New Peloton-style strength training machine

lorrpb

NorthCascades wrote: »

My inner curmudgeon wants to know if it counts as interactive fitness if I go hiking with friends and we talk to each other?

Yes because they help motivate you!

aokoye

Azdak wrote: »

MikePfirrman wrote: »

Peloton announced it would be coming up with a strength machine this month. They are going to introduce the Peloton rower. Allegedly for much less money than the bike. That's more interesting to me (not that I'd abandon my C2 Rower) than this gimmicky thing.

I do think the future (for some like me that don't have the time to go to classes) is interactive fitness. There's that one called the Mirror as well as this one. All are going off of Peloton's success. NordicTrack has a rower right now that's interactive like Peloton. I like the idea for variety. What I don't want to do, though, is pay 4X as much for the piece of equipment that isn't worth that price because the interactive feature.

Peloton was smart in coming out with their interactive app this year. They have an app now where you can pay for their interactive videos/instruction/online classes, even if you don't own one of the their bikes or treadmills. You can just pay for their app and use your own Spin Bike or Treadmill. I think that's the direction the industry will go to eventually. Apps for existing equipment that's compatible. Much like the Zwift model -- you can ride any bike on Zwift but you have to have a compatible bike trainer.

I guess i am still more jaded —or maybe too old.

I think Peloton is getting a lot of positive press because it is new and because it has a lot of VC capital behind it and they need to promote the hell out of it.

The problem with all of these “new paradigms” is that they all rely on one very old paradigm— people following a regular exercise program. And we have decades of data showing how hard that is to sustain for the majority of the population. On the surface, these interactive programs look different but they are essentially no different than a health club.

If you are already a regular exerciser, then it might seem really attractive to have all these resource available in your home. But that is only 20%-25% of the population and that number hasn’t changed in 30 years.

This is why I think TrainerRoad and Zwift (along with Sufferfest) have been so successful thus far. They are primarily targeting a market that already trains inside for at least part of the year. There isn't the worry that people will stop training inside, rather that people will stop using their product. For these companies it's a matter of making the existing experience better and/or more effective. With Zwift that's by creating a virtual world that, if you have a smart trainer (which is not required) can simulate gradients that you feel on the bike. Later they added organized group rides and races and later still they added training plans and the Zwift Academy. They also have a running platform that i have absolutely no experience with.

In the case of TrainerRoad it was about creating quality training plans that take the place of a coach (and it's significantly cheaper than getting a coach). There's also a plethora of workouts, plenty of which aren't associated with any plan. In addition they have their podcast, Ask a Cycling Coach, and their staff are seemingly very accessible in terms of questions about training related things.

Again, with both products, all that's needed to get started is a bike trainer. If it's not a compatible smart trainer, then you need either a power meter or a speed sensor, cadence sensor, and an appropriate dongle for your device. The barrier to entry is very low for people who are already training inside for at least some small part of the year.