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Peloton

Dopers as Instructors – Why iFit Wasn’t a Fit for Me

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A couple of years ago I established that Peloton was not a fit for my workout style. I didn’t care for the “yay, rah-rah” style of the instructors. I’m not the kind of person that needs someone yelling at me or pumping me up in order to follow an exercise plan. That said, a couple of months ago I subscribed to iFit which is a competitor to Peloton to see if they offered anything that would fit my style.

Why I Tried iFit

In early February I had wrapped-up a training plan and was looking for something new to try on the days that I can’t ride outside here in Maine. A cycling friend of mine, knowing that I don’t care for Peloton, recommended that I try iFit. He likes that the workouts are filmed on real, outside rides and the instructors are talking as they ride. That was enough to get me to try it.

What I Liked About iFit

Despite my ultimate conclusion that iFit isn’t a fit for me, there are some things that I like about it. First, I did like that the workouts were filmed outdoors on real rides. That was much better than watching some sweaty, model-like spin coach.

Second, I liked being able to adjust the music so that I wasn’t stuck with whatever theme was chosen for that workout. For example, when the default was Top 40 Hits, I immediately changed it to Classic Rock. I also enjoyed being able to change the audio mix so that I could hear more of the music and less of the instructor.

Third, I did enjoy one of the instructors, Yuri Hauswald. But that might be only because I did ride with him and chat with him in real life last summer during an Unbound Gravel shakeout ride. He was also an elementary school teacher for a decade before being a professional cyclist/ cycling coach.

What I Didn’t Like About iFit

First, all of the adjustments that can be made to the in-workout videos are great, if the Apple TV app doesn’t freeze or crash. I had more than a few workouts in which at least one of the following went wrong; the audio and video didn’t sync, the data on the screen didn’t sync with what the instructor said, the app just flat-out froze and had to be restarted.

Second, the cycling workouts seem to be based on something called Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). The instructors reference that all the time, but none of them ever explained the scale so you have to do a bunch of workouts before you have any sense of what the RPE scale is.

Third, the instructors don’t shut up! Ever! They talk throughout the entire workout! Some of them are better than others in what they say, but even Yuri never stopped talking. The ones that really annoyed me were the 20-something instructors who tried to share their “life coaching” advice and the convicted dopers who did the same.

What I Really Didn’t Like About iFit – Dopers as Instructors!

It turns out that cheating continues pay in the world of professional cycling. iFit employs as instructors two retired professional cyclists who are admitted dopers who used banned, performance-enhancing drugs and tried to explain it away in Lance Armstrong-style. I tried a couple of their workouts in iFit and found myself yelling, “shut up, doper!” at the screen each time. By the way, this is the same reason I won’t listen to Lance Armstrong’s podcast and it’s why I mute the television whenever he’s allowed to speak on NBC’s broadcast of the Tour de France.

Who Might Like iFit

iFit, like Peloton and similar at-home fitness programs, seems to be designed for the person who needs a little motivation to workout. If you like having an instructor talk to you for 30, 45, or 60 minutes at a time while you’re exercising, iFit could be for you.

My Experience With the Peloton Bike, the Peloton App, and Affordable Alternatives

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In this post I’m going to provide my completely amateur opinion on indoor cycling apps and bikes. I’m not a professional trainer and everything that follows is just the opinion of a 40-something guy who did a whole lot of bike riding last year.

Bike on an indoor stationary trainer.

This morning on Instagram I answered the following question from a follower about the Peloton app.

“I didn’t buy a Peloton but just got a Schwinn. Do you still recommend the Peloton subscription? Or there’s plenty of free rides? “

My short answer was that the Peloton app is good if you’re a person who needs or likes having someone coaching them through a workout. Otherwise, depending on the bike and trainer I’d look into a program like Zwift or Sufferfest.

Peloton vs. Peloton App

If you live in the U.S. you have probably seen the Peloton indoor bike advertised on television and online. Their ads all have perfect-looking people who get into even more perfect shape by riding the expensive Peloton bike. What a lot of people don’t know is that there is also a Peloton mobile app that you can use even if you don’t have one of the bikes.

The Peloton mobile app requires a subscription to the Peloton service at a minimum cost of $12.95/month (first 30 days are free). The app gives you access to all of the classes that Peloton offers. You just have to follow along on the stationary bike you’re riding or the treadmill that you’re running on. The app won’t track your power output, heart rate, or speed like you could if you were on a Peloton bike or treadmill. But you can sync your workout time to other apps like Strava or Garmin Connect.

One of the things that you might not know about the Peloton mobile app unless you tried it is that in addition to cycling and running workouts the app offers guided stretching routines, yoga sessions, and strength training workouts.

About the Peloton Bike

They’re very expensive compared to the rest of the indoor bike market. So I was skeptical of it when my partner bought one last July. She loves it and in December I finally tried it one day instead of riding my bike on a stationary trainer.

I’ve done 22 sessions on the Peloton bike in the last month. My favorite workouts are the ones that I’ve planned myself and executed while using the “scenic rides” in Peloton. Scenic Rides are simply street level views of interesting places around the world. The scenes move while you pedal.

I’ve also taken a handful of complete structured workouts on the Peloton bike. I haven’t enjoyed them as much as other people do. That’s probably because I generally prefer silence to someone trying to encourage or coach me through a workout. Most of the instructors I’ve tried to follow are a bit too “rah rah” or overly enthusiastic for my taste. But if you’re the type of person who likes that style, then the Peloton structured workouts are for you.

Affordable Alternatives to the Peloton Bike

Prior to the arrival of the Peloton bike our house, I did lots and lots of workouts on one of my older road bikes that was hooked up to an inexpensive Travel Trac stationary trainer. I use it for at least half of my workouts. To the right of my bike I have an old Chromebook on a small table. From the Chromebook I play YouTube videos. Usually, I follow along to a Global Cycling Network training video (I’m partial to the ones led by Matt Stephens and Dan Lloyd). The Wahoo Elmnt computer that I use on all of my bikes displays my cadence, time, and speed throughout the ride.

I tried using Zwift with my current stationary bike set-up. I was able to make it work through a series of steps that seemed more complicated than necessary. Since I didn’t have a smart trainer that automatically adjusts resistance I had to manually adjust resistance by shifting up or down. Doing that took away some of the perceived benefits of using Zwift. But the real reason that I didn’t stick with it was that I prefer to look at real landscapes and people than Second Life-like scenes and people. The bottom line was that at $14.99/month I didn’t think it was worth it to me without a smart trainer.

A friend of mine gave me a promotional code to try Sufferfest so I gave it a try. Like Zwift, Sufferfest works best if you have a smart trainer. Since I don’t have a smart trainer I had to hook up my bike computer to my Windows 10 laptop through a Bluetooth dongle (worth noting that I couldn’t get it work at all on my Chromebook). Again, this was cumbersome and glitchy. I did a few workouts with Sufferfest then went back to old method of non-smart trainer and YouTube videos.

Admittedly, my attempts at using Zwift and Sufferfest were limited because of the equipment that I have. That said, both companies do advertise that you can use their services without a smart trainer. The reality is that you really do need a smart trainer to get the full benefits of Zwift or Sufferfest.

Bottom Line

My partner, Jess, tells me that I’m unique in that I like to suffer in silence on the bike and that I can stick to a workout plan without someone coaching me through it. That’s probably why I enjoy Peloton’s scenic rides and why I like riding my stationary trainer with or without YouTube on. If that doesn’t sound like you, then the Peloton app might be what you need to keep yourself motivated throughout a workout.