Peloton Guide adds strength training to your workout routine

Peloton Guide workout

In a first for the global fitness company, Peloton now has a connected strength training gadget for the home: the Peloton Guide.

The idea behind Peloton Guide is to help make strength training appealing to people all across the fitness spectrum. Peloton Guide intends to help you track exercise and provide access to hundreds of live and on-demand classes from Peloton’s extensive library.

What is the Peloton Guide?

Simply put, the Peloton Guide is a camera and remote setup you can connect to a TV and track your exercise form while working out during a Peloton class. It’s a separate device to the Peloton bikes and treadmills – the latter of which is not currently available in Australia.

Peloton Guide

While other Peloton gadgets have focused on cardio-based workouts, the Peloton Guide is the company’s first connected device to focus on resistance and strength building exercises. When doing a strength routine, maintaining correct form and posture is important to ensure you properly target the right muscles and reduce the risk of injury.

With this in mind, the Peloton Guide shows our movements alongside the trainer’s, allowing you to make adjustments where necessary. As part of the motivational ethos behind the product, a device-exclusive feature is Movement Tracker, which encourages you to see each exercise to completion. It gives you credit for doing both the correct exercise and the set duration to help prevent you from slacking off.

How does the Peloton Guide work?

Once connected and set up with a Peloton All Access Membership, you can choose from hundreds of online classes using the Peloton Guide’s remote. Included is a range of new strength programs – featuring classes designed specifically for Guide – such as Floor Bootcamp and Strength Roll Call.

Peloton Guide living room

Self Mode is what allows you to view yourself alongside the Peloton Instructor so you can mirror the correct movements and maintain good form. Before starting a class, you can also select Movement Details to look up specific information about what movements are included, and there are comprehensive video explanations of anything you’re unfamiliar with.

One of the major features that will be handy for planning workouts in advance is Body Activity. This lets you view your workout history, encompassing what muscle groups you’ve used recently, and receive recommended classes to evenly work different sets of muscles.

You won’t need to worry about being watched all the time, as the Peloton Guide has a slide to cover and disable the camera, plus a switch to turn off the included microphone. When the camera is in use, a green light will clearly indicate it’s on. Peloton also clearly maintains that your workout data is not used for training its model.

How much does the Peloton Guide cost?

It’s out now in Australia and starts at $445 for the device or $795 for a bundle that adds a workout mat and three sets of dumbbells. 

This price excludes the Peloton All Access Membership required for the full library of classes and Guide-exclusive features such as Self Mode. For new members signing up using a Peloton Guide, a limited-time monthly price of $35 applies until January 2023, when the regular All Access monthly price of $59 kicks in.

It’s a sizable investment all up, one that requires a decent commitment to get your money’s worth. This being said, Peloton Guide’s form-checking features are a great idea for anyone wanting to get serious about fitness and are unable to access a gym. Plus, Body Activity and workout recommendations based on what muscles you have or haven’t used is a big advantage over less expensive subscription fitness services like Apple Fitness+.

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