This morning, Peloton announced its plans to launch three major beta projects. These will launch in the coming weeks and Peloton will collect feedback to decide whether to make any of them available to the entire Peloton community.
These betas include a standalone Peloton strength app (called Peloton Strength+), “gaming-inspired workouts” for Peloton bikes (where you have an avatar that cycles through a virtual environment), and “Personalized Plans,” where Peloton uses AI to create a customized weekly workout plan for you. Below, we’ll give an overview of each of these plans.
Peloton notes that “these beta tests will be limited to a small subset of testers in the U.S.” and will include both existing Peloton members and people who are not currently Peloton members. These will launch in the “coming days and weeks,” but may not all at the same time. Not every member will have access to it in the beta, and the number of testers will be limited.
As a reminder, Peloton created the Field Testing Community so people can sign up for beta testing on Peloton, and many of these tests will likely be offered to the people who signed up there.
Peloton Strength+ App
The Peloton Strength+ app is intended to be a completely standalone app, separate from the existing Peloton app, and is “designed for those who want to get more involved in strength training at the gym.”
The trainers will be seen in a gym, not in Peloton Studios in New York or London. Peloton Strength+ offers “trainer-led workout programs in a gym setting, paired with audio guidance and expert coaching, as well as a custom workout generator that creates a plan based on equipment access, focus areas, available time, and more.”
It is currently unknown whether the Strength+ app will be part of existing Peloton memberships or require an additional fee.
Peloton Gaming Inspired Workouts / Peloton Virtual Workout
The next beta Peloton is releasing is for Peloton Bike & Bike+ only and is a virtual cycling game. This game is intended to be “an immersive, gaming-inspired cycling experience designed to encourage social engagement.” It will feature a video game-style environment where you have an avatar that moves around while you ride a bike. As Peloton says, this will be a “virtual training environment, including a personalized avatar that rides through simulated landscapes either alone or with other virtual riders.”
Although the description might sound similar to Lanebreak, the video game already available on Platform, we imagine it will be more complex. This game could go in many directions.
One possibility is that the new game/experience will be a Peloton competitor to Zwift. In Zwift, you choose one of several worlds and then ride a bike avatar through streets or trails in that environment. Literally a “virtual training environment.” In addition, Zwift allows you to race and ride with friends or anyone who happens to be online. This is a feature that Peloton members have been requesting for some time, especially those who want to add variety to their workouts.
Peloton is also rumored to be experimenting with a world exploration game, similar to some versions of Mario. Instead of simply pedaling to move in a straight line along a track (like Lanebreak), you could potentially move your character around a map and the world like you can in a Mario-style game.
Unlike Lanebreak, which currently has no real-time component, this new game lets you race alongside your friends, as it says you can play “alone or with other virtual drivers.”
We will share more details about the game’s gameplay and style as they become available.
Personalized Plans by Peloton / Personal Training Plans by Peloton
Finally, Peloton is introducing “Personalized Plans.” Peloton will use AI to create a series of weekly workouts for Peloton members. In Peloton’s words, “The plans will combine expertly designed personal training and machine learning to create a weekly series of class recommendations. We take into account a person’s individual fitness habits, preferences and tastes and suggest a detailed plan of Peloton classes that support each person’s unique needs.”
First, members can choose between the Get Stronger and Support Weight Goals goals. When you decide which classes you want to take that week, you can take one of the suggested classes or swap it out for a similar workout you might want to take instead.
You can see your suggested workout plan in the Peloton app or on your hardware devices like the Peloton Bike, Bike+, Tread, Tread+, and Row. There’s no mention of the Peloton Guide – but that device has had a weekly workout plan feature for some time. Peloton hasn’t explicitly said whether the new personalized plans being introduced today simply take that feature from the Guide and bring it to other devices, or if it’s a new feature and logic built from the ground up.
From the brief description we’ve shared so far, it seems to be quite similar to the Guide feature. The Weekly Workout Plan Guide described itself at launch as “a balanced series of classes every Monday with a personalized plan to help you get stronger. Programmed by our experts and tailored to your preferences.”
As described above, one of the two goals you can set is “Support weight goals.” This could be Peloton’s first step toward their nutrition and wellness offerings, which we cover more about here, including quotes from Peloton.
We also reported earlier this year that Peloton announced virtual coaching – and this appears to be the first attempt in this area.
Peloton notes that feedback is being collected for all three betas to refine and optimize the betas so that the “final versions (if released) provide maximum value and satisfaction.” As we’ve seen with previous betas, such as the Ergatta video games on Peloton Row, not everything will make it from beta to full release as Peloton has ended beta testing and removed the Ergatta games.
We’ll share more information as it becomes available. And as always, if you have information you’d like to share, please feel free to reach out to us through our contact form, our anonymous tip page, or through any of our social media channels.
What do you think about these beta announcements?
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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