When I first bought my Peloton bike over three years ago, I had no idea how much it would change my fitness journey. Add in the Peloton Tread, and I’ve honestly never needed a gym membership again. The combination of Peloton HIIT rides, long cardio sessions, and strength classes has been the most effective (and fun!) way I’ve found to stay in shape, lose weight, and keep pushing my fitness to the next level.
If your goal is weight loss with Peloton, the key isn’t just hopping on the bike for random rides. It’s about combining the right mix of high-intensity intervals, endurance cardio, and strength training to maximize calorie burn, boost metabolism, and build lean muscle that supports long-term fat loss.
Let’s dive into the best Peloton workouts for weight loss, why they work, and how you can put them together into a plan that delivers results.
Why Peloton Works for Weight Loss
- HIIT Burns Fat Fast: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) alternates short bursts of effort with recovery. This style of training has been proven to torch calories during the workout and increase your calorie burn for hours afterward (thanks to the “afterburn effect”). Peloton has dozens of amazing HIIT rides and tread runs led by coaches who push you in the best way possible.
- Long Cardio for Endurance + Calorie Burn: Steady-state cardio, like 45–60 minute endurance rides or tread runs, is fantastic for burning calories and improving your aerobic base. These workouts teach your body to use fat as fuel and help build stamina.
- Strength Training Shapes Your Body: You won’t hit your weight loss goals with cardio alone. Building muscle through Peloton’s strength classes raises your resting metabolism, meaning you burn more calories even while sitting at your desk.
The Best Peloton Workouts for Weight Loss
Here are my top Peloton workouts that helped me reach (and maintain!) my goals:
1. 20–30 Minute HIIT & Hills Ride
- Focus: Maximum calorie burn in minimum time
- Why it works: Alternating sprints and climbs challenges your heart, lungs, and legs while revving up metabolism.
- Add in a 10 min post-ride strength workout if you can fit it in, so you burn extra calories and fat after doing your cardio.
2. 45-Minute Power Zone Endurance Ride
- Focus: Long, steady effort
- Why it works: Keeps you in a sustainable zone where you’re burning calories and improving fat utilization.
- Powerzone is a hard ride. It isn’t fun in a good way. I had a hard time getting myself to do these, but they were so helpful in burning calories.
3. 30-Minute HIIT Tread Run or 30-Min Tabata Ride
- Focus: Quick intervals at high intensity
- Why it works: Short bursts on the treadmill spike your heart rate, helping you burn fat efficiently.
- If you don’t have the tread for a HIIT run, do the Tabata rides on the bike. Ally Love has some great ones, and I literally died during these. If you feel like you’re dying, that means your burning calories and building muscles.
4. 60-Minute Long Ride or Long Run
- Focus: Endurance + calorie burn
- Why it works: Longer sessions torch calories and train your body to use energy efficiently.
- Honestly, long cardio workouts just burn a lot of calories, and really help with weight loss. You don’t have to go as hard on these longer, cardio workouts, so think of it as long and slow, and lots of fat-burning.
5. 20-Minute Bodyweight Strength
- Focus: Building lean muscle with no equipment
- Why it works: Strength training boosts your metabolism, helping you burn fat long after the workout.
- For fat-loss, you really want to pair a 20 min strength with at least 20 minutes of cardio. Even if it is recovery or slow, to keep your calorie burn up, and your total workout time at 40 minutes.
6. 30-Minute Bike or Tread Bootcamp
- Focus: Sculpting the whole body
- Why it works: These are gold because they burn calories with cardio and strength together. There are so many options, and if you can fit in a Sims 60, those are honestly so good for weight loss!
7. 30 Min Pilates Workouts
- Focus: Core stability, muscle endurance, lean strength
- Why it works: Pilates requires muscle endurance because you aren’t adding weight. This means that you are going to be building lean muscle endurance, verses mass. This helps keep your muscles lean, but challenges them and burns calories.
Putting It All Together: The Formula for Weight Loss
The best Peloton plan for weight loss combines:
- 2–3 HIIT sessions per week (bike or tread)
- 1–2 long endurance workouts (45–60 min)
- 2–3 strength sessions (upper body, lower body, or full body)
- Core work sprinkled in 2–3 times a week
This balance allows you to burn calories, build strength, and recover properly, so you avoid burnout and actually see results.
Don’t Forget Nutrition
No matter how many workouts you crush, you can’t out-train a poor diet. Pair your Peloton routine with balanced nutrition and the right macro ratios for your body (protein, carbs, and fats) to fuel your workouts, recover faster, and shed fat effectively. I even offer custom macro counts to take the guesswork out of your nutrition.
The Bottom Line
The best Peloton workout for weight loss isn’t just one ride or run—it’s the strategic combination of HIIT, long cardio, and strength training that delivers results. I’ve been doing Peloton workouts for over three years, and I can honestly say I’ve never needed a gym. With consistency, you’ll not only lose weight but also gain strength, confidence, and endurance that carries over into every part of life.
If you’re ready to take the guesswork out of your Peloton routine, I put together a 30-Day Peloton Workout Plan using the exact workouts, instructors, and combinations that helped me lose weight and stay in shape. Inside, you’ll find links to specific rides, runs, and classes I’ve done—like longer endurance rides with Matt Wilpers, fat-torching HIIT sessions with Ally Love, and Bike Bootcamps with Robin Arzón that combine cardio and strength for maximum results. I also included shorter cardio rides paired with targeted strength classes, plus Pilates and core work for active recovery days to keep your body balanced. This plan is designed to give you structure, variety, and results, so you can stop stressing over what to do each day and simply follow along.
