Peloton has many classes of different types (low intensity, HIIT, bootcamp). To help you start off, you can try taking the 10 minute Iceland Ride or the 20 minute Low impact ride with Robin Arzon. Keep in mind that since you´re just starting, your physical capacity may not be the best for all classes. Therefore, starting light is the best way.
As a beginner biker, it's quite difficult to start. I remember my legs would get easily tired and I didn´t have a lot of physical conditioning as a whole. Learning how to get the best out of your bike takes time. You´ll have to find a spot where you feel comfortable and start building from there, step by step.
With all of this in mind, we'll be reviewing some of the best Peloton classes you could take to start off.
Table of Contents
Peloton classes for beginners can be categorized based on class type and difficulty level.
Peloton offers a wide variety of classes. Let´s take a look at what every class goes and their approach to training.
Peloton low impact workouts are made for you to sweat without putting an immense strain on your muscles. This way, you´ll do some great exercise without having to feel tired or in pain for the whole day.
Additionally, if you´re a beginner, there are over 1,000 different classes to choose from in the Peloton app. This Peloton ride will definitely help you develop your physical resistance and prepare for more challenging rides.
Here are some of the best low impact rides:
This is probably the class to take for your first Peloton ride. A great way to simply go out and ride peacefully, is to take a scenic ride. Especially if you´re a beginner, these Peloton classes might be a great introductory step to your bike and everything you can do.
Additionally, with scenic rides, you can choose your own pace and you can ride based on distance or time. Here are some of the best rides:
An FTP Test is the ideal way to kick off your Peloton bike. Although this isn't a Peloton class, this test is something you should take in order to see how good or bad your energy production is. It´s a sort of diagnostic test that'll come in handy.
Peloton offers a very unique feature called the Peloton output, which in a nutshell, tells you how much energy you´re giving off during your rides. By doing an FTP test, you´ll find out your own output and based on that, you´ll know the best peloton classes for you.
Over time, you´ll be able to take the FTP test again and as your results improve, you can gradually take more challenging classes. This makes for an excellent guide in which classes you´re fit to take and for which you aren't.
Power zone rides look to test the amount of energy you put into your cycling by shifting between something called Power zones. The higher the zone, the more resistance your bike has and therefore you´ll have to put in more effort.
For Peloton beginners, the best thing to do would be to take a short 15 to 30 minute class. This could help determine if you feel comfortable riding at that intensity, or if you first need to build some condition.
This class is particularly good for beginners because there's a 12 minute warm up period at the beginning of the cycling class which gives enough time to prepare. This allows beginners to slowly warm up and give a better overall effort.
You can find around 400 power zone rides in the Peloton App. Some of the best rides are:
Peloton Bootcamp is a combination of cardio and strength training on your Peloton bike. These classes are generally a bit longer and physically tougher than other beginner classes on this list. Nevertheless, they´re quite fun to do and you´ll definitely sweat.
The best bootcamp Peloton classes for beginners are:
These classes focus on good old-fashioned cycling. However, The classes take you through a wide array of resistance levels, and due to this, I´d place these lessons in the advanced beginner classes category. However, they also vary in intensity. You can, of course, try them out for yourself.
Here are some of the best peloton classes for beginners:
These particular rides challenge your heart rate fitness. Your heart is a muscle that also needs some training. However, training your heart is tough and maintaining a high heart rate makes you very tired, so it´s not for the faint of heart. A short class duration is more than okay for a beginner Peloton rider Here are some of the best peloton classes you could take.
There both on and off bike cardio classes Peloton offers. You can try and alternate to get the best possible outcome.
HIIT rides are very challenging workouts. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. These training sessions normally start with a warm up. Then they are divided between different intense exercises separated by a pause. You´re supposed to go full throttle in these exercises which for a beginner, could result in a burnout. The typical heart rate during these exercises is around 140 BPM.
However, if you already have some experience in the HIIT scene, you might do well. They are after all extremely complete workouts one can do in a very short time span.
Here are some of the HIIT Peloton classes the app has to offer.
Now let's talk a bit about the difficulty level beginner Peloton cycling classes have. You can divide them into advanced beginner rides or beginner classes.
Every class type can vary in intensity. For example, you can take an easy cycling class, but there are tougher options as well. You´re free to choose which class you'd like to take.
Here's how we rate classes from easiest to toughest:
Furthermore, Peloton has a way of classifying the intensity you can reach during a certain ride. With power zones, you´ll be able to measure your energy output with ease. Beginner Peloton classes normally reach zone 1, 2 or 3 at the most.
Let's take a look at Power Zones:
It is, of course, possible to take any class regardless of how tough it is, and do it at your own rhythm. However, maybe the purpose of the class might lose it´s point. Just take that into consideration.
This depends. Some may love to take light classes, where others prefer a bigger challenge. However, it's safe to say that there are many good classes for every kind of biker.
An essential part of any class, no matter the subject is, who's teaching it. And while every Peloton Instructor is a professional athlete, there are some that push the bar more than others. Here´s a list of the best instructors in Peloton for beginners:
Hannah Corbin: When it comes to Peloton classes for beginners, a great instructor to go with is Hannah Corbin. She specializes in full body workouts. They normally begin with a stretch, which is very beginner friendly. You´ll find her in plenty of low impact rides.
Tunde Oyeneyin: Another Peloton instructor ideal for beginner Peloton rides is Tunde Oyeneyin. Her specialization is working in lightweight bike rides and training the arms. You´ll also mostly find her in low impact rides.
Matt Wilpers: If you´re looking for complete Peloton cycle classes, Matt Wilpers is your guy. His rides are very popular and user-friendly. He specializes in a good warm up and a good light workout. You´ll find him in a few scenic rides and low impact rides as well.
Cody Rigsby: Another great instructor for beginner Peloton spin bike classes is Cody Rigsby. Some of his rides include a post-ride meditation to relax and cool off, which is quite cool. Overall, his approach to training is quite light and friendly.
Dennis Morton: Some of the best beginner Peloton rides are those given by Dennis Morton, who has a relaxed personality and good sense of humor. Overall, his rides are very user-friendly.
As all of these trainers are great in their own way, I won't call anyone the best beginner Peloton instructor. They are all good at what they do. Which class to take is a matter of taste.
Beginner classes are a great way to develop your physical condition, get a groove of the bike and overall gather some experience. You should take beginner Peloton cycling classes until you've developed a good physical condition and can progress to tougher classes.
This period will vary from person to person and will depend on the work that you put in, but a month of beginner classes should be enough.
Peloton offers over 16,000 different classes, divided between a wide variety of topics. However, nearly every Peloton class is made for professional rides, rather than beginners. You should be okay as there are enough classes to help you get the hang of the bike.
The classes available to beginners are solid and should help you progress with your training.
To be fair, it depends on a variety of factors. Every trainer is a professional and so are their workouts. However, there are differences regarding the approach every trainer has for their classes.
After taking all of this into account, some of the best instructors for beginners are Matt Wilpers, Cody Rigsby and Hannah Corbin.
Getting a new stationary bike is always an exciting moment. If you´re just starting off, give yourself some time to take it easy and learn about the machine you´re riding. Get comfortable on it, develop some physical condition and then ride and enjoy.
Hopefully, you now know what to look out for. Now go out and enjoy the ride.
