A few weeks ago, my friends and I, women in our thirties and forties, started lifting weights.
This is for several reasons. In general, strength training and functional fitness are more popular. But also, women between the ages of 30 and 50 lose approx From 3 to 8 percent of your muscle mass per year, and the drop in estrogen that occurs during menopause can accelerate this. I don’t care to bulk up anymore; I just don’t want to sink into a rickety bag of bones by the time I’m 50. Finally, I am not saying that my sudden desire to be able to, say, carry a body across state lines by a firefighter has anything to do with the results of the US presidential election. Again, I’m not saying no.
Courtesy of Peloton
This makes the release of Peloton’s latest app very timely. Today, the company launched Strength+, its first standalone app apart from the core Peloton app. It will be available on iOS devices with a limited number of initial subscriptions for $1 per month for the first six months. After the introductory period, memberships will be $10 per month and at no additional cost for All Access, Guide and App+ members.
Ambient noise
The Strength+ app is designed specifically for use in the gym, so it may look slightly different than the basic Peloton app or other apps with similar offerings, such as FitOn, WorkoutWomen, or even Apple Fitness+.
I have been using Strength+ for a week now. When you open it, you can select from several types of workouts. A workout generator lets you customize a strength workout, with six different inputs including how long you want to train, what muscle groups you want to target, what equipment you have, or whether you want to include a warm-up.
You can also click to follow specific training programs. I’m currently enrolled in instructor Andy Speer’s 4-week Ignite Your Strength program, which is kicking my ass. You can also watch short instructor clips, ranging from everything like procedures and gym etiquette (how to load and unload a barbell, or what a plyo box is) to watching Speer look at old photos of himself A progress tracking tab gives you data on your journey, showing your total lift volume, what workouts you’ve done and what weights you’ve lifted.
