Fitness

Peloton teases new rower at Homecoming event

Published

3 years ago

May 14, 2022

Peloton teases new rower at Homecoming event

Peloton’s annual Homecoming occasion is for the followers. It’s the place the health tech firm teases new merchandise, in addition to drops new options and content material. It’s additionally an opportunity for followers to take reside lessons taught by their favourite instructors and attend particular panel discussions. This 12 months, the large tease is that Peloton formally confirmed a related rower is coming.

Peloton’s reveal is extra of a teaser and official affirmation than the rest. We don’t know the specs or when it’ll launch — simply that it’s “coming quickly.” When it comes to design, the rower itself seems to have an analogous vibe to the Peloton Tread — smooth, with a minimalist profile and a show to look at lessons on. Rumors in regards to the rower have been floating round since 2018, when Bloomberg reported that Peloton had plans to launch it in 2020. Clearly, 2020 got here and went, and no rower was to be seen.

Forward of Peloton’s Homecoming announcement, I obtained to talk with co-founder and chief product officer Tom Cortese in regards to the determination, in addition to Peloton’s different Homecoming bulletins.

“We’re getting into the rowing class, which is long-awaited and feels just like the worst-kept secret on Earth, so may as effectively simply speak about it,” Cortese instructed me over Zoom.

Homecoming is an annual occasion for followers the place Peloton declares new options and teases new merchandise.

Picture: Peloton

For an at-home fitness center, treadmills and bikes make sense. Within the health tech world, loads of tools makers cater to runners and cyclists as a result of they’re common actions. However rowing has historically been a bit extra area of interest. A part of that’s the area it takes up in your house, and most of the people don’t develop up rowing. You instinctively know methods to run, and studying to trip a motorbike is usually a fond childhood reminiscence. There’s a definite type that accompanies rowing that you simply wouldn’t know except somebody taught you. And whereas rowers have been accessible at gyms for many years, the game it is based mostly on has a rep for being elitist and exclusionary.

That stated, indoor rowing has more and more change into common throughout the previous couple of years, because of boutique and related health lessons. Hydrow made its identify because the “Peloton of rowers,” and there are many different Hydrow-esque companies on the market proper now. Apple included rowing as a class in Health Plus. OrangeTheory is one other stylish boutique health studio that closely options rowing.

“In a comparatively brief interval on the rower, like a ten or 15-minute class, you may truly interact 86 p.c of the muscle tissues in your physique,” Cortese says. “The issue with rowing has been it’s type of inaccessible as a result of the typical particular person like me appears at a rower, and I don’t know what to do.”

This video has a tiny tease of the rower. Blink, and also you may miss it.

The concept is that Peloton needs to leverage its tech, bullpen of common instructors, and {hardware} design sensibilities to de-mystify rowing. It additionally dovetails with one other Peloton initiative to broaden its power coaching choices. Cortese famous that Peloton goes to steadily improve its power coaching content material. At Homecoming, the corporate introduced a brand new four-week program hosted by coach Tunde Oyeneyin specializing in arms and shoulders that’ll first be a Peloton Information unique. The Information, a camera-based system that allows you to examine your type on a TV as you comply with alongside together with your instructors, is Peloton’s first foray into power coaching {hardware} — and the rower, a mixture of cardio and power, might be its second.

That is all consistent with Peloton’s total strategy by means of the years. Nevertheless, sticking to a recreation plan is unlikely to assuage antsy traders fixating on Peloton’s inventory worth, particularly because the {hardware} itself is usually what analysts maintain underneath the microscope.

Earlier this week, the corporate posted larger-than-expected losses for its Q3 earnings. In the course of the name, new CEO Barry McCarthy repeatedly instructed analysts from big-name banks that whereas Peloton was good at {hardware}, “being good at {hardware} is just not practically adequate.” And whereas McCarthy continues to be new to the job, he’s been constant since taking the helm about subscriptions being on the entrance and middle of his technique. Chief Monetary Officer Jill Woodworth defined that its overstocked stock was costing the corporate. However, but once more, Peloton is launching new {hardware}.

When requested about how the rower matches into Peloton’s new software-first technique, Cortese says that the corporate “has all the time been and can all the time be a subscription enterprise.” That in flip means protecting the fanbase pleased with an ever-growing library of content material and options. The objective is to hook customers into the neighborhood and ensure they by no means wish to give up the Peloton ecosystem.

*Invite Members is without doubt one of the new options introduced at Homecoming that permits you to schedule neighborhood exercises from the Bike.*

Thus far, the corporate’s been remarkably profitable at that. Quarter after quarter, the corporate’s month-to-month churn fee — the share of Peloton customers who cancel their membership — stays underneath one p.c. On this most up-to-date quarter, even with a rise in subscription cancellations following information of a worth hike, the churn fee truly improved to 0.75 p.c. The query is whether or not that’ll change.

“Our enterprise incentive is to maintain you as a subscriber eternally,” Cortese says. “We consider there’s a lot that we are able to do on a day by day and weekly foundation to proceed to vary and evolve the bike expertise, the tread expertise, and now the rowing expertise.”

That explains the technique behind a number of of the brand new options introduced at Homecoming. For example, Cortese says the corporate has seen {that a} rising variety of customers are taking yoga lessons, and lo, Peloton declares it’s including a second installment in its Yoga sequence “The Method.” To enchantment to hardcore Bike customers, Peloton beforehand launched its Energy Zone Coaching Program. At Homecoming, that too is getting a brand new eight-week program known as “Peak Your Energy Zones.”

*Simply Exercise provides customers much less incentive to depart the app to report their different exercises.*

Peloton can also be making it simpler for present customers to work together with one another. Members can now instantly schedule exercises from the Bike with a brand new “Invite Mates” characteristic. Likewise, it’s additionally introducing a “Simply exercise” characteristic — that means that any uninstructed exercise will be recorded inside the Peloton app. In the meantime, the corporate is including TalkBack — an accessibility characteristic to assist blind and low-vision customers — to the Tread. The characteristic talks these customers by means of the Tread’s UI. It’s a savvy transfer, as a number of research have discovered this neighborhood is massively underserved by present train tools and health services. In keeping with the American Basis for the Blind, ideally, treadmills would have tactile surfaces, braille labels for controls, and speech output. So whereas Peloton might do extra sooner or later alongside these tips, that is at the least a step in the fitting route. It additionally makes Peloton a extra palatable possibility for these communities and throws down the gauntlet for Peloton’s military of copycats to do the identical.

However maybe the one that may make Peloton diehards most excited is that the corporate is reopening its Peloton Studios. The Studios is the place Peloton movies and broadcasts its content material, and earlier than the pandemic, it was a spot the place many Peloton followers visiting New York Metropolis would pop in and get some face time with their favourite instructors. The unique Studio was positioned on twenty third St however has since been moved to a shiny new facility close to Hudson Yards. As a result of pandemic, the brand new Studio has by no means been open to the general public. There are not any particulars on timing, nonetheless.

All of those bulletins are a method of reaching new customers, protecting these customers engaged within the Peloton platform — and giving them fewer and fewer causes to depart. And in case you’re a Peloton fan, I’d say they’re fairly efficient. However loyalty has by no means been an issue for Peloton. The issue is the disconnect between an organization that makes an industry-leading product and its inventory worth.

When requested in regards to the detrimental press and the infinite hypothesis about Peloton’s future, Cortese was unfazed.

“It’s a blip. It’s a second in time. So long as we keep targeted on doing what we do effectively and proceed to drive real worth into an area the place there’s a real want by an actual client — I’m prepared to do that for one more 10 years.”

If Peloton sticks round for a very long time, then sure. This can be a blip in the identical method Apple had its “misplaced years.” There’s a method ahead for the corporate if its restructuring plan is profitable — although it’s not going that it’ll return to its peak pandemic valuation anytime quickly. Within the earnings name, Peloton’s management staff talked about its restructuring targets persevering with into 2023 and possibly 2024. However as long as the followers stick by means of the ups and downs, Peloton can carry on rowing.

Fitness

RFK Is a Big Proponent of Exercise as Medicine. We Agree.

Published

2 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

RFK Is a Big Proponent of Exercise as Medicine. We Agree.

IT’S GREAT TO see Robert F. Kennedy Jr elevating exercise in the national conversation, and at Men’s Health we’ve been saying exercise is strong medicine for 35 years—because nothing advances health and can’t be patented by Pharma as much as consistently working out.

We’ve been reporting on the styles of strength and fitness that you need to optimize your health for years—and the pandemic, which saw those who struggled with fitness suffer more than strong, healthy people, put a spotlight on that. Since then, gym memberships are booming; 2023 saw with 72.9 million people with gym memberships.

These days, healthspan (the portion of life during which you’re able to do what you want instead of being frail and weak) is a buzzword, as we’ve covered in our stories with Peter Attia, M.D., author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. According to Attia: “Exercise is by far the most potent longevity ‘drug.’ The data are unambiguous: Exercise not only delays actual death but also prevents both cognitive and physical decline better than any other intervention. It is the single most potent tool we have in the health-span-enhancing toolkit—and that includes nutrition, sleep, and meds.”

Over the years MH has covered the ideal amount of exercise people should do, and, like Dr. Attia, MH recommend more exercise weekly—ideally 7 to 10 hours— than the government’s regulations. Currently, the CDC says:

Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week. There are multiple ways to break this up, but an easy way to think about it is that you should fitness 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Adults also need 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week.
The CDC does also note that you’ll gain even more health benefits if you go beyond 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or week – or if you have 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity (think: a pickup hoops game).

The latest research reveals that you need a combination of different intensities of cardio, as well as consistent strength training and stability exercises to be your best self. Here’s how much you should get to be at your best.

Your Cardio Goals

4+ Hours/Week

Dr. Attia says your VO2 max is a good proxy measure of physical capability: It indicates what you can—and cannot—do. Studies suggest that VO2 max will decline by roughly 10 percent per decade after your 20s and up to 15 percent per decade after age 50. Increasing your VO2 max makes you functionally younger. So having average or even above-average VO2 max has long-term ramifications. Dr. Attia’s goal for his patients is to be at an excellent level for the decade (or two) below their age. Many smartwatches can estimate VO2 max, but a real test (e.g., the Cooper 12-Minute Run) is better and VO2-max charts are easy to find online.

The good news?

You can improve VO2 max by as much as 17 percent per year. But you need to put in the work. Dr. Attia advises that patients do at least three 45 to 60-minute cardio sessions per week in zone 2 of their heart rate (57 to 65 percent of max heart rate, a gentle intensity during which you can say a complete sentence). They can involve running, cycling, rowing, even rucking. This is optimal for the health and efficiency of your mitochondria, the factories that burn fat and glucose to power your muscles and that decline as you age.

Along with cruising in zone 2, Dr. Attia recommends that patients do a weekly 30-minute VO2-max effort, such as high-intensity intervals that last anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes. For instance, you can run, ride, row, or ruck uphill for four rounds of four minutes, with four minutes of rest in between. “This is a much higher level of intensity—a hard, minutes-long effort,” he says. By testing your VO2 max and committing to cardio, you can nudge up your score and win in the long run.

Your Strength Goals

3+ Hours/Week

Age-related muscle loss—which starts insidiously in your 40s and picks up the pace in your 50s—is called sarcopenia, from the Greek words for “poverty of the flesh,” says Dr. Attia. Think of strength training as a form of retirement saving, he says. Just as you retire with enough money saved up to sustain you for the rest of your life, you want to reach an older age with enough of a “reserve” of muscle to protect you from injury and allow you to continue to pursue the activities that you enjoy. That muscle also acts as a buffer against the natural age-related decline in muscle mass. The larger the reserve you build up early on, the better off you will be over the long term. And, there are many categories to train:

Grip Strength

New research reveals that American adults have far weaker grip strength—and thus less muscle mass—than they did even a generation ago. In 1985, men ages 20 to 24 had an average right-handed grip strength of 121 pounds, while in 2015, men of the same age averaged just 101 pounds. Dr. Attia notes that many studies suggest that grip strength predicts how long you are likely to live. In these studies, it’s acting as a proxy for overall strength, but it’s also a broader indicator of general robustness and your ability to protect yourself if you slip.

Try These: Weighted carries, dead hangs, and plate pinches. Your goal: Do a farmer’s carry with a quarter of your bodyweight in each hand for one minute.

Concentric and Eccentric Loading

You need strength when your muscles are shortening (concentric) and lengthening (eccentric) under load. In other words, you must be able to lift the weight up and put it back down, slowly and with control. In life, especially as you age, eccentric strength is where many people falter.

Eccentric strength in the quads is what gives us the brakes required when we are moving down an incline or walking down a set of stairs. It’s really important to keep us safe from falling.

Try These: Focus on the “down” phase of lifts, whether doing pullups, curls, or deadlifts. Practice slow stepdowns—can you step off an 18-inch box in three seconds or more?

Pulling Motions

Pulling motions help bulletproof your shoulders against injury, and they’re critical in other underrated ways, too, driving your motion when you open car doors, lift boxes from the floor, and give somebody a hug.

Try These: Practice pulling at all angles. Start with dumbbell rows and progress to overhead moves like pullups.

Hip Hinges

You bend at the hips—not the spine—to harness your body’s largest muscles, the glutei maximi and the hamstrings. It is a very powerful move that is essential to life. If you are jumping, picking up a penny off the sidewalk, or simply getting out of a chair, you are hip hinging.

Try These: Deadlifts, hip thrusts, and kettlebell swings.

With all this exercise, your body may need more TLC. And that’s where stability and mobility training and low impact things like yoga and walking come in. These kinds of activities help your body recover and you can target weak areas to build your overall strength.

If you need somewhere to start and aren’t sure how to get going: Try this simple bodyweight workout: Set a timer for 10 minutes. Start by doing 30 seconds plank walkout, then do 30 seconds of alternating reverse lunges, then do 30 seconds of jumping jacks. Rest 30 seconds, then repeat until time is up. This simple session fires up your core and burns calories, and it gets you moving in multiple planes, an underrated quality you want to preserve for longevity. It also challenges many of the key functions we’ve already listed above. A bonus: As you gain fitness, this can become a warmup drill for any workout you do.

If you’re looking for exercise guidance, check out our Men’s Health MVP Training Lab, which is full of month-long workouts that can help you improve your VO2 max, build total-body muscle and strength, shed excess pounds, and get into optimal shape.

Fitness

A new way to exercise is now open at the Smith River Sports Complex

Published

10 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

A new way to exercise is now open at the Smith River Sports Complex

A new fitness court is now open for public use at the Smith River Sports Complex.

The fitness court, located at the Smith River Sports Complex, was completed in partnership with Aetna for its National Fitness Campaign across Virginia. It was created to cater to people ages 14 and older and with multiple levels of fitness in mind by allowing them to move at their own pace.

“We would like to thank Aetna for their support in bringing this important program to our community,” Henry County Director of Parks and Recreation Roger Adams said. “And for recognizing the need to support healthy lifestyles for all Virginians.”

The Smith River Sports Complex Fitness Court is one of the first communities in Virginia selected for the initiative, Adams said.

The fitness court base is a concrete pad with a connecting wall that features different equipment allowing users to work different muscles. The court is separated into seven different sections including: core, squat, push, pull, lunge, agility and bend.

Some of the different exercises possible on the fitness court include: mountain climbers, pushups, lunges at the lunge station, pullups, burpees and different core exercises.

“The fitness court is a wonderful example of partnerships across the public and private sectors to help break down barriers to accessible community programming,” Adams said. “Living a healthy lifestyle and taking preventative measures can help reduce the risk of developing chronic yet preventable diseases.”

“By practicing healthy habits through regular exercise on the fitness court with body weight training, individuals could significantly lower their risk of developing these diseases,” Adams said. “A body weight workout enhances coordination, balance and mobility in particular. We encourage everyone to walk, jog and cycle to our new fitness court and spend a little more time outside every day.”

“We know that when your physical health is better, your mental health is also better,” Henry County Board of Supervisors Iriswood District Representative Garrett Dillard said. “When you become a healthier community, that impacts your work, your school, your daily life.”

“We need to do better in Henry County,” Dillard said.

Henry County ranks 119 out of 133 counties in Virginia in terms of health outcomes, the county life expectancy is almost five years less than the state average, 42% of the population is considered obese and 26% of the county population reports having access to exercise opportunities, Dillard said.

“The key word there is opportunity,” he added. “Yes, we have a fair share of problems, but we also have an opportunity to solve them if we work together.”

“By partnering with Aetna, the National Fitness Campaign … the county is now able to offer free, accessible and high-quality fitness equipment for people of all ages and abilities,” Dillard said. “The fitness court is designed to bring the benefits of exercise to everyone, regardless of fitness level, and its right here in our community.”

Along with the fitness court, users can download the free Fitness Court App which provides a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gym with a digitally supported wellness experience.

The Martinsville-Henry County YMCA also plans to hold classes on the fitness court in the future.

“This is sure to be the first of many initiatives that will encourage healthy habits in our community,” Dillard said. “I encourage everyone to take full advantage of this incredible resource as we work together to improve the health and quality of life for everyone in our community.”

Fitness

AI-Driven Fitness Applications

Published

18 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Ginkgo Health is preparing to launch its groundbreaking AI-driven fitness application — Ginkgo Active. Designed to deliver tailored exercise plans for managing and preventing chronic conditions, the app uses advanced algorithms to process extensive health data and create individualized prescriptions, targeting balance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness. Set to be available in December, Ginkgo Health’s tool bridges the gap between exercise research and practical implementation. This move addresses a critical need for accessible, preventive healthcare solutions.

By providing dynamic adjustments based on user feedback, Ginkgo Active offers flexibility to accommodate changing needs, such as limited equipment or fluctuating energy levels. Its commitment to personalization ensures each plan evolves with the user’s progress. The app’s gamified design further fosters engagement by turning habit formation into an enjoyable experience.

Image Credit: Ginkgo Health