鈥淲hat鈥檚 up, hustlers! I鈥檓 Robin, this is DJ John Michael, and welcome to this 45-minute live DJ ride!鈥�

Robin Arzon is already pumping her legs on the stationary bike, facing the class dead-on while John Michael bobs in place next to her, queuing up music. 鈥淲e are gonna bring you so many good vibes, and if you are joining us for the first time, wow-wow, welcome.鈥� Arzon looks and sounds thrilled that you鈥檙e here, talking fast and beaming while she launches into rapid-fire instruction. She runs you through the three most important metrics of the spin class鈥攃adence, resistance, and output鈥攏ever losing breath or rhythm.

Her class, however, is happening on a screen, and the participants are strapped in and ready to ride in their own living rooms. This is , a six-year-old company valued at $1.25 billion that provides virtual cycling classes and has developed a cultlike following, seemingly able to get just about anyone on board after their first ride. Its customer base covers a huge range of ages and athletic levels, and nearly all reviews, ratings, articles, and anecdotes about the experience are .

Arzon鈥檚 class is one of more than 8,500 videos available through the program. Peloton streams about a dozen live classes every day and stores previous classes in an on-demand library for anyone who missed them. To access the classes, though, you have to be a member of this exclusive community, meaning you own the brand鈥檚 proprietary $1,995 and pay a $40 monthly subscription fee. The bike is sturdy and sleek and souped up with a 22-inch HD touchscreen. Today, there are roughly 113,000 bikes (a number that鈥檚 steadily growing) in homes across the United States alone, and each live class brings in an audience of as many as 1,500 riders (out of Peloton鈥檚 1 million鈥損erson user base).

鈥淭he first time I got on the bike, I felt instant camaraderie,鈥� says rider Brooke Bower. 鈥淵ou feel like you have a relationship with the instructor and the other people in the class and then feel some accountability to try harder.鈥�

The company unveiled its first bike in 2013, promising to bring the intensity and devoted following of cycling classes like SoulCycle and Flywheel into the home. Founder John Foley, a former e-commerce executive at Barnes and Noble, created a Kickstarter video that helped him raise just over $300,000 and began generating industry attention. The next year, the company had to scale up its fundraising to create a bike that could be tested by real people and sold to consumers. At the end of that fundraising, Peloton had a few more bikes and its first brick-and-mortar studio, but it was taking way too long to get the bikes into peoples鈥� homes, significantly limiting growth. It wasn鈥檛 until 2015 that things started to take off. Over the course of that year, the company received almost $100 million in total investments, allowing it to speed up bike production and delivery, hire more instructors, expand its software team, create the monthly subscription model, and increase the number of streamed classes available. Today, Peloton claims to sell a bike in every state every day and has opened nearly 30 brick-and-mortar showrooms across the country. The company even livestreamed classes from Pyeongchang during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Part of Peloton鈥檚 popularity stems from its role as a social network. Just like your Facebook or Strava account, you create a username and upload a profile picture. That name is then used to rank you on a leaderboard while you ride, allowing you to compete in real time against everyone else taking the class, no matter their location. The networking doesn鈥檛 end there: Many people follow individuals they regularly identify in their classes and strike up friendships independently through another forum, namely Facebook or Instagram. Although there鈥檚 no formal relationship with Peloton, the two social media platforms have become de facto headquarters for users to socialize and talk shop. Peloton diehards point to this social network creation as proof that you don鈥檛 lose out by spinning in your home rather than at a studio or gym.

Bower and her husband, Drew, are two converts in Fort Worth, Texas, and are representative of the sort of evangelical fervor the classes can inspire. The Bowers estimate that they鈥檙e personally responsible for at least a dozen friends buying bikes. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had our bike for two years, we鈥檝e done over 1,400 rides on it, and we just can鈥檛 get enough, 鈥� Drew says.

What exactly riders can鈥檛 get enough of is another question. Despite many conversations with home riders, I was never able to get a single narrative on what makes Peloton so compelling鈥攖here鈥檚 the camaraderie, the cross-country friendships, the competition, the drive to edge out other riders, the personal improvement, the sense of focus, the customization, the convenience. Nicole Steele, a home rider in Pittsburgh, picked up cycling after reconstructive surgery on her knee and started Peloton as a way to stay active after hearing from a friends who had picked it up as an alternative to running. Steele liked that she could choose from a variety of levels, intensities, and types of classes, from 60-minute cardio rides to ten-minute technique tutorials.

In spite of all the evangelism, there are some serious drawbacks. As Bryan Jarrett, the group fitness director at the massive in New York, points out, it鈥檚 hard to know if you鈥檙e doing something improperly without an instructor giving you live feedback. 鈥淲e train our instructors to not give basic cues like 鈥榖utt back, shoulders relaxed,鈥� that kind of stuff,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e focusing on specific people.鈥�

For Becky Cerroni, the owner of the studio , the simulated group setting isn鈥檛 a substitute for a real crowd. 鈥淗aving a person next to you, you can鈥檛 replace that with a leaderboard.鈥�

Still, the company reports a 96 percent retention rate. Though the initial cost is high (again, the bike runs $1,995, while most at-home stationary bikes are nestled securely in triple digits), you pay just $40 each month for unlimited classes. By comparison, a single SoulCycle class is $34 (or, at best, $28 per class if you buy a 30-pack), and a Flywheel class starts at $30 (or $27 if you buy 20 classes). What鈥檚 more, in June 2018, the company released , which gives users access to content without the hardware.

To maintain quality control, Peloton does almost everything in-house. Using a team of more than 70 engineers, the company has produced its own bikes and screens, as well as the Android-based software. The company has its own delivery mechanism, in many markets delivering bikes in Peloton-branded vans and dispatching employees to set up the bikes and help new customers find the right classes and instructors that suit their tastes. Eliminating middlemen allows Peloton to deliver parts or assistance immediately, contributing to a heralded culture of customer service.

The company pays that same level of attention to what senior vice president Carolyn Tisch Blodgett calls 鈥渂eautiful brand experiences,鈥� largely because Peloton considers itself a lifestyle and content company, not a fitness company. It has created a number of products and events around helping you take Peloton with you off the bike: an online store that sells standard fitness gear like clip-in shoes and heart rate monitors alongside branded swag like tank tops and necklaces; rider events at the New York headquarters; instructor meet and greets at showrooms across the country; and active outreach to users who haven鈥檛 been to a class in a while.

Now Peloton鈥檚 gearing up to grow even bigger. At last year鈥檚 Consumer Electronics Show, it unveiled Tread, a $4,000 treadmill that will stream group classes for running, hiking, and bootcamp-style workouts. Blodgett compares it to Orange Theory or Barry鈥檚 Bootcamp, saying, 鈥淲hen we thought about launching a treadmill-like product, we were pretty specific about not launching a treadmill.鈥� That鈥檚 because treadmills have a bad rap, and most people who buy one end up not using it. Since Peloton is so dependent on subscriptions, the company had to steer clear of the dreadmill model and emulate the HIIT studio workouts that have started to incorporate running.

Why all this success? Walt Thompson, president of the American College of Sports Medicine who oversees an annual survey of fitness trends, blames the economy, often a driving force behind health and wellness trends. According to the ACSM survey, group training in particular has been surging in popularity. 鈥淓ven if I just go back three years in our survey, you didn鈥檛 see group training,鈥� Thompson says. Maybe it鈥檚 a stroke of luck, but Peloton happens to be where it is at the perfect time, as group exercise, wearable tech (and, by extension, obsessing over your personal metrics), and working with credentialed professionals all enjoy unprecedented popularity.

For all the praise, though, there鈥檚 still something about the whole thing that sounds at least mildly dystopian. You can get all the rewards of going outside and training with others, all without ever actually having to put up with the hassle of making it happen or dealing with other people.

So do we lose something when we find one more reason to stay home, even though we鈥檙e digitally right next to hundreds of other people all pedaling to the same Britney Spears song? I asked Mark Eys, a sports psychologist specializing in group dynamics, and to my surprise, the question was more theoretical to him than anything else, pointing out that the biggest hurdle people have for exercising is the perception, real or not, that they don鈥檛 have enough time for it.

鈥淲ould it be better if they鈥檙e out in nature and doing all those things with other people? Sure,鈥� Eys said. 鈥淔rom what I see with physical activity rates and the lack of activity across the population, if it works and gets people active on an ongoing basis, then that鈥檚 great.鈥�

The post Peloton Is Going Big鈥攐r About to Bust appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In the United States, the Winter Olympics suffer from an unfortunate enthusiasm gap compared to its summer cousin. In the 2016 Summer Olympics, NBC suffered from unusually low ratings, with an average of 27.8 million viewers. To put that in perspective, than the 2014 Winter Olympics. But why?

First, there鈥檚 the barrier to entry: On top of snow and ice, the events all require special equipment. Then there鈥檚 the fact that most Americans have never watched these events, let alone tried them. But Phill Drobnick, coach for the U.S. Curling Team, thinks that鈥檚 exactly what makes the Winter Games so special: 鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 have an opportunity to see these types of sports. The Winter Olympics are the only chance to really check them out.鈥�

To help you better appreciate this year鈥檚 Winter Games, we鈥檝e broken down what it takes to train for eight of the most grueling events. While they鈥檙e all difficult, we took into account the physical rigor and mental stamina required to create a rough (maybe kinda subjective) ranking, starting with the easiest (sorry, curlers) and ending with the hardest.

#8. Curling

In its simplest terms, curling is basically shuffleboard on ice. One player slides a stone down a lane as two sweepers skate alongside, vigorously brushing the ice to control the stone鈥檚 speed and stop it where it can get the most points. Now, admittedly, that sounds pretty simple. 鈥淚 hear people say, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 my ticket to the Olympics,鈥欌�� says Rick Patzke, CEO of . 鈥淏ut they end up trying it and realizing it鈥檚 a lot harder than it looks.鈥� In a single game, the sweepers can cover as much as four miles, so training emphasizes cardio and upper-body strength. With a schedule that lasts nearly the entire duration of the games and usually includes two matchups per day, some players will compete for nearly 50 hours total. The physical element pales in comparison to the mental focus and coordination you need for that same period to gauge ice friction, judge speed, and strategize targeting opponents鈥� stones.

#7. Skeleton

At first glance, skeleton looks both simple and insane. Athletes launch themselves head first onto a bare-bones sled that fires down the luge track. They鈥檒l fly at nearly 90 miles per hour and reach five Gs of force. Powerful, explosive movement is crucial here, because that initial launch is the only chance to build up speed on your own. After that, it鈥檚 all gravity. That means the athletes spend a great deal of time doing HIIT-style workouts and shorter, faster efforts to replicate this part of the race. You steer by shifting your body, to dictate micro-movements and shifts in weight, so developing strength and control here is key. Although races are often over in about 60 seconds, they require incredible mental toughness to overcome your physical gut reaction that this is way too damn fast, which could cause you to flinch and lose valuable speed or even crash.

#6. Ski Jump

You literally launch your body from a squat position and then hold yourself rigid as you fly through the air. Umm, that鈥檚 not easy. To do so effectively, you have to stay as straight and aerodynamic as possible鈥攊magine holding a plank while going 60 miles per hour. happens off the hill, with a variety of exercises that target the core and glutes, plus drills that simulate the jump. And while gear may make marginal differences in performance, this is about as clean-cut and simple a sport as you can get in the Winter Olympics. It鈥檚 just your own body and how fast and far you can launch it.

#5. Bobsleigh

Bobsledders need to be buff. Even the smallest two-person sled is nearly 300 pounds (four-man sleds are a minimum of 460), and it鈥檚 on you and your team to take it from a standstill to around in less than five seconds before hopping in. Track athletes and football players tend to transition pretty well into bobsleigh because they鈥檝e developed the powerful, explosive energy spurts needed to generate momentum. Like skeleton, competitors will hit up to 90 miles per hour over a mile-long track with 15 to 20 curves. Power cleans and squat jumps are good training, since you鈥檙e firing your body forward from a similar crouching position on the ice. Once inside the sled, your goal is body control, limiting movement that could influence the sled鈥檚 trajectory. That鈥檚 especially key past 50 meters, when the sled is no longer on grooves鈥攎eaning it can careen out of control and flip with any wrong turn.

#4. Slalom

鈥攖he slowest of the alpine-racing disciplines yet the one that arguably requires the most technique鈥攃alls for precision movements and incredible coordination. It鈥檚 so quick that even as you鈥檙e knocking down a gate, your eyes and mind already have to be on the next two. That means you have to learn to get over mistakes quickly and think on the fly. Physically, you must keep tight control of your turns, which requires balance. Off the mountain, slalom skiers do a lot of cross-training to build strength and stability, like plyometric exercises, medicine ball throws, cycling, and slacklining.

#3. Speed Skating

It may be tempting to call speed skating the Winter Olympics version of track and field, but that鈥檚 not quite right, as far as muscles and mechanics go. You鈥檙e better off comparing it to cycling, considering the powerful thighs, velocities, and constant danger of tipping over. (In fact, one of the most decorated speed skaters in history, American , was also a national cycling champion.) Skaters can reach speeds on a flat surface, with their legs doing all the work. That means not only do you have to spend long hours in the weight room generating your fast-twitch muscles, but you also better develop some serious endurance to be able to hang with the best on the ice.

#2. Nordic Skiing

This is one of the most storied and tenured sports at the Winter Olympics, yet it remains one of the most difficult for U.S. fans to understand and appreciate. Endurance is king here, whether it鈥檚 a 10K, a relay race, or a sprint. At these competitive levels, it鈥檚 from the leisurely cross-country skiing most people might try on a snowy weekend. It鈥檚 a full-body sport, with legs and arms working full tilt from start to finish. Balance is also a big deal鈥攃rashes on downhill turns can dramatically shake up the results鈥攎eaning a strong, controlled core can make or break you. For the Americans, this year will be mental battle. The United States hasn鈥檛 taken a single gold in any cross-country events鈥擭ordic countries typically dominate the sport鈥攂ut our team is poised to kick up some powder, thanks to the fiery Kikkan Randall and her teammates.

#1. Biathlon

Many of these sports clearly evolved out of some practical, real-world discipline that now, out of context, looks bizarre. , which started out as military training, is the poster child for such an evolution. The two sports that make up the 鈥渂i-鈥� are cross-country skiing and riflery, with two to six shooting ranges studding each course. This sport is punishing, and not something you can easily pick up, even with two or three years of training, especially since every course you encounter can be wildly different. On top of the endurance training needed to cover the ski portion with skill and speed鈥攚hich involves weights, sprints, and, in summer months, 鈥攂iathletes have to learn to shoot accurately and confidently while their heart rate is elevated.

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