Any Peloton bike users here?
Discussion
Try the Peloton strength programs if you want to loss weight, you need no equipment for alot of them, and even the pure 'weights' sessions only use easily avaliable dumbells.
I didn't believe it at first but my own results are pretty convincing. YouTube and mass media is full of strength training > cardio for weight loss, and its all just a urban myht. The scientific data shows strength training + dieting works better than cardio + dieting!!!
So essentially the bike isn't the answer if you want to loss weight, it's the strength stuff.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/well/move/weigh...
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/o...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC29314...
I didn't believe it at first but my own results are pretty convincing. YouTube and mass media is full of strength training > cardio for weight loss, and its all just a urban myht. The scientific data shows strength training + dieting works better than cardio + dieting!!!
So essentially the bike isn't the answer if you want to loss weight, it's the strength stuff.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/well/move/weigh...
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/o...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC29314...
The issue with the bike in an indoor sense is that most people do not do enough of it (and who could, its boring for long periods!), or have a high enough FTP to burn meaningful calories - strength stuff and cycling will yield great results for most, but if you are doing a few hours a week you'll need to also do something different in the kitchen.
I lost around 25kg through cycling in little over a year, I didn't do anything strength wise, and probably did begin to eat more healthily too, but I was doing 12 hours a week on the bike and had a 350W or so FTP so even cruising around I was burning a lot of calories, to this day the only way I can really change my shape is by riding outside if I want it to happen quickly. If you are one that can do long indoor sessions then of course they are pound for pound more efficient than outdoors.
I lost around 25kg through cycling in little over a year, I didn't do anything strength wise, and probably did begin to eat more healthily too, but I was doing 12 hours a week on the bike and had a 350W or so FTP so even cruising around I was burning a lot of calories, to this day the only way I can really change my shape is by riding outside if I want it to happen quickly. If you are one that can do long indoor sessions then of course they are pound for pound more efficient than outdoors.
okgo said:
The issue with the bike in an indoor sense is that most people do not do enough of it (and who could, its boring for long periods!), or have a high enough FTP to burn meaningful calories - strength stuff and cycling will yield great results for most, but if you are doing a few hours a week you'll need to also do something different in the kitchen.
I lost around 25kg through cycling in little over a year, I didn't do anything strength wise, and probably did begin to eat more healthily too, but I was doing 12 hours a week on the bike and had a 350W or so FTP so even cruising around I was burning a lot of calories, to this day the only way I can really change my shape is by riding outside if I want it to happen quickly. If you are one that can do long indoor sessions then of course they are pound for pound more efficient than outdoors.
Unlikely exercise in isolation will get your weight down unless you do a significant volume... 3 or 4 30 min classes a week, at around 80% of FTP is not going to have much impact on your calorie burn (which, from what I see on the SM groups, is what a lot of people who buy Pelotons don't understand!). I lost around 25kg through cycling in little over a year, I didn't do anything strength wise, and probably did begin to eat more healthily too, but I was doing 12 hours a week on the bike and had a 350W or so FTP so even cruising around I was burning a lot of calories, to this day the only way I can really change my shape is by riding outside if I want it to happen quickly. If you are one that can do long indoor sessions then of course they are pound for pound more efficient than outdoors.
But an hour a day combined with a reasonable calorie deficit (c.500/day) will. I burn 600-700 cals/hour at around 80-85% of FTP (250-260).. My BMR is 1,800. So I'm burning around 530-630 active calories per hour... which is significant vs my typical total calorie burn of c.3,200-3,500 a day and a diet of 2,500-2,800 cals/day.
Absolute FTP is only relevant to absolute weight... someone who's proportionally smaller (size/weight) will burn less calories (BMR + activity), but their body also requires less energy (food) to start with.
There's a lot of poor information around about exercise and weight loss... stuff like you need to work at low intensity to burn fat... which is massively misleading... you just don't burn enough calories at that intensity to have a significant effect unless you're investing a massive amount of time (ie; multiple hours).
It's really not rocket science... energy is energy, whether is comes from glycogen stores or fat stores... energy out > energy in = lose weight.
"Absolute FTP is only relevant to absolute weight... someone who's proportionally smaller (size/weight) will burn less calories (BMR + activity), but their body also requires less energy (food) to start with."
How does this work? I was under the impression that KJ are KJ, of course efficiency is different among people but I've seen it said that most people are pretty well in a small vector so generally 1000KJ of work in an hour is going to require the same calories of one person to the next?
Obviously most often small people do not have the same capacity as larger, those that do tend to go on to be quite good.
How does this work? I was under the impression that KJ are KJ, of course efficiency is different among people but I've seen it said that most people are pretty well in a small vector so generally 1000KJ of work in an hour is going to require the same calories of one person to the next?
Obviously most often small people do not have the same capacity as larger, those that do tend to go on to be quite good.
Proportional calorie burn (as a percentage of overall weight) will be the same for 2 individuals who's FTP/kg are equal (all other things being equal).
Person 1 could have an FTP of 140, weigh 70kg and lose weight at the same rate (percentage of body weight) as person 2 with an FTP of 280 and a weight of 140kg. If they run similar calorie deficits (in percentage terms), person 2 will lose more absolute weight, but they will lose similar percentage of body weight.
You're obviously a big chap (height/weight/build)... what weight were you before you lost 25kg? And what happened to your FTP (before/after)?
Person 1 could have an FTP of 140, weigh 70kg and lose weight at the same rate (percentage of body weight) as person 2 with an FTP of 280 and a weight of 140kg. If they run similar calorie deficits (in percentage terms), person 2 will lose more absolute weight, but they will lose similar percentage of body weight.
You're obviously a big chap (height/weight/build)... what weight were you before you lost 25kg? And what happened to your FTP (before/after)?
Chris Stott said:
Proportional calorie burn (as a percentage of overall weight) will be the same for 2 individuals who's FTP/kg are equal (all other things being equal).
Person 1 could have an FTP of 140, weigh 70kg and lose weight at the same rate (percentage of body weight) as person 2 with an FTP of 280 and a weight of 140kg. If they run similar calorie deficits (in percentage terms), person 2 will lose more absolute weight, but they will lose similar percentage of body weight.
You're obviously a big chap (height/weight/build)... what weight were you before you lost 25kg? And what happened to your FTP (before/after)?
I think I was about 100kg, got down to about 76 then settled mostly around 79 or so - I am about 6,1 but probably a more stocky build than most, hence even by starving myself I couldn't get below 76, I was pretty lean at that, 7% BF or so. I began using power about 8 months in, 2012, which is annoying as those 8 months I made huge leaps forward - but 20 min efforts went from 350 or so to 400 or so over the course of a few years. And peak power never really moved much from 1500w even when I was far thinner, so for most people they'll probably never get to the point where they're losing power if they're training more. Perhaps when you're at 4% bodyfat, but not many will manage that outside of the professional scene.Person 1 could have an FTP of 140, weigh 70kg and lose weight at the same rate (percentage of body weight) as person 2 with an FTP of 280 and a weight of 140kg. If they run similar calorie deficits (in percentage terms), person 2 will lose more absolute weight, but they will lose similar percentage of body weight.
You're obviously a big chap (height/weight/build)... what weight were you before you lost 25kg? And what happened to your FTP (before/after)?
Cycling is cruel in that the fitter you are the more calories you burn in that sense. 250w for 5 hours used to be a steady but easily doable ride for me and it would get through huge cals, be dead 2 hours into that these days
250w for 5 hours is going to be a massive calorie burn whoever you are!!You're a pretty unusual example... I would expect the percentage of people with an FTP of 3.5-4.5w/kg needing/wanting to lose 25% of their body weight to be extremely small. And the percentage able to get to (and maintain) single digit percentage body fat to be equally as small... sub 10% is very hard to maintain without the right genetics, 4% isn't physically sustainable for all but a few genetic freaks.
These would be far from typical for Peloton owners... even the instructors don't look like that for the most part
said:
The issue with the bike in an indoor sense is that most people do not do enough of it (and who could, its boring for long periods!), or have a high enough FTP to burn meaningful calories
To come back to the above...A typical Peloton case would be a woman in her late 30's, trying to lose a couple of stone after having 2 kids. She's a non smoker, and reasonably fit with an FTP around 2... she'll burn 400-500 an hour working at 75-80% of her max HR. That's very worthwhile when her BMR is only c.1,400. Means she can have a decent calorie intake if she's reasonably active and burning a total of around 2,500 cals a day.
And someone like this will probably sustain the rate of loss as the weight comes off as her FTP will actually increase due to fitness improvement.
Chris Stott said:
It's really not rocket science... energy is energy, whether is comes from glycogen stores or fat stores... energy out > energy in = lose weight.
That's the $64Kx100 question isn't it 
.I think if anyone really had the answer to what seems like such a simply concept they would be richer than Elon+Jeff+Bill put together and by some margin.
Peloton for me has got enough things right, in an accessible enough format, backed up by enough nudge/motivation tools to really make the difference between yet another diet/exercise fad.....Clearly it doesn't work for everyone. But for me its been absolutely amazing, 10% drop in body weight whilst still having 'active' weekend events like this? Best £39/month that goes out of our bank account!
Chris Stott said:
To come back to the above...
A typical Peloton case would be a woman in her late 30's, trying to lose a couple of stone after having 2 kids. She's a non smoker, and reasonably fit with an FTP around 2... she'll burn 400-500 an hour working at 75-80% of her max HR. That's very worthwhile when her BMR is only c.1,400. Means she can have a decent calorie intake if she's reasonably active and burning a total of around 2,500 cals a day.
And someone like this will probably sustain the rate of loss as the weight comes off as her FTP will actually increase due to fitness improvement.
My wife has a Peloton and exactly fits the case you describe (although she's 35 on Wednesday so might not love the late 30's bit!). She has a road bike, a MTB and now a gravel bike too but the Peloton gives her a great way to do 20-30 mins before starting work or while the kids are napping while not having to faff about with oily chains, traffic on the roads etc. I've got a Zwift bike in the garage that she did try a couple of times but she far prefers the interface for Peloton (and I quite like it too when I have an occasional shot).A typical Peloton case would be a woman in her late 30's, trying to lose a couple of stone after having 2 kids. She's a non smoker, and reasonably fit with an FTP around 2... she'll burn 400-500 an hour working at 75-80% of her max HR. That's very worthwhile when her BMR is only c.1,400. Means she can have a decent calorie intake if she's reasonably active and burning a total of around 2,500 cals a day.
And someone like this will probably sustain the rate of loss as the weight comes off as her FTP will actually increase due to fitness improvement.
Some of the voice guided runs are good too (gets me away from my usual 25 minute, 5km plod efforts) and HIIT workouts are OK as well. I think we probably get good value for money and I'm hoping that it's sustainable for both of us.
gangzoom said:
That's the $64Kx100 question isn't it .
It really is that simple if you're capable of calculating the calories burnt and you have the dedication to weigh everything you eat. .It's just most people aren't capable of counting the calories in or out at a high enough level of accuracy... so things like weight watchers come along to 'make things simple'... then as more and more competition comes in to the 'lose weight market place' each entrant has to try and differentiate itself by finding a new angle... and the messages become over complicated.
It's even worse in the electronic era... pretty much anyone can start an on-line fitness business... companies spring up daily... and half the stuff they post is complete made up b
ks which just confuses people.Want to lose weight? Eat less move more!
okgo said:
That is the answer. Humans just lack any kind of willpower - as you've proved, find a way to overcome that and you see results. Easier said than done, but all the diet and exercise industry really relies on is human laziness and a belief that there is a 'shortcut'.
Depends on the individual I guess... difficult for me to criticise anyone as I smoked for over 35 years.But Peloton turned out to be the right tool to fix my lack of enthusiasm for exercise... a combination of cycling and the classes/instructors I prefer, along with seeing the results, have been the motivation I needed.
dirtbiker said:
My wife has a Peloton and exactly fits the case you describe (although she's 35 on Wednesday so might not love the late 30's bit!). She has a road bike, a MTB and now a gravel bike too but the Peloton gives her a great way to do 20-30 mins before starting work or while the kids are napping while not having to faff about with oily chains, traffic on the roads etc. I've got a Zwift bike in the garage that she did try a couple of times but she far prefers the interface for Peloton (and I quite like it too when I have an occasional shot).
Some of the voice guided runs are good too (gets me away from my usual 25 minute, 5km plod efforts) and HIIT workouts are OK as well. I think we probably get good value for money and I'm hoping that it's sustainable for both of us.
I've said on here before... the 2 things I most love about Peloton, and the things that keep me using it (91 weeks straight, >500 bike classes) are 1) the accessibility & 2) the quality of the classes/instructors... I don't really have to plan anything, I can just decide I want to do a session and 5 minutes later I've found a class I want to do and I'm on the bike and working.Some of the voice guided runs are good too (gets me away from my usual 25 minute, 5km plod efforts) and HIIT workouts are OK as well. I think we probably get good value for money and I'm hoping that it's sustainable for both of us.
You can do quite a bit in 30 mins if you pick the right classes (climb/HIIT/Tabata).
Coming back to the 'issue' of Peloton bike 'power' figures.
This week I've decided to focus a bit bike fitness versus the strength work I've been doing, so have restarted the PowerZone program.
End of week 1, and have just completed a 1 hr structured Zone2/3 session using the same FTP readings as from October last year. Comparing the power 'figures' between todays class and one taken 8 months ago, I honestly I cannot believe how close they are, infact pretty much identical even down to average and peak HR - which is measured with a different HR monitor!!!
Regardless of the 'accuracy' of Peloton bike, its pretty impressive how 'reliable' the readings are. Given the whole point of 'power' figures is to help the user objectivity track their own performance over time versus relying on 'feel' I would say the power figures given out by the Peloton bike is perfectly usable.
The real question now is can I be arsed to do another FTP test at some point......they are simply so painful.
This week I've decided to focus a bit bike fitness versus the strength work I've been doing, so have restarted the PowerZone program.
End of week 1, and have just completed a 1 hr structured Zone2/3 session using the same FTP readings as from October last year. Comparing the power 'figures' between todays class and one taken 8 months ago, I honestly I cannot believe how close they are, infact pretty much identical even down to average and peak HR - which is measured with a different HR monitor!!!
Regardless of the 'accuracy' of Peloton bike, its pretty impressive how 'reliable' the readings are. Given the whole point of 'power' figures is to help the user objectivity track their own performance over time versus relying on 'feel' I would say the power figures given out by the Peloton bike is perfectly usable.
The real question now is can I be arsed to do another FTP test at some point......they are simply so painful.
gangzoom said:
Coming back to the 'issue' of Peloton bike 'power' figures.
This week I've decided to focus a bit bike fitness versus the strength work I've been doing, so have restarted the PowerZone program.
End of week 1, and have just completed a 1 hr structured Zone2/3 session using the same FTP readings as from October last year. Comparing the power 'figures' between todays class and one taken 8 months ago, I honestly I cannot believe how close they are, infact pretty much identical even down to average and peak HR - which is measured with a different HR monitor!!!
Regardless of the 'accuracy' of Peloton bike, its pretty impressive how 'reliable' the readings are. Given the whole point of 'power' figures is to help the user objectivity track their own performance over time versus relying on 'feel' I would say the power figures given out by the Peloton bike is perfectly usable.
The real question now is can I be arsed to do another FTP test at some point......they are simply so painful.
Power Zone training only works with an accurate FTP!This week I've decided to focus a bit bike fitness versus the strength work I've been doing, so have restarted the PowerZone program.
End of week 1, and have just completed a 1 hr structured Zone2/3 session using the same FTP readings as from October last year. Comparing the power 'figures' between todays class and one taken 8 months ago, I honestly I cannot believe how close they are, infact pretty much identical even down to average and peak HR - which is measured with a different HR monitor!!!
Regardless of the 'accuracy' of Peloton bike, its pretty impressive how 'reliable' the readings are. Given the whole point of 'power' figures is to help the user objectivity track their own performance over time versus relying on 'feel' I would say the power figures given out by the Peloton bike is perfectly usable.
The real question now is can I be arsed to do another FTP test at some point......they are simply so painful.
I've had another mixed month... haven't ridden enough volume, but the quality has been good and I hit another one of my PB's... 45mins. I'm consistently over 600KJ at 45mins now (c.225 watts ave) and have a PB of 647KJ. I did have a crack at my hour PB, and was ahead at 40 mins, but lost that to the end... 28-32* ambient temps make the longer rides much harder!
The other PB left from last year is 20 mins... but that's my last FTP from March last year when I was at my peak AND had a VERY good day (my target was 250-260 watts and I did nearly 280)... I'm not sure I'm mentally capable of going for that yet
Weight is now 83kg, (9kg down from Jan peak) and I've been able to add a few sweet treats back in to my diet
Frustratingly, I haven't been able to do any strength training for coming up to 4 weeks now... I have tennis elbow so bad that I can't even pick up a glass or cup with my right hand, never mind lift weights. It's also seriously interfering with my sleep and general enjoyment of life... it's f
king painful all the time. Saw the doctor 10 days ago and I've got an appointment for a cortizone injection tomorrow... I've had them before, so I know it's not going to be a pleasant experience, but hopefully it will sort the problem relatively quickly.Phooey said:
Looks like the Bike deals are getting better. 3 months @ £12.99 for the App membership, 0% finance on the bike, price reduction to £1845 (Bike+) and a 100-day free trial. Does anyone know if Peloton are bringing out a new or updated bike?
Isn't it more likely they go bust altogether?I'd imagine this next few months will be very hard for a company pushing an expensive product with a sub cost when people are cutting back.
its highly likely to just go bust / get bought out at nothing and the membership transferred into something else.
stock price is down 90% over the last year.
It lost 25% of its market cap in the last Q. - as in a loss, not a share price move!
at current rate it will run out of money next 12 months, its taken a 750m loan to prop it up, but its not a great story.
stock price is down 90% over the last year.
It lost 25% of its market cap in the last Q. - as in a loss, not a share price move!
at current rate it will run out of money next 12 months, its taken a 750m loan to prop it up, but its not a great story.
Edited by z4RRSchris on Monday 13th June 14:41
z4RRSchris said:
, but its not a great story.
I know you don't like Peloton for some reason, but no one can deny how good their product is at making middle aged people exercise and keep on exercising.Peloton is one of the reasons why despite work been crazy, doing 75% of school runs, general family life taking up most of time, at 40 my body feels and looks the fittest it's ever been. My resting HR is just over 40, my BMI is smack bang in the middle of normal, and for the first time EVER in my life I can say I have some kind of abs
.
I still eat cakes (too much), drink wine (probably too much), and haven't turned into a vegan. So I would hope the changes in my body is long lasting versus a crash and burn diet. I admit however I am slight 'addicted' to the platform, my wife mentioned it a few weeks ago, I dismissed it, but when I found my self doing a 30 minute work out with my phone hanging off the tow bar whilst on holiday I admit I have a problem
.Still there are much worse things in life to be addicted to, my take away advice for anyone aiming to travel and do Peloton strength classes.......just throw the heavy weights into the boot when packing!!
How Peloton manages to burn through so much money for a company that can essentially be run out of a couple of sound proof rooms any where in the world I have no idea. But their product for me anyways has literally been life changing. Money can buy plenty of stuff, but health/fitness for me is priceless, and so often money makes little impact, Peloton programs however just work and really well.
Edited by gangzoom on Tuesday 14th June 06:39
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