The Truth About The Peloton Leader Board

First I wish to disclose that this article consists of my opinions only and it is not intended to discourage you on your fitness journey!

Ever wondered why you can’t seem to reach the top of the leader board on your home workout device? Well I am about to let you know a few things that you may not be aware of.

The Peloton Leaderboard Debunkd!

Prior to New York City shutting down due to Covid in 2020, I was making a living teaching fitness. Primarily I was a spin instructor and did this for seven years. I am a huge advocate for indoor cycling as a keep-fit regime. It’s one of those exercises for all abilities and of course an excellent way to promote cardio health with a very low risk of injury.

When Cuomo ordered all of NYC fitness facilities to cease operations I found myself unemployed and what was just as distressing was the fact that I wouldn’t have access to a spin bike.

For the first few months I was happy running but it wasn’t long before I missed spinning. Luckily, I was given access to a Peloton bike and was curious to see what the hype was about and if it was worth the investment.

I tried many of the instructors classes – some which I enjoyed very much, but there were things I found to be lacking if you were new to this form of exercise. Not every instructor will talk about correct form or shoulder tension (which is extremely common when indoor cycling and can lead to neck or other upper body injuries). There was never a mention about how the knees should be tracking inline with the wrists and not outwards (which will happen due to hyper-flexibility or pelvis misalignment issues).

But my biggest issue was the leaderboard and this is why.

You get to be at the top of the peloton leaderboard by having the highest output. To achieve high output you need to move faster with heavier resistance. Now here’s the catch…

The more you weigh, the higher your output will be.

Yes that’s right. It’s science. It is going to be a lot easier for a person who is 200 pounds to achieve a high output then it is for a 120 pound person to watch those numbers increase (when standing up out of the saddle especially).

Ok, so now you ask me, “what if the 120 pound person moves faster than the 200 pound person with the same resistance?”

My answer would be: “Are they both doing the same workout? the one being taught by the instructor? Or are they just doing their own thing to get to the top of the leaderboard?”

There is no way that they are following along with the class (ever wondered why mom007’s numbers keep rapidly increasing whilst the rest of the class have slowed down to do some arms?). The instructors set output and rpm guidelines throughout the workout. And there is no way a person- out of the saddle- who is a lot heavier than another person is going to achieve the same output as someone who weighs a lot less unless one person isn’t following the set workout.

Does any of this matter?

Of course not, I hope most people working out are having fun and enjoying a healthy lifestyle full of exercise. The numbers don’t matter. I just want those who maybe feeling discouraged to remember that they can’t see what the other people who are riding virtually are doing. So for all they know, they could just be enjoying the playlist whilst making up their own rules which is totally fine.

The best thing anyone can do is to remember that their only competition is themselves.

Compete against your last numbers, and not Pitachip1 who keeps high-fiving you…

I do not mean to call out peloton, as said I enjoyed many of their classes. The same principals would be the same for any virtual leader board fitness class. You simply have no idea what is happening in Ohio if you are in Florida. You could be “competing” with a professional cyclist for all you know.

Anyway, I hope this is a great reminder to just do you and not worry about anyone else. If you are moving and keeping fit, you are winning.

If you are thinking of getting an indoor bike, I really recommend the Peloton or it’s cheaper cousin which is just as good the Echelon. Both of these bikes have a magnetic wheel as opposed to the original fly wheel which will require regular maintenance due its mechanism.

Be sure to check out the WWW workouts HERE if you need something challenging to do at home!

As always,

Live with Love,

The Bimbo in Limbo xxxx