If you’re the proud new owner of a Peloton bike, you likely want to get started immediately! But is it necessarily safe to start riding your bike several times a week? Should you ride Peloton everyday?
Many people ride Peloton everyday, but it’s not always safe or recommended, depending on how long you ride for. Overriding or overtraining on your Peloton bike may cause health problems or even injuries, disrupting your fitness journey.
Key Takeaways
- Riding Peloton everyday can be beneficial for some people, but it may also pose some risks of overtraining.
- Beginners should start with 3-4 riding days per week and gradually increase their frequency and intensity as they get used to Peloton classes.
- Rest days are important for recovery and preventing injuries. Listen to your body and adjust your pace and duration accordingly.
- You should also vary your cardio exercise with other activities such as walking, jogging, strength training, or yoga.
- Consult your doctor before starting a Peloton routine if you have any health concerns or are generally not very active.
How Often Should I Use My Peloton Bike?
If you’re just getting started with your Peloton bike, start with 3-4 riding days per week. While you get used to Peloton classes and free riding, make sure you take a rest day or two.
Starting slow will give you a chance to adjust and slowly build your fitness profile. If you have never ridden a Peloton interactive bike before, it can seem quite overwhelming!
It’s healthy to try and ride your Peloton around 5-6 days per week once you’re better adjusted. You should ideally try and get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day, too.
Getting this exercise in with a Peloton is easy. Your Peloton bike tracks your calories, and you can build workout plans. In time, you can even ride on “Power Zone” mode to really push your fitness!
We recommend getting off the bike occasionally to get your 30 minutes of exercise a day. Otherwise, certain muscles may get fatigued, and you may be at risk of injury.
Why not vary your cardio exercise by taking jogs or runs? Or, if you want to tone specific muscles, try strength training when you’re not riding.
You could, in theory, use your Peloton bike every day if you vary the intensity and length of your sessions. For example, you may use it for ten minutes on one day and for 30 minutes on the next three. However, taking a rest day is healthy and safe. Otherwise, you run the risk of overtraining.
If you’re unsure if you’re using your Peloton bike too much, listen to your body! While some pain and fatigue are expected, it’s time to step back if you’re struggling to pedal.
If you’re really worried, always ask a doctor before you start riding. This applies to riding a Peloton bike, strength training and running alike!
We recommend asking a doctor and/or personal trainer for advice if you’re generally not very active. Going from a sedentary lifestyle to a highly active Peloton routine may cause more harm than good.
Ultimately, the ideal amount of time for you to use a Peloton bike each week depends on your needs and fitness profile. Follow the Peloton rides recommended by class instructors and see what other riders recommend, too!
What Are the Risks of Overusing My Peloton Bike?
While most people find stationary biking a low impact exercise, it’s not completely without risk. Depending on your fitness level and the intensity of your workouts, your peloton rides could eventually end up doing more harm than good, if you over train. Risks of overusing your Peloton bike include causing exhaustion, overworking your muscles, and even decreasing your stamina.
Peloton “overuse” will vary from person to person. After all, a previously sedentary rider in their 70s will have a lower threshold than an active rider in their 20s!
If you experience a lot of pain or get tired very quickly on rides, it’s time to stop and slow down. Talk to your doctor, and consider adjusting how hard or frequently you ride.
Let’s look at overuse risks in a little more detail.
Exhaustion
Your body can only do so much! Consider your stamina levels and your resting heart rate. Are you taking the time to warm up and cool down properly?
Exhaustion is more than simply feeling tired. It’s a complete physical breakdown. That means you may not be able to ride again for a while. In extreme cases, you may find it hard to perform everyday tasks!
Exercising solidly on a stationary bike without a rest day may result in exhaustion that can offset your Peloton schedule by a few weeks or more.
However, there are ways you can adapt. Consider doing high-intensity workouts sparingly if you want to ride in Peloton classes every day. Again, listen to your body and learn to understand your limits. If you feel ready to stop, then stop.
Muscle Fatigue
As you’d expect through all intensive exercise, muscles can strain and get tired if overused. Peloton uses glutes, calves, hamstrings, and hips – and that’s only for starters.
If overused, you can experience soreness and pain no matter how much you warm up and stretch. Carefully planning out your rest days can help your body recover and ensure your muscles retain and build strength.
Rest days for your muscles don’t mean you have to sit down the whole time. Consider keeping your muscles supple and ready for more rides by taking short walks and stretching often.
Lack of Sleep
Fatigue and exhaustion will lead to poor sleep quality and a lack of restful sleep. You need both for healthy metabolism and concentration levels.
It’s a common misconception that sleep is time wasted when you could be training!
Thankfully, fitness and activity watches (such as Fitbit and Apple devices) can help you track sleep and calories burned.
The better sleep you get, the fresher you’ll feel to take on more Peloton challenges.
Lower Stamina
If you overwork yourself, you’ll get tired quickly and won’t be able to endure more intensive exercise. Do this too often, and you may find it hard to return to your old pace.
As with getting enough sleep, always give yourself time to rest and relax. Again, this doesn’t have to mean becoming sedentary. You can stay on your feet, but don’t push your body too hard.
Weight Fluctuation
Overtraining can lead to wild results in terms of weight loss and gain. This may be due to a decrease in testosterone, which can lead to a drop in muscle mass.
There’s also some discussion over whether or not cortisol, the stress hormone, can cause weight gain through overtraining. Studies suggest this might not be the case.
Lower Strength
Muscle injuries and fatigue can lead to strength problems. This is simply because overtraining can damage your body to the point of weakening it!
To maintain or build strength, consider cutting back on how far or intense you ride your bike. Going too hard too quickly may undo all the progress you make!
Risk of Injury
A weaker body is more likely to fail or get injured. That’s regardless of how much you warm up and cool down!
It’s important to rest simply to keep your body upright and healthy. It’s a misconception that working hard and often produces the best results.
Poor Concentration
Sleep problems lead to poor concentration, impairing your judgment while riding. Overtraining can lead to pain threshold issues, too – which can harm concentration further.
For your own safety, it’s best to listen to your body so you can stay alert while riding.
How Can I Recover From Overtraining on Peloton?
If you’re worried you might be overtraining on your Peloton, you can start your recovery simply by slowing down your pace. Here are a few ideas you might want to try over a few weeks of recovery.
Lower Your Impact & Take Your Time
Don’t rush getting “good” at Peloton – there’s zero pressure. Beginner riders should take 3-4 days a week to get used to classes and the setup. Also, if a Peloton class starts feeling too intense or difficult, always reduce intensity or power levels.
What is your body telling you? Pressing on at the highest level may do more harm than good.
Consider reserving higher power zones for HIIT training or scaling up over an extended period.
Reduce Session Length
Reducing how long you ride for has the same effect as reducing impact. Consider taking multiple rides over an extended period instead of cramming all the pedaling into one session.
Reducing session lengths can help you build up resistance to the exercise. You’ll build strength and will have lots of opportunities to relax and recover.
Try Different Types of Cardio
Ease yourself back into exercise with walking, stairs, and gentle cardio. Gentle weights, too, are ideal for building back up when you feel strong enough.
It’s always healthy to alternate riding Peloton bikes with upper strength training. You’re getting a more “all-over” workout, and you’re never working the same muscles too hard.
Swap in Some Yoga
Yoga is amazing for building strength and flexibility! You can start slowly, and best of all, there are tons of yoga classes built into Peloton. Consider swapping in the bike if you want to lose weight but are overtrained.
What’s more, over 75% of people who try yoga report a noticeable improvement in strength. It’s great for aiding recovery from cycling and can help boost weight loss all the same.
Check out this video for a few strength-building exercises to get you started.
Using Peloton Interactive Every Day? Some Tips That Might Help
For many people, riding Peloton every day can be healthy, but making the most of your exercise can get difficult! If you want to make the most of your Peloton subscription (and your doctor agrees you can), here are some tips to help.
Plan Your Schedule Carefully
Decide when you’re going to ride and try to stick to it. Try to set a small minimum goal if you have a busy lifestyle. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment, and try to overdo your exercise to make up for it.
To start with:
- Try cycling 3-4 times a week.
- Work up to an everyday target if your fitness level allows for it.
- Remember, there’s nothing wrong with occasional off days!
Don’t Expect Miracles Right Away
Keep an open mind when you start cycling for the first time. Never push yourself for an hour everyday just because you’re desperate for results! This will lead to more negatives than positives.
As mentioned, that can include muscle soreness, fatigue, and even injury.
Be kind to yourself. Keeping a healthy competition between friends on Peloton is great, but over-competing might cause serious harm. Care for your mind and soul as much as your body.
Adopt a Healthy Mindset
Understand your limits, and focus on diet and other types of exercise as well as Peloton. Do some research and carefully plan around your mind and body. Consult a doctor before riding if you’re worried, and even consider seeing a nutritionist if you struggle with diet.
Eating healthily can help you feel better on the inside. That means you’ll feel more refreshed and better prepared for exercise from day to day. Many PTs recommend focusing on diet first before starting exercise.
You should also be mindful of fatigue and take steps to prevent injury. Don’t ever force yourself to over-train because you miss a session on your Peloton bike. Plan a rest day wherever possible, and never train if you’re injured.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve found our guide to using Peloton everyday helpful! Unfortunately, there’s no straight answer regarding whether you can (or should) ride everyday.
We’re all different in that regard. We all have varying fitness levels and limits, and even Peloton experts take rest days. Your schedule, too, may affect when you can physically get back on your Peloton bike.
That’s why it’s healthy to keep an open mind. Can you spare some time to ride each day? If not, can you exercise elsewhere? Even if you answer ‘no’ to all of these questions, just do your best.
Are you and your Peloton buddies setting up a competition for the year ahead? Be sure to share this article around. Don’t forget to drop us a tip or two of your own in the comments, too.