I’m that lady from the Peloton ad
This article was originally written in late April / early May of 2020, but never published due to “lack of mattering…” until now. Due to all the recent chatter around Peloton stock and future implications around the Apple Fitness+ announcement, I figure “why not?” publish this really (or rarely) important random thought. Enjoy!
Hi!
I’m literally that lady from the infamous Christmas Peloton Ad.
Except... I’m just a little more literally a ~190lb Black guy from Chicago.
Let me explain.
A few months ago the biggest thing talked about on the internet was a different sort of viral pandemic. The old school viral video kind. Peloton was made victim by some individuals that really took Peloton’s ad to be so offensive that they felt the need to refer to it as things like sexist, dystopian, and even something out of ‘Black Mirror’.
Sure, maybe Peloton was asking for it by trying to pack too much into one commercial… but honestly… overblown or not, the biggest crime committed I think could be against those that ended up not getting a Peloton just because of the “viral peer pressure of the moment.”
👆🏾👆🏾 Candid shot of me being basic IRL 👆🏾👆🏾
As someone who hates spin classes but has pedaled nearly 2,000 miles since Labor Day (no coasting 😉) I think I can make the case that those peer pressured out of a Peloton have really been missing out.
To start, let me give my take on the commercial itself. In case you’ve forgotten or missed the commercial (somehow), within a 30 second spot:
a woman gets a Peloton Bike for Christmas,
does her first ride,
rides for 5 days straight,
wakes up early for a workout (like painfully early),
gets her first shoutout from her favorite instructor (see me being basic above),
and… a year later watches a thank you video she filmed for her husband telling him how she can’t believe how much the bike has changed her…
That’s a lot!
I mean… I get what Peloton was trying to accomplish here, but it was probably way too ambitious to fit into 30 seconds without it feeling a bit weird / forced / unrealistic / black mirror…
That all being true, I actually appreciated what the commercial was trying to do, because everything that was that woman’s experience … aside from the clear gratitude for her husband… was mine.
Reality for me is that around Labor day of last year my wife and I were sitting on the couch talking about getting a Peloton. I told her about three of my friends who all loved their Peloton Bikes for different reasons:
a mentor who got his fitness back with a busy schedule,
a coworker who got it and unintentionally rode it for 60 days straight,
and recently retired NFL veteran who used his 4-5 times a week as a fun and easy way to stay in shape.
Erikka and I were looking for something that could fit our busy schedules, keep us consistent, and get us the results we wanted. Not sure if it was my “pitch” or the 0% interest financing and full refund within 30 days, but Erikka gave a thumbs up.
We pulled the trigger.
And…
Over the next 6 months my life was changed. Literally.
I know that’s a strong statement and it sounds like a whole lot (borderline cultish TBH), but hold on a second and let me break it down for you.
My routine got upgraded, and it felt natural.
Over the years it’s been really hard for me to get into a new fitness routine, stay motivated, and keep consistent in spite of all the curveballs life and work have thrown at me. With Peloton, the fact that I could walk into my guest room and 30 minutes later walk out with 400-500 calories burnt, was a game changer. The motivation of how good I knew every workout was, plus the convenience of the bike being in my home and the app traveling with me made it easier to stay motivated and consistent than it’s ever been. Not to mention the design elements that you simply can’t overlook.
Everyone talks about the quality of the bike, but the design of the whole experience (i.e. instructors, classes, community, nudges, etc.) make reclaiming your physical health feel simple, approachable, easy, fun and natural.
Consistency Stats (stats include 50+ days I traveled during this 8 month period):
25 weeks straight of working out with Peloton
Averaging 387.8 calories burned per day via Peloton (~500 calories/day if you take out travel days)
Working out via Peloton 5.15 times a week on average
I remember the first time I realized how much my life was actually going to change after a business trip last fall. I flew back to Chicago and landed in O’Hare at 4:30, got home by 5, threw on shorts, burned 600-700 calories in 45 minutes, showered, and made it to the couples date my wife set up at 6:30 with a few minutes to spare.
Woah!
I knew in my soul that prior to Peloton there was maybe a 15% chance in that same scenario that I’d have had the motivation to get a workout squeezed in before that dinner, and even in that slight chance, I’d have been lucky to have burned half that many calories.
I’ve never felt as holistically healthy as I do today.
When we first bought the bike, I honestly thought the best case scenario was we’d come to really fall in love with… the bike.
And... things you do on the bike.
Like pedal. And maybe pedal standing up. And maybe pedal with some weights.
Yes, I’d heard the classes and instructors were first class and really engaging, but beyond that… I wasn’t really expecting a lot. Wow… was I wrong.
To give you an idea of how wrong I was - as of the day of this writing I have done 332 total workouts on Peloton, and only 208 of those are cycling. So, what are the other 37% of my workouts? Well, they’re composed of a variety of strength training (some just bodyweight but most with weights), yoga, stretching and running.
I’ll be honest, historically I’ve been pretty much a one trick pony. Lifting weights was all I really did well and cared to do. Yes, I had a running kick at one point that didn’t last (#injuries), but for the most part I’ve always hated cardio and would get my “fitness fix” by lifting weights 9 times out of 10.
Don’t get me wrong, I still lift at least twice a week (often not using Peloton since I have some routines I already like), but my approach to health and fitness includes things I never thought I’d do before. Warrior pose? 10 minute post-ride stretches? Running with a coach in my ear? Who am I? The answer is, I’m a better version of myself than I was before Peloton… I’m happier, healthier, and I simply feel better because Peloton has made it easy for me to fall gently into their “Netflix of fitness” approach to holistic health.
Results (in Various Forms)
Okay so where’s the before and after photo? Let’s just skip that part since we all know photoshop exists and I’m also just not the biggest fan of being half-naked on the internet. That being said, what are we doing here if we’re not talking about results. So, here are a few stats for you:
I’m a hair over 6’ tall and went from 208 lbs to 188 lbs while building strength and muscle
For the Power Zone nerds out there, my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) went up over 40% from 1.67 to 2.65
I’ve basically pedaled from Chicago to LA (again, no coasting 😉)
I’ve noticed a 200% increase in frequency of my wife grabbing my butt
I. Feel. Amazing. 💪🏾😎👍🏾
In all seriousness, that last “stat” for me is by far and away the most important. I feel great. I have great energy. The flexibility I never had has helped my body feel better than it ever has. I attack my fitness each day and each week with confidence, a plan, and a foundational level of fitness that lets me compete and progress consistently. As someone who hasn’t really played competitive sports since high school, I truly feel like an athlete again.
So, hopefully when I say to you that “Yes, I am that lady from the Peloton ad,” you get it - despite me being a 6’, 190lb Black guy from Chicago. I get that Peloton isn’t for everyone (…aside from water, oxygen and calories not much is). For me, though… Peloton has truly changed my life, and I am a proud, card-wielding cult member that is actively converting others and doesn’t care who knows it.
Back to the present… in all seriousness, I am a VC today, but I studied Public Relations and Rhetorical Advocacy because I was inspired by the way Apple formed what felt like an interpersonal relationship with their customers en masse. If you don’t get what I mean by that, just look at the way some Apple users (like me) defend them against all thing Apple haters, and tell me you don’t hope your friends and loved ones would back you up like that one day. I’ve never seen or experienced anything like that until Peloton, and I know what they’re building as a company is far more than meets the eye.
This is not financial advice.
But as a stock holder I’m not freaking out today, at all.
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