April 4, 2020

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY THREAD...

Time to Read: 5 minutes

From the journal of The Daily Thread

There's a Peloton for That

About 25% of US adults have a gym membership. That's a lot of people who can't hit the gym right now. Check out the spike in search volume for "working out at home".

Working out at home is intimidating. There's no equipment. What exercises should I even do? Most of all, it's hard to get motivated. Something about the people at the gym is enough to keep you going.

Home exercise is blowing up. It's not all due to the virus that must not be named. It changed business. It changed dating. Now the Internet is changing fitness.

The King of On Demand Fitness

If you haven't heard of Peloton by now, you're probably living under a rock. Which doesn't seem like a bad idea these days.

Peloton streams spin bike classes straight into your home. Peppy instructors in NYC push you to your limits in live classes. If the times don't work, they've got all the live classes recorded so you never miss a beat.

Branding is Peloton's number one strength. The brand has become ubiquitous. John Foley founded the company eight years ago and it's already worth billions of dollars.

Peloton streams fitness classes straight into your home. The most popular product is a spin bike. Peppy instructors from NYC studios push you to your limits through the screen.

There's a Peloton for That

Peloton owns the spin bike market and one other market. More on that below. There are all kinds of ways to stay fit at home. Here are 7 ways to get your sweat on in the living room.

Spin Bike (Expensive)

Peloton is the king. The classes are awesome (and hard). The bike is good quality. The only bad thing about Peloton is the Peloton price tag.

The bike will set you back $2,245 and the classes are $39/month. They offer 0% APR financing so the bike is $58 a month. I shoot it straight with you guys. I don't like the idea of financing an exercise bike. Even if it is 0% APR.

Treadmill (Super Duper Expensive)

Peloton's got this on lock too. Hardcore runners say the treadmill is high quality. Everyone knows Peloton has great classes. You can't go wrong with this.

Except for the fact that the treadmill is $4,295. Ouch. Good thing (maybe??) Peloton offers financing with this bad boy too. $111/month please. And don't forget your $39 monthly class fee.

Don't fear. There's a budget option for your living room marathons. NordicTrack sells an interactive treadmill for $1,700. The first year of interactive classes is included. Classes are $39/month after the year.

Rowing (Expensive)

It's not just for ivy league jerks. Rowing is one of the best exercises you can do. Think you're tough? Hop on a rower full tilt for 15 minutes then tell me you're tough.

Hydrow is the Peloton of rowing. The cool thing about Hyrdrow is that they have great classes and great visuals. You get to row on real waterways, not in a dingy studio. You also won't have a big ugly rowing machine in your house. The Hydrow is beautiful.

It costs $2,199. Classes are $38 a month. Right now they're offering a free massage gun with purchase. I'm thinking about getting one for the massage gun alone.

Personal Trainer - No Hardware (Reasonable...ish)

Don't want a big piece of exercise equipment throwing off your feng shui? The Mirror is for you. When you're not sweating, it's literally a mirror.

When you are sweating, your personal trainer lives in the mirror and yells at you. Mirror's got live classes and recorded classes. Use accessories or go bodyweight. Lots of options here.

It will be the most expensive mirror you ever buy in your life at $1,495. But how many other mirrors will talk to you and kick your butt? Oh yeah, and $39/month for the classes.

Are all these companies in cahoots with their monthly prices?

Personal Trainer - With Hardware (Really Expensive)

Tonal is like the mirror. Except it's got two arms and uses magnets and electricity to provide resistance. In other words, it's a magical weight training device on your wall.

Magical magnet device costs $3,000 and classes are $49/month.

If you couldn't tell, I'm not all about this one. But I wanted to include it on the list.

Smartphone Personal Trainer - (Cheap)

Fiit doesn't have any hardware. It's just an app. They have great classes, great reviews, and a 14 free trial. It's $20 a month.

Yeah that's twice as much as Planet Fitness but let's be real. Most people don't know how to get the most out of a gym sesh. Fiit claims to have the best personal trainers in the game. And you get to do it at home. Or when you travel.

7 Minute Science Workout (Literally the Cheapest)

There's nothing cheaper than free. I love to move all the time. I hike, rock climb, ride bicycles, do pushups for fun, etc. In case I can't move enough, I do a quick workout every morning. Right before I plunge into my cold shower.

The 7 minute workout is 12 exercises. Do all exercises for 30 seconds. Spend 10 seconds resting between each move. Do them in this order.

• Jumping Jacks

• Wall Sit

• Push Ups

• Crunches

• Step up on a chair (one leg at a time)

• Squats

• Tricep dip using chair

• Plank

• High knees (running in place)

• Alternating Lunges

• Push ups with rotation (Google it if you don't know)

• Side Plank (both sides)

That's it. This won't make you a super athlete. It will provide a basic level of strength. And strength is good.

Videos. Coming Your Way.

I filmed two videos today. I'll edit them over the weekend and share them with you next week. I can't wait.

-- Ryan

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