This Peloton boxing review is part of our Class Action, FLEETSTREET’s workout review series. We get sweaty to give you the low-down on what the workouts are really like.
I have to be honest with you. I wasn’t in my best shape when I started this challenge. I was sore and feeling dejected from a shoulder issue. My arm and back muscles were starting to seize up and I needed to do something – anything – to keep those muscles active. So, I moved the use of my Peloton app from the bike to my TV. And I signed up for Get Hooked: Peloton Boxing, a two-week challenge on the app.
I know what you’re thinking: A boxing challenge with an injured shoulder?! My physiotherapist made the same face, but she and I worked through the movements to make it make sense for me. But it‘s shadow boxing. No bags, no pads, no body – no impact. I knew I would have control over how intense I went and I could slow the movements down to really lengthen those arm and back muscles.
Turns out, it actually helped me. More on that later. Let’s get into the boxing program from Peloton.
Thinking about trying Peloton barre? We reviewed that, too!
The brand — Peloton
Peloton really made its mark in spare bedrooms during the pandemic. In 2020, the then eight-year-old fitness company spiked in sales and on the stock market with its at-home-bikes and treadmills. I invested in the bike in 2019. (Read my review of the Peloton Bike Bootcamp.)
As people started getting bored in their homes during the lockdowns, Peloton expanded its classes repertoire, with even more HIIT, running, bootcamp, cardio, meditation, yoga, Pilates, barre, dance, walking classes – and now boxing. Just when you think it has everything, another class series comes out.
These online Pilates classes are the hardest around.
The workout — Get Hooked: Peloton Boxing
Peloton has a massive – I mean massive – library of classes. Boxing, however, is one of its smaller curated collections. At the time of writing, there were 16 shadow boxing classes available, plus warm-up and stretches, and a handful of instruction-based workouts for punches, footwork and combination moves. The two-week challenge is a mix of all these classes.
How do you find the the boxing classes on the Peloton app? You can go through the programs to register for Get Hooked, or you can go to the classes page, select cardio, and filter down to shadow boxing. If you do the latter you can also filter your options even further, including time (ranging from 10 to 30 minutes).
Week 1 is five days of 20 minute classes to teach you how to jab, hook and front kick, and the combinations you will hear from the Peloton instructors in the upcoming workouts. You can do these classes as a warm-up or cool-down to another type of Peloton workout, if you like.
Week 2 is about putting it all together in five days. The daily classes range from 5 to 30 minutes. So don‘t stack these classes at the end of your workout, unless you are flexible with time. This is the week you learn how to properly warm up, stretch and cool down with boxing moves. Some of those are repeated classes, so don’t worry if you’ve taken the same class the day before… you are not confused. You can also get a taste of the full boxing workouts available (filtered through cardio classes, like I stated above).
Boxing gloves stink? This is the right way to clean them.
We tried it
As someone who loved in-person boxing classes to keep myself motivated by others for pace and loud thuds on the boxing bag, I was surprised that shadow boxing would be fun and feel good!
First, the Peloton basics boxing classes, as slow as these kinds of classes can be, were super helpful for me. Other boxing gyms instilled combinations into my muscle memory. Whenever I went to another boxing studio, the new-to-me instructors sequences always threw me for a loop. I would be hooking when I should’ve given an upper cut, or doing a roundhouse kick when I should’ve did a front kick. But going through a week’s worth of instruction classes reset my brain and my movements. It was the first-time ever that I wasn’t making mistakes in the combinations in classes. I was shook!
I also loved the stretch and cool-down classes, as this allowed me to focus on easing the tight muscles that my bum shoulder was putting a strain on (with a green light from my healthcare team). I was able to slow down the movement for cross punches to stretch out my arm and back, and alternate legs to give my weaker side a rest. Whenever I’m dealing with an injury, I have to listen to my body. I showed my physiotherapist the moves I was doing, and how certain positions made my muscles feel less tense. She approved. I was slow and deliberate, even though the instructor did loops around my repetitions. And since I could no longer do planks or pushups, the shadow boxing classes were the stand-up workouts I needed in my injured life!
What to expect from the “50 Crunches A Day For 30 Days” challenge.
The verdict
The Peloton Get Hooked program is set up as if you know nothing about boxing. It is perfect for the boxing newbie, a fitness beginner, if you’re trying to get back in shape or you are like me and need to take it easy but still want to stay active. These workouts have no impact on the wrists and arms. (There are burpees in the workouts in Week 2, but I did wall mountain climbers instead.)
If you’ve tried in-person boxing classes at the likes of Studio KO and United Boxing Club, you could skip the Peloton Get Hooked two-week challenge all together and go right into the 30-minute advanced/intermediate shadowboxing workouts and pair it with a 15 to 30-minute strength class.
And while the library is limited in comparison to Peloton’s other classes, it is nice to vary things up. I only wish there were more for me to choose from. Another thing I wish Peloton would do: Create a filter for injury-friendly workouts or standing workouts. Until then, I know the boxing classes will work for me.
Peloton, onepeloton.ca, unlimited workouts; $16.99 a month (first two months free); package pricing available ($2,495 or $64 a month with the bike); app downloads available at the App Store and Google Play.