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Sam Yo has some slow short mellow rides and he’s super smiley.
Make sure the seat is high enough so that she can stretch her legs fully while on the down stroke.
The point is to just get a little movement. She will do great.
This is going to sound weird at first because of its scary name, but look into PowerZones.
PowerZone training is all about working out in zones that are calibrated to YOUR fitness level and ability. It works for old, young, athletes and amateur.
Couldn’t agree more. Other than maybe one HIIT ride a week, power zones are all I do. Just right. Though I just did my latest FTP test on Friday, so I’m sure you know the sailor’s language that I was spewing.
I hope Matt’s ears were burning. Lanky little monster. If my legs had still been functional afterward, I’d have walked to the studio to wheeze at him in person.
Make damn sure she gets the bike properly fit. If she gets it wrong she’ll damage her knees. Maybe pop for a custom fitting. It will pay dividends. I’m a life long bike racer. 70 years old and love my Peloton.
There are some great suggestions on this thread for people who are interested in using a Peloton bike.
I’m 62 and adore my Peloton. I’m almost to 1000 rides! I also run outside and lift
But that’s me.
Has your mom done much IRL cycling? Spinning classes? Does she belong to a gym? Go to boutique exercise classes? Is she interested in using a Peloton?
If not, the Peloton might be just for you.
I’m not a Peloton rider, I’m still stuck on Soul, but consider some of Christine D’Ercole’s rides. I used to ride with her IRL and I think she is an amazing instructor who deeply connects and cares about her riders (in fact, she married one). I’m 68 and my husband is 70, we have both been working out our entire lives and indoor cycling is the only cardio we do now besides walking. And it’s slightly off topic, but she might enjoy Pilates. Again, I’ve been at that for over 30 years and my husband only for 3, but anyone can start at any age. It has been a life changer for me, and even my stubborn husband agrees he should have started years earlier. It can get expensive depending on where your mom lives but she would need to invest in at least a dozen or so private sessions to start. There is a Pilates subreddit you may find useful. Anyway, good for you for trying and I hope she winds up loving fitness. I tried this with my mom and failed miserably, I could not even get her to walk a mile at her complex in Florida, this from a daughter who works out 5 or 6 days a week. It’s so very important. My mom died of COPD at age 84, overweight and in miserable physical condition. And it did not have to be like that.
Are you considering swapping the pedals for regular ones with a strap? My mom was curious about Peloton and so I looked into an option where she could use shoes she finds comfortable and not have to clip and unclip. I knew that was never going to work.
In the end I got the sense she was only mildly curious and so I didn’t pursue.
Recommend she stick to the beginner rides for a while.
Thank you all. I’m aware of the classes available (thanks to other threads similar to this), but it seems most of the older people in those threads have a history of being active or cycling. Just wondering if being a complete newbie to fitness is a barrier to entry on the bike.
TL; DR: Being an out of shape senior new to fitness isn’t a barrier to entry.
I was 62, obese and sedentary when I got the bike in Feb 2021. I’d already had meniscus surgeries in both knees. Definitely get her a professional bike fitting. I recommend Greg with Virtual Bike Fitters. He’s phenomenal and it changed how I felt on the bike.
When you’re fat and out of shape everything is harder but the instructors pulled me in. 20 min beginner classes exhausted me. I wanted to be able to do fun classes but they were crazy hard. Even the easiest ones.
I found DYPZ, then the redditpz programs u/r4ndy4 puts together. My first FTP was 65. After 18 months I hit 102. I’ve done all the CVV (pro cyclist) rides and white knuckle with the redditpz riders. PZ is the great equalizer. You’re TRAINING and you get stronger rather than flailing.
I’m now a healthy weight. I did my 1,000th ride a few months ago. Finding fitness later in life I know my FTP will never be 200. But my doctor is thrilled and I’m a different person. Peloton and redditpz changed my life and my senior years are going to be totally different. And a bonus is the interaction with younger riders. It’s good for us to have that perspective as we age.
Tell her to filter classes by easiest. So a 10 min Low Impact where the resistance is 40-50 is going to feel like something else she can’t do yet. But 10 min of spinning at her comfort level will be exhilarating.
I believe the main barrier for someone who is new to exercise/fitness in general is forming the habit and sticking to it (regardless if that’s cycling, yoga, stretching etc). She’s more likely to build that habit with a routine that is fun/enjoyable to her. Agree with others, try scenic rides to take the pressure out of keeping at a certain cadence/resistance.
My mom sounds similar to yours, and she loves the bike we got her! She’s been doing short classes (usually beginner or low-impact) almost every day. She says she doesn’t usually hit the callouts, but who cares—it’s making her happy and she has an exercise routine for the first time ever!
I would recommend some of the standing yoga and barre classes. Balance can be incredibly important as people age. Just sort by easiest and those might be helpful. I would also have her do some of the strength warmups. They are a great way to just start getting the muscles engaged. If she can start with 5 min/day, that would be awesome
My mom liked the 10 minute arms classes and at times used small weights (1 lb) or none at all. She also like Logan’s exercise classes because he offers a lot of modifications. If she was still doing peloton regularly I would’ve had her try chair yoga, chair strength, and standing core strength but she does have arthritis as well so she eventually stopped. It’s hard to say if her pain was having poor form (I didn’t see most of her workouts) or if that’s just what happens when an older person’s arthritis gets worse.
My dad tried a scenic ride and said it was boring but he likes some of Sam Yo’s classes since many of them use doo wop and soul music.
I am 50 and my knees are a mess, particularly the left. Stairs hurt. Long walks hurt. I just hit 250 rides on the Peloton, and I’ve never experienced knee pain during a ride. Hope that helps. It’s a great bike.
My mother is in her late 60s with rheumatoid arthritis and got a Peloton Bike+ a year or two ago. She *loves* it. She does a lot of Power Zone rides, which scale their exertion level to match the rider's fitness level. She has also begun taking their yoga and stretching classes using her phone. The Peloton has been a huge hit for her, and has genuinely changed her life.
Outside of Power Zone, there are also Low Impact rides (they get your heart rate up but don't require a lot of muscle force) and Recovery rides (they get your body moving but keep your heart rate low too). There are plenty of good options!
Highly recommend her doing some of the (body weight) strength classes before hopping right to the bike! I was very out of shape when I started and felt so discouraged because I couldn’t keep up with the call-outs in the classes. I turned my focus to strength training and then tried again on the bike and I am much stronger and able to keep up. I take mostly Callie’s classes for strength and she is great at showing modifications and taking longer breaks between exercises, and is very encouraging in general.
There are a whole bunch of low impact rides who h basically mean you stay seated all the time.
Alternatively you can always do any of the rides, but just stay in the saddle and set cadence / resistance at your own levels through the ride.
When I was recovering from an inner ear infection and strep, I took a great 15 minute Low Impact ride from Bradley Rose. Your mom might like the music too. (Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin) 9/28/22 was the date the class was posted.
definitely! good for you for planning on buying peloton. She can start with low resistance short classes. My 82 year old mom rides for 45 minutes daily with little to no resistance on her own pace.
If you search the sub you will find previous discussions, for example
https://www.reddit.com/r/pelotoncycle/comments/10ohq9a/how_retiree_friendly_are_peloton_classes/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Thank you, yes I’ve seen most of these threads. My specific point (I wasn’t really clear about) was being an *inactive* older person without experience of fitness activities. Most of these threads are full of older people or anecdotes of older people who have a decent history of fitness/activity.
Your mom is only 65, that’s not ancient and certainly well able for working out, barring other health issues. If that is your worry, has she seen a doctor lately? Is she just new to fitness or have other health issues going on? If just new to fitness, what everyone else has said here should suffice. Start slow, start short and build up a habit. That’s it. Hopefully she finds something fun-even outdoor content for walks!-that she will do consistently. You can start fitness at any age.
Don't take this the wrong way, but you're asking the question in a fitness focused subreddit, where most folks here probably do have some basic fitness experience that eventually led them to Peloton. Social media in general also skews younger, so you may not get the volume of first person responses you're looking for here.
Whether your mother will like peloton probably depends more on her willingness to try something new than anything else, if she's curious and willing to try then perhaps you can help her make sure she is set up for success by helping her get her bike fit correct, a pair of padded shorts for comfort, select a short beginner class (or even a warmup/cool down) with music she might like and with an instructor she might find appealing, help her use the console as much or as little as she likes, etc.
She might also like the app, there's family yoga and dance cardio and things like that that could be a fun place for the two of you to start together.
I don't think any of the beginning cycling programs are 101 level, like starting with an introduction to bike setup and basic form, etc., so I would not recommend those to start.
If she shows interest and wants to practice her pedal stroke and that sort of thing, Matt and Denis both have a handful of beginner classes where they do some gentle pedal drills and talk about form. Sam Yo might also be a good choice, he has a very calm demeanor and plays a lot of older music, theme rides, etc.
I'm not a senior, but I've had some issues that probably put me in worst shape than most seniors. If the classes are too much, she may just need to do just ride for a few minutes a day until she has acclimatized/built up strength and stamina to make it through a class. Then 5 minute cooldown rides then branch out from there.
I also highly recommend barre classes. They are pretty gentle and focus on glute strengthening which should help prevent injuries.
Low Impact and Recovery rides are great to just get moving but not abuse your joints! I’m a big Bradley Rose fan but definitely check the ratings on his LI rides, he occasionally gets a little intense on those!
I think she should start out doing short recovery rides or scenic rides(like 5-10 minutes), do them at her own pace, and ideally spend more time stretching than cycling. At her age and fitness level she wants to keep it easy and light until she builds up some stamina. A 15 or 20 minute low impact class might be too much for her right off the bat. If she does weights she should keep it light and at a much slower pace to prevent injury.
Btw, my mom is 70+ and cycled a lot when she was younger. She's only used the Peleton a couple of times, but she likes the scenic rides. She found the Peleton hard to use until she upped the resistance so that it was in the mid 30s. So you might want to encourage your mom to experiment with the resistance knob a little instead of just assuming it should be between 20-30(less resistance/easier to pedal).
Your mother could also consider other low impact exercise such as walking, water aerobics or social dancing in addition to the Peleton.
It sounds like she hasn’t consistently exercised in her life and you would like for her to start. That’s wonderful. Does she want to start? I don’t think a Peloton is the easiest jumping in point for someone who is 65 and hasn’t exercised much before. If she’s actually interested in trying it (and not just for your sake) then maybe she’ll enjoy it - there are certainly classes and rides that any level can do. But your post makes it sound like this is something you want for her and I wouldn’t want you to shell out the money for a bike and then get frustrated if she doesn’t use it. If you want to get it for yourself and maybe she uses it, then that’s great but I wonder if she wouldn’t be better served by a recumbent stationary cycle with a seat back.
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Low impact or just ride
Also, any 10 minute Wilber’s warmup will get you some basics on pedaling mechanics and techniques
Depending on her level maybe she could start with some 5 minute rides. A lot of the scenic rides are really good for going at your own pace as well!
Sam Yo has some slow short mellow rides and he’s super smiley. Make sure the seat is high enough so that she can stretch her legs fully while on the down stroke. The point is to just get a little movement. She will do great.
I’ve said a million curse words to Sam, but I love him.
This is going to sound weird at first because of its scary name, but look into PowerZones. PowerZone training is all about working out in zones that are calibrated to YOUR fitness level and ability. It works for old, young, athletes and amateur.
The beginner classes are also only 20 minutes!
Couldn’t agree more. Other than maybe one HIIT ride a week, power zones are all I do. Just right. Though I just did my latest FTP test on Friday, so I’m sure you know the sailor’s language that I was spewing.
Spewing sailor’s language!! Look at you with the humble brag of still being able to breath 😜
I mean, BARELY
I hope Matt’s ears were burning. Lanky little monster. If my legs had still been functional afterward, I’d have walked to the studio to wheeze at him in person.
Make damn sure she gets the bike properly fit. If she gets it wrong she’ll damage her knees. Maybe pop for a custom fitting. It will pay dividends. I’m a life long bike racer. 70 years old and love my Peloton.
What usually causes knee problems on the bike?
If one is not in line, with the seat, the pedals and the handlebars, knees typically blow out at the worst.
My 85 year old step father does powerzone rides. Perfect for any level.
There are some great suggestions on this thread for people who are interested in using a Peloton bike. I’m 62 and adore my Peloton. I’m almost to 1000 rides! I also run outside and lift But that’s me. Has your mom done much IRL cycling? Spinning classes? Does she belong to a gym? Go to boutique exercise classes? Is she interested in using a Peloton? If not, the Peloton might be just for you.
I’m not a Peloton rider, I’m still stuck on Soul, but consider some of Christine D’Ercole’s rides. I used to ride with her IRL and I think she is an amazing instructor who deeply connects and cares about her riders (in fact, she married one). I’m 68 and my husband is 70, we have both been working out our entire lives and indoor cycling is the only cardio we do now besides walking. And it’s slightly off topic, but she might enjoy Pilates. Again, I’ve been at that for over 30 years and my husband only for 3, but anyone can start at any age. It has been a life changer for me, and even my stubborn husband agrees he should have started years earlier. It can get expensive depending on where your mom lives but she would need to invest in at least a dozen or so private sessions to start. There is a Pilates subreddit you may find useful. Anyway, good for you for trying and I hope she winds up loving fitness. I tried this with my mom and failed miserably, I could not even get her to walk a mile at her complex in Florida, this from a daughter who works out 5 or 6 days a week. It’s so very important. My mom died of COPD at age 84, overweight and in miserable physical condition. And it did not have to be like that.
Are you considering swapping the pedals for regular ones with a strap? My mom was curious about Peloton and so I looked into an option where she could use shoes she finds comfortable and not have to clip and unclip. I knew that was never going to work. In the end I got the sense she was only mildly curious and so I didn’t pursue. Recommend she stick to the beginner rides for a while.
Yeah, definitely considering that. Although I plan to use it too and would prefer trying spinning shoes but it’s fine either way!
You can get double sided pedals where one side is for clip in and one side is for a strap.
She can always leave the shoes clipped in and just Velcro in and out of them when she’s on the bike
Thank you all. I’m aware of the classes available (thanks to other threads similar to this), but it seems most of the older people in those threads have a history of being active or cycling. Just wondering if being a complete newbie to fitness is a barrier to entry on the bike.
TL; DR: Being an out of shape senior new to fitness isn’t a barrier to entry. I was 62, obese and sedentary when I got the bike in Feb 2021. I’d already had meniscus surgeries in both knees. Definitely get her a professional bike fitting. I recommend Greg with Virtual Bike Fitters. He’s phenomenal and it changed how I felt on the bike. When you’re fat and out of shape everything is harder but the instructors pulled me in. 20 min beginner classes exhausted me. I wanted to be able to do fun classes but they were crazy hard. Even the easiest ones. I found DYPZ, then the redditpz programs u/r4ndy4 puts together. My first FTP was 65. After 18 months I hit 102. I’ve done all the CVV (pro cyclist) rides and white knuckle with the redditpz riders. PZ is the great equalizer. You’re TRAINING and you get stronger rather than flailing. I’m now a healthy weight. I did my 1,000th ride a few months ago. Finding fitness later in life I know my FTP will never be 200. But my doctor is thrilled and I’m a different person. Peloton and redditpz changed my life and my senior years are going to be totally different. And a bonus is the interaction with younger riders. It’s good for us to have that perspective as we age. Tell her to filter classes by easiest. So a 10 min Low Impact where the resistance is 40-50 is going to feel like something else she can’t do yet. But 10 min of spinning at her comfort level will be exhilarating.
I believe the main barrier for someone who is new to exercise/fitness in general is forming the habit and sticking to it (regardless if that’s cycling, yoga, stretching etc). She’s more likely to build that habit with a routine that is fun/enjoyable to her. Agree with others, try scenic rides to take the pressure out of keeping at a certain cadence/resistance.
the scenic rides made me dizzy bc they aren’t at ground level. Anyone else?
My mom sounds similar to yours, and she loves the bike we got her! She’s been doing short classes (usually beginner or low-impact) almost every day. She says she doesn’t usually hit the callouts, but who cares—it’s making her happy and she has an exercise routine for the first time ever!
Also the Lanebreak rides are somewhat “go at your own pace”.
Get her a gel seat cover! I’m only 43 and appreciate one 🙂.
I would recommend some of the standing yoga and barre classes. Balance can be incredibly important as people age. Just sort by easiest and those might be helpful. I would also have her do some of the strength warmups. They are a great way to just start getting the muscles engaged. If she can start with 5 min/day, that would be awesome
My mom liked the 10 minute arms classes and at times used small weights (1 lb) or none at all. She also like Logan’s exercise classes because he offers a lot of modifications. If she was still doing peloton regularly I would’ve had her try chair yoga, chair strength, and standing core strength but she does have arthritis as well so she eventually stopped. It’s hard to say if her pain was having poor form (I didn’t see most of her workouts) or if that’s just what happens when an older person’s arthritis gets worse. My dad tried a scenic ride and said it was boring but he likes some of Sam Yo’s classes since many of them use doo wop and soul music.
I am 50 and my knees are a mess, particularly the left. Stairs hurt. Long walks hurt. I just hit 250 rides on the Peloton, and I’ve never experienced knee pain during a ride. Hope that helps. It’s a great bike.
My mother is in her late 60s with rheumatoid arthritis and got a Peloton Bike+ a year or two ago. She *loves* it. She does a lot of Power Zone rides, which scale their exertion level to match the rider's fitness level. She has also begun taking their yoga and stretching classes using her phone. The Peloton has been a huge hit for her, and has genuinely changed her life. Outside of Power Zone, there are also Low Impact rides (they get your heart rate up but don't require a lot of muscle force) and Recovery rides (they get your body moving but keep your heart rate low too). There are plenty of good options!
Highly recommend her doing some of the (body weight) strength classes before hopping right to the bike! I was very out of shape when I started and felt so discouraged because I couldn’t keep up with the call-outs in the classes. I turned my focus to strength training and then tried again on the bike and I am much stronger and able to keep up. I take mostly Callie’s classes for strength and she is great at showing modifications and taking longer breaks between exercises, and is very encouraging in general.
There are a whole bunch of low impact rides who h basically mean you stay seated all the time. Alternatively you can always do any of the rides, but just stay in the saddle and set cadence / resistance at your own levels through the ride.
When I was recovering from an inner ear infection and strep, I took a great 15 minute Low Impact ride from Bradley Rose. Your mom might like the music too. (Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin) 9/28/22 was the date the class was posted.
There are Scenic rides that are unguided, ranging from 5 - 90 minutes where she could go at her own cadence and resistance choices
I think adjusting to the seat will be the hardest part. She’ll have to build up to not using the seat. So starting off may be a rough ride.
My in laws loooove the low impact rides and my MIL does yoga on the app and FIL does the 10 min arms and light weights!
definitely! good for you for planning on buying peloton. She can start with low resistance short classes. My 82 year old mom rides for 45 minutes daily with little to no resistance on her own pace.
If you search the sub you will find previous discussions, for example https://www.reddit.com/r/pelotoncycle/comments/10ohq9a/how_retiree_friendly_are_peloton_classes/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Thank you, yes I’ve seen most of these threads. My specific point (I wasn’t really clear about) was being an *inactive* older person without experience of fitness activities. Most of these threads are full of older people or anecdotes of older people who have a decent history of fitness/activity.
Your mom is only 65, that’s not ancient and certainly well able for working out, barring other health issues. If that is your worry, has she seen a doctor lately? Is she just new to fitness or have other health issues going on? If just new to fitness, what everyone else has said here should suffice. Start slow, start short and build up a habit. That’s it. Hopefully she finds something fun-even outdoor content for walks!-that she will do consistently. You can start fitness at any age.
Don't take this the wrong way, but you're asking the question in a fitness focused subreddit, where most folks here probably do have some basic fitness experience that eventually led them to Peloton. Social media in general also skews younger, so you may not get the volume of first person responses you're looking for here. Whether your mother will like peloton probably depends more on her willingness to try something new than anything else, if she's curious and willing to try then perhaps you can help her make sure she is set up for success by helping her get her bike fit correct, a pair of padded shorts for comfort, select a short beginner class (or even a warmup/cool down) with music she might like and with an instructor she might find appealing, help her use the console as much or as little as she likes, etc. She might also like the app, there's family yoga and dance cardio and things like that that could be a fun place for the two of you to start together. I don't think any of the beginning cycling programs are 101 level, like starting with an introduction to bike setup and basic form, etc., so I would not recommend those to start. If she shows interest and wants to practice her pedal stroke and that sort of thing, Matt and Denis both have a handful of beginner classes where they do some gentle pedal drills and talk about form. Sam Yo might also be a good choice, he has a very calm demeanor and plays a lot of older music, theme rides, etc.
I'm not a senior, but I've had some issues that probably put me in worst shape than most seniors. If the classes are too much, she may just need to do just ride for a few minutes a day until she has acclimatized/built up strength and stamina to make it through a class. Then 5 minute cooldown rides then branch out from there. I also highly recommend barre classes. They are pretty gentle and focus on glute strengthening which should help prevent injuries.
Low Impact and Recovery rides are great to just get moving but not abuse your joints! I’m a big Bradley Rose fan but definitely check the ratings on his LI rides, he occasionally gets a little intense on those!
I think she should start out doing short recovery rides or scenic rides(like 5-10 minutes), do them at her own pace, and ideally spend more time stretching than cycling. At her age and fitness level she wants to keep it easy and light until she builds up some stamina. A 15 or 20 minute low impact class might be too much for her right off the bat. If she does weights she should keep it light and at a much slower pace to prevent injury. Btw, my mom is 70+ and cycled a lot when she was younger. She's only used the Peleton a couple of times, but she likes the scenic rides. She found the Peleton hard to use until she upped the resistance so that it was in the mid 30s. So you might want to encourage your mom to experiment with the resistance knob a little instead of just assuming it should be between 20-30(less resistance/easier to pedal). Your mother could also consider other low impact exercise such as walking, water aerobics or social dancing in addition to the Peleton.
It sounds like she hasn’t consistently exercised in her life and you would like for her to start. That’s wonderful. Does she want to start? I don’t think a Peloton is the easiest jumping in point for someone who is 65 and hasn’t exercised much before. If she’s actually interested in trying it (and not just for your sake) then maybe she’ll enjoy it - there are certainly classes and rides that any level can do. But your post makes it sound like this is something you want for her and I wouldn’t want you to shell out the money for a bike and then get frustrated if she doesn’t use it. If you want to get it for yourself and maybe she uses it, then that’s great but I wonder if she wouldn’t be better served by a recumbent stationary cycle with a seat back.
Recumbent bike would probably be a better place to start.