and both live/groups is so motivating and fun.
6. You shouldn’t have ANY pain. This is obvious, but I had a little knee pain and thought it was just because I was working myself too hard – no. If you have knee pain adjust the cleats on the bottom of the shoe. I had pain on the outer left knee and I had to move the cleat to point more out to the right (if you’re looking at it from the bottom of the shoe). Here’s more info on adjusting the cleats.
7. Form is everything. Similar to making sure your cleats are right, make sure the rest of your form is all good. Instructors are great about reminding you to be checking your form, which I definitely appreciate. However, try to get in the habit of checking in with yourself every so often to make sure you’re using your core, back is straight, full motion with your legs, etc.
8. Gotta take your booty breaks. Matt specifically wanted me to add this one because, from a man’s perspective, he says getting out of the saddle and standing is crucial to letting your boys breath. Not something I really thought about as a woman, but guys – make sure you’re taking those breaks.

Along with some of the things I’ve learned I also wanted to mention things you do and do not need – these include items in the bundles.

What You DON’T Need:

• Headphones that come with the bike set. I’m not a fan of having a wire hanging when I’m working out because I always rip them out of my ears on accident.
• 2-3lb weights that with the the bike set. I like these for the arms & interval rides, but if you want to lower the cost you don’t need them.
• The peloton heart monitor. If you have it, fine. I think you can use any monitor honestly, but I love my apple watch for this. I use the Indoor Cycling feature and it’s almost always spot on with the bike’s calorie measurement.

What You DO Need:

• Wireless/Bluetooth headphones are a must. Although working out with no headphones is also pretty nice especially if the playlist is a jam.
• Bike Mat. This is a must for the bike and I understand why now. As much as you try to stabilize yourself with your core there are going to be times (especially when your resistance is up in the 70s or something) when you’re gonna rock the bike a little. It’s also nice to just have the mat for a designated space.
• Easy squeeze water bottle. Don’t even try one of those twist off bottles because you won’t have time for a sip.

I hope this has helped, let me know what your 100th ride is! Mine was the Jess King Halloween Ride on Halloween morning!

If you’re planning on buying your own Peloton Bike here’s a code for $100 off XJ9TTV.