The peloton programs are structured classes organized in a progressive way that builds on the intensity and duration of each following week.
Each program comes with a specific goal that ranges from improving strength, endurance, flexibility, or body composition.
Today I will cover everything there is to know about some of the best peloton programs, how they work, and (most importantly) which you should start with.
What are peloton programs?
Peloton offers over 22,000 on-demand classes that vary from strength, and endurance training, all the way to meditation classes.
They also offer 36 different programs that range from 1 to 18 weeks long with exclusive classes that can be done only when you enroll in the program.
Please note this article only includes programs available via peloton bike or app, not via peloton guide.
How does the peloton program work?
Peloton classes are a great way to stay active, burn a lot of calories, and make you feel better at the end of the long day.
However, if have specific goals like building muscle, learning yoga, or improving your FTP score, peloton programs are the way to go.
Overall, peloton programs are a combination of classes designed to form a habit of exercise, learn a skill, maximize training adaptations, and/or prevent overtraining.
Each program has a unique workout schedule and is delivered (most of the time) by the same peloton instructor.
I like this approach for a couple of reasons.
It’s organized
Unlike single classes, programs help you understand that the best way to get in shape is by doing a planned and periodized routine (Ideally over the course of 2, 4, or 6 weeks).
That includes progressive overload (which, again, takes time) rather than a bunch of random classes.
It’s skill-oriented
From what I’ve seen so far, most of the programs help you to build your skills.
For example, Peloton Path To Inversion with Kirra teaches you how to do a headstand, whereas Go The Distance: 5K teaches you running techniques for your first 5K.
It’s easy to follow
In general, the peloton programs work by displaying the goal, duration of the program, and how many classes are there per week.
When you join any program, you need to take the classes in pre-selected order to unlock the next class.
Unlocking the peloton classes in the program is very simple.
How to unlock peloton programs?
One thing to keep in mind is that you cannot join a random class from the program somewhere in the middle of the list.
To unlock programs you need to start from the very first session. After you’ve completed the first class, the next class will unlock.
You can’t skip the line.
This curriculum helps to give a structure for people who are not sure which single class to choose from the app so they can follow a ready-made program.
How To Find Peloton Programs?
- Turn on the peloton bike, tread, or app.
- Find the “programs” tab in the upper middle part of the dashboard.
- Select the “programs” tab.
- Join the program.
How to join a program on a peloton?
In general, to join a program on the peloton you need to select the “programs” category and click the one you want to start.
On the bottom of the screen, right next to the list of weeks and numbers of workouts, you will see the start program bottom.
What Programs does Peloton have?
A the moment, the peloton has 36 programs that range from strength, cycling, running, split training, yoga, boxing, and much more.
Some beginner programs take as little as 7 days where you train for 10-20 minutes per day, whereas others are more advanced and have a longer schedule.
Below you can find the list of all peloton programs (updated), based on their duration.
Peloton 1 Week Programs
| Peloton 1-Week Programs | Number of classes |
|---|---|
| Callie’s Intermediate 3-Day Split | 3 |
| Robin’s Advanced 3-Day Split | 3 |
| Adrian’s Advanced 5-Day Split | 5 |
| Matty’s Intermediate 5-Day Split | 5 |
| Power Restorative Yoga | 7 |
| Train Like Allyson Felix | 10 |
| Train Like Usain Bolt | 13 |
| The Snatch | 6 |
| The Clean and Jerk | 6 |
| The Overhead Squat | 6 |
| Flow to the Finish with Mariana | 8 |
Peloton 2-Week Programs
| Peloton 2-Week Programs | Number of classes |
|---|---|
| Path To Inversion | 12 |
| Get Hooked: Peloton Boxing | 14 |
| The Power Of Sleep | 15 |
Peloton 3-Week Programs
| Peloton 3-Week Programs | Number of classes |
|---|---|
| You Can Ride | 9 |
| Beginner Yoga | 22 |
| The Power Of Sleep | 15 |
Peloton 4-Week Programs
| Peloton 4-Week Programs | Number of classes |
|---|---|
| Strong Core Strong Body | 22 |
| Arms With Tunde (only for peloton guide) | 19 |
| Crush Your Core | 22 |
| Crush Your Core 2 | 18 |
| Total Strength With Andy | 15 |
| Total Strength With Erik (German language) | 48 |
| Floor Bootcamp | 24 |
Peloton 5-Week Programs
| Peloton 4-Week Programs | Number of classes |
|---|---|
| Discover Your Power Zones | 25 |
| Build Your Power Zones | 16 |
Peloton 6-Week Programs
| Peloton 4-Week Programs | Number of classes |
|---|---|
| Go The Distance: 5K | 24 |
| Total Strength With Andy 2 | 68 |
| Beginner Strength | 42 |
| Road To Your 26.2 (parts 1, 2, and 3) | 142 |
| Road To Your 5K | 28 |
| Mastering The Basics Cycling | 28 |
Peloton 8-Week Programs
| Peloton 4-Week Programs | Number of classes |
|---|---|
| Peak Your Power Zones | 25 |
| You Can Run Outdoors | 16 |
| You Can Run Outdoors (German language) | 16 |
| You Can Run | 16 |
Which peloton program should I take?
This will depend on your personal goals.
As you can notice from the table above, each of these programs has a specific goal and is structured in a way to reach that goal within the time period.
For example, currently released peloton split training teaches how to maximize training adaptations by using dumbbells at home.
According to the study done by Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, to achieve maximum strength and hypertrophy you need to increase the training volume by using heavier weights or increasing the time under tension.
“Using heavier weights helps to achieve greater muscle tension and muscle damage, therefore, leading to hypertrophy,” says Dr. Schoenfeld.
Time under tension also referred to as metabolic stress, is the duration of how long the muscle work under tension.
Without getting into scientific jargon, the peloton split training help to increase time under tension because you keep on doing exercises on the same muscle group for the whole class.
For obvious reasons, peloton workouts only use dumbbells, so to maximize strength and muscle gains you can only focus on increasing time under tension by doing split training.
Make sense?
What are the best Peloton programs?
Some people like to simply join any class that they feel like doing.
However, the peloton program helps you to follow the organized step-by-step protocol that has a specific goal in mind.
Some of the peloton programs are just for the bike or treadmill, while others include a combination of mat exercise, body weight, or weights.
Here is the list.
1. Beginner Yoga
Beginner yoga peloton is a series of 22 yoga classes spread across 3 weeks.
The beginner yoga peloton program is good for everyone who has never done yoga before because it includes multiple tutorials on basic yoga asanas.
Working and explaining the individual yoga poses helps to prepare you for the full class.
What I like about this class is the attention to detail.
In each class, the instructors teach you a new yoga position and provide recommendations on how to practice. This is great for people who are new and may feel intimidated joining the local yoga studio.
Usually, in the local yoga session, most of the people are already experienced. This means the teacher has to keep up with the pace and intensity.
However, in beginner yoga peloton you have dedicated sessions for each yoga position, which means you can spend as much time practicing as you need, without feeling left behind.
2. Total Strength With Andy 2
Update: The peloton has launched the third edition of the popular Total Strength Program – Total Strength With Erik, which is featured in the German language.
The total strength peloton program is a 6-week resistance training schedule that includes 68 strength classes.
The class format follows the progressive overload principle. This means it increases the intensity and duration as you follow along.
The total strength peloton program is good for people who want to get started with strength training, without going to the gym and spending money on a personal trainer.
The classes in this program teach you the foundation of resistance training.
What I like about this program is it starts with a few basic workouts where Andy Speer, the peloton instructor, explains the correct form of every exercise, before even adding the extra weight of high-volume repetitions.
If you’ve ever attended a local group fitness class, you know that every participant has a completely different mobility and fitness level.
Also, different people have different proprioception abilities.
This means some people need more time to fully comprehend how to do the exercise.
And if you have 20 to 30 people in the class it is impossible to spend quality time with each individual to make sure their form is right.
That’s why I’ve been recommending the Total Strength With Andy 2 peloton program for people who want to get into shape and have never done any strength training before.
It teaches you all the basics you need before you will progress with adding weight, speed, or volume.
3. Strong Core Strong Body
A strong core strong body is a 4-week peloton program where you work specifically to improve your midsection and get those washboard abs.
The goal of this class is not only to get a flat belly but also to strengthen your glutes and lower back to prevent any back pain or injuries.
This program is good for people who want to strengthen their core, improve posture and reduce lower back pain or sciatica.
The lower back is a common problem among many cyclists because of weak abdominal muscles. This class helps to target all the stability muscles that work during long-distance rides.
What I like about this program is you have a realistic class duration that only targets your abs.
Some other peloton core classes may take 20 to 30 minutes but all they do is work on full-body moves. Here, you have only the abdominal exercises.
This means you can use that in several ways like after your main workout, before your run or race to activate muscles (this helps with better posture, especially in the long-distance tracks), or on its own as your daily challenge.
What I dislike about this program is the language because it’s in German (I don’t speak nor understand German well).
So if you don’t comprehend German, you can still do the work, but you gonna miss out on the tips and form instructions.
4. The Power Of Sleep
The power of sleep peloton is the only peloton program that can be done in your pajamas (Or shorts if you’re not the pajama person).
All you need is an exercise mat and plenty of blankets.
Power of sleep is a 2-week meditation program that includes 15 classes that range from 5 to 10 minutes.
This program is good for people who have trouble sleeping or want to get started with meditation practice.
This program includes multiple meditation techniques like
- visualization
- breathing
- chanting mantras
- body scan
- muscle contraction
So it helps you to sample different meditation methods and find one that is best for you.
I find that personality of the instructor who is doing the meditation class is gonna make a huge difference in the results.
I like this class because you don’t need any previous experience with meditation to get started.
The power of sleep is run by my favorite peloton instructor, Ross Rayburn, and he does a phenomenal job of explaining not only the physiology but also the philosophy behind meditation.
Another thing I find really convenient is the class initially lasts only for 5 minutes. This means you can do it in your bed right before you drift off to sleep (or as close to falling asleep as possible).
5. Train Like Usain Bolt
Train like Usain Bolt is a one-week intense peloton program that consists of 13 classes that range between 5 to 20 minutes.
The goal of this program is to provide you with a routine from a world-class sprinter, Usain Bolt. It includes running sessions, stretches, and core workouts.
In general, the train like the Usain Bolt peloton program is good for people who are skilled runners and are looking to advance in their running technique.
This program is short but intense because it has 13 sessions that need to be done in just 5 days
This means you will be doing over 2 sessions a day.
Of course, you not gonna run faster after one week of training. However, you will get a taste of how to train for performance and what other fitness components you must focus on if your goal is to run faster (or longer).
One downside of this program is that you not gonna see Usain Bolt himself doing the classes.
6. Crush Your Core
Update: Emma Lovewell has released the Crush Your Core 2, which includes an additional 4-week abs challenge.
Crush your core with Emma is a peloton abs program that consists of 22 classes spread across 4 weeks. This is the most popular peloton program which hit over 1 million views.
This program is good for people who want to work on their abdominal muscles, improve their balance and reduce muscle pain in the back, neck, and shoulders.
A lot of exercises are borrowed from a variety of fitness categories like pilates or barre.
For me, peloton crush your core is all about getting flat abs and strengthening your core muscles. It also includes classes that help you build your strength, flexibility, and endurance.
What I like about Emma’s crush on your core is that she put a lot of emphasis on time under tension.
This means you perform exercises back to back in a circuit training style, which puts a lot of pressure on the muscles and helps to maximize the benefits.
Can I restart a Peloton program?
As a whole, you can restart the peloton program at any time (either after you’ve done all classes or even before you’ve finished the whole thing).
Each class you take is saved in the peloton program library so you can always come back to it. You can also repeat the whole program after you’re completed all classes.
Newbies people may need to come back to specific classes where the instructor is teaching a good technique to solidify the correct form.
I think it is better to repeat the class over and over again if for any reason you feel like you should work on the technique more.
What happens if you miss a class in a Peloton program?
As a whole, nothing happens when you miss a class in the peloton program because you can always skip a selected session.
However, it is recommended to take each class one by one like in the schedule because they build upon the previous ones.
Does Peloton have programs for seniors?
As a whole, the peloton doesn’t have specific programs for seniors. None of the peloton programs are recommended by age but rather by difficulty and skill level.
This means seniors can enroll in programs that are suited for beginners.
I think the best programs for seniors are at the beginner level because the instructors put a lot of emphasis on correct technique and exercise form.
This helps to develop good habits.
Can you do Peloton Programs on the app?
As a whole, you can do programs on the app with peloton digital membership because it offers access to all content (classes, programs, and challenges).
This means you don’t need the peloton bike or a tread. It also has the feature to see your history and browse the completed programs.
There are several benefits to having the bike and peloton all-access membership like access to the leaderboard, metrics, and stats.
To learn more about the differences between peloton digital and peloton membership, check out my peloton without subscription article.
How to access Peloton programs on a computer?
In general, to access the peloton programs on a computer you need to go to the peloton website.
From there, you must log in.
After you’ve logged in, in the main menu on the top of your screen you will see the “programs” tab in the middle.
Click on the tab and you will see a list of all 36 programs to choose from.
Conclusion
Peloton programs can be an effective way to get people started in a long-term fitness routine. I know from experience that people who are new to workouts would love to follow a structured plan.
Peloton has thousands of classes to choose from, but with more choices, there is an “analysis paralysis”.
This means the more choice you have, the harder is to know what you want to do.
Following a structured program helps to get started and gives confidence to beginners who don’t have previous exercise experience.