Peloton CEO John Foley kicked off the company’s 2021 Homecoming celebration with a keynote presentation announcing some exciting new features and other news. This includes revamped programs, a Strive Score improved scenic rides, and the long-debated pause button.
Peloton Homecoming 2021: keynote presentation
The connected fitness company’s Homecoming celebration commenced with a keynote presentation from Peloton CEO John Foley. During the 15-minute video, Foley recapped the year, new trainers, and the efforts the company continues to make in battling racism and discrimination in this world. Here are some of the biggest updates to note.
The pause button
While this was not the first announcement made by Foley today, we wanted to put it at the top of our list, as it’s quite a noteworthy change.
After years of debate and conversations about whether Peloton should or should not implement a pause feature, the fitness behemoth has done just that. Foley explains that later this year, Peloton members will be able to pause on-demand classes at their discretion.
Additionally, the Peloton CEO reassured Homecoming viewers that the team was working on ways to maintain the integrity and competitiveness of the leaderboard, despite the upcoming pause feature. Stay tuned for updates on that as the company moves closer to a pause button launch.
Programs 2.0
Beginning this Homecoming weekend, Peloton has announced a complete revamp of its Programs structure. Programs are a collection of classes designed by instructors to help members reach a specific goal.
Programs 2.0 promises to provide members with a more structured routine. Furthermore, they have been more developed to help members find the perfect program based on the instructor, duration, and number of classes to take. Peloton elaborates:
We’ve also added a progress bar that allows you to track your status throughout the entire Program. Because classes in each Program are intended to be taken in a specific order, every class you complete will allow you to unlock the next one. You’ll also have the option to skip classes. Earn achievement badges as you complete classes — but not if you skip!
Another cool feature of Programs 2.0 is that the offered classes are exclusive to a given program, meaning you won’t be able to experience them anywhere else. This offers a more personal and mapped-out fitness routine for members moving forward toward their fitness goals.
Strive Score
Another new feature being introduced is the Strive Score. This personal, non-competitive score is measured by your heart rate. Peloton explains:
Strive Score measures how much time you spend in each heart rate zone to track how hard you’re working in every workout — from the Bike, to the Tread, to the floor. The goal is to give you an easy way to compare your performance across workouts, including those that don’t have power-based output from a connected device, like strength, HIIT and bootcamp classes.
After using this new feature for a while, you’ll be able to see your “Typical Strive” for the type of workout you’ve selected, which is calculated based on Strive Scores from your previous classes of similar type and length.
Strive Score is available to all-access members starting this weekend during Peloton Homecoming, and will be available to digital subscribers later this year.
Refreshed scenic rides and runs
This week, Peloton members noticed a disclaimer on the app stating “scenic rides and runs will no longer be available starting April 30, 2021.” This led many to speculate that new scenic routes might be on the way.
Peloton’s CEO confirmed that a full scenic refresh had already been filmed, and will begin showing up this weekend. Not only have they added new vistas for you to experience from your Bike, Bike+, Tread, or Tread+, but Peloton has also introduced various approaches to the scenic content to fit your need.
- Distance content – Ride through the stunning scenery of Hawaii and Big Sur or run through New Mexico until you hit the distance target – with responsive video, curated playlists, and new locations to keep you coming back.
- Guided Tours – Run or ride with trainers Adrian Williams, Matt Wilpers, Selena Samuela, and Denis Morton if you’d prefer a bit of motivation from some familiar faces as you take in the beauty of Savannah, Hawaii, New Mexico, Big Sur, and more.
- Time-based content – Perfect for warm-ups, cool-downs, active recovery, and anything in between. Plus, music playlists are refreshed daily to keep you coming back.
Other news from Peloton Homecoming
In recapping the previous Peloton year to kick off Homecoming, Foley mentioned the company’s multi-year deal with Beyoncé. He then followed up by saying there’s more exciting news surrounding Beyoncé to come soon.
We don’t know what this hint entails exactly, but we will keep an ear to the ground for any upcoming Beyoncé rumors and news pertaining to Peloton for you.
Lastly, and surprisingly or not, there was no mention of any new equipment from Peloton during this year’s Homecoming keynote. Foley has previously mentioned Peloton entering and dominating the strength category for connected fitness, so we thought there was a chance this might be the time to introduce a smart gym. However that was not the case.
Furthermore, rumors have grown the past year about Peloton potentially developing its own rower. Again, no news on that front, so we will have to continue to wait and see if a Peloton rower ever comes to fruition.
For now, enjoy the rest of the Peloton Homecoming festivities this weekend.
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