Let’s Ride!

Peloton has a new Power Zone cycling program, Boost Your Base, and a few of us Helper Bees here at The Clip Out jumped at the chance to share our perspectives on it! We are big fans of the PZ approach to training, so we’ve already “drunk the Kool Aid” so to speak. However, we were pleased to see how well the first set of classes outlined the methodology for newbies. We’re buzzing with excitement about our initial impressions of what’s to come over the next eight weeks!

When Peloton first announced this, we found we had more questions than answers. Let’s see if the first week of classes answered our burning questions!

Burning Questions #1, 2, & 3 – What about the Power Zone Pack? How will Peloton use Teams? How do Live Challenge Classes Work?

Peloton initially used some “reach your goals with teammates” language in the program promotion, however, this really just means participating with lots of other members on the Leaderboard in real-time. Because this program offers two classes per week that drop On Demand at midnight on Monday and Wednesday, and then appear as Encores in the Live Schedule for that day, the opportunity to ride with others is there.

This is especially true of the Saturday Live Ride, but this has been “a thing” for many years already and not unique to Boost Your Base. We expect that many riders already do this one, as Matt suggests over and over to incorporate one long workout per week. It’s usually this one for many Power Zone riders. However, it is probably nice for many people who need to build their Power Zone habits to have the On Demand classes appear in the schedule for them. This way, they know they will get the predictable focus of this programming along with a fairly full Leaderboard.

Unfortunately, we have not observed any kind of build up with the Teams function that replicates the Facebook-based interaction of some existing accountability groups and challenges, like the Power Zone Pack and others. Maybe people are on a Team who decide to add this challenge to their list, but there was no push from Peloton to create a Team for this purpose, and after the first week, only a few random-feeling hashtags are visible.

Rather than use their Teams to build community, Peloton did create a special badge for completion, through their Challenges tab. It appears that this is only valid to earn for people doing this when it first launched on April 21, 2025.

Peloton also did not offer a live FTP test, or even an Encore with one of the Power Zone instructors riding it live with members, ahead of this launch. This seems like a really missed opportunity to build community ahead of a long challenge. (Need to retest your FTP? Check out our guide here!)

Burning Question #4 – Aren’t Peloton Programs (vs Collections) Kind of… Restrictive?

Short answer: YES!

We wondered how an 8-Week Program would roll out, with the restriction of missing classes and losing progress. Peloton likely wondered how members would adjust to this. They listed it under the Collections tab, but still refer to it as a Program. It seems that for people who will do this later on, when it’s not Live or Scheduled, following through the Collection format might be a little trickier as people will have to just follow the dates to progress their plans.

Burning Question #5 – Will a Week of Power Zone Let Me Reach My Other Fitness Goals?

We wondered if Peloton would be combining their new AI-enabled “Personalized Plan” feature to help members incorporate these specific classes. It doesn’t seem like it’s there yet. Regardless, the answer is YES! This program will definitely help you reach your other goals!

In Week 1 Class 1, Matt spoke at length about using this program as a complement to your other training focus or cross training. We all agreed, here at The Clip Out, that the Week 1 classes were not super challenging and were actually pretty enjoyable. We also learned that the entire eight weeks will be ALL ENDURANCE CLASSES. The progression is with time, not intensity of zones. So if you are able to add these rides into your weekly schedule, you will not be overly fatigued and should be able to do everything else you have planned.

Burning Question #6 – With All the Other Programs, Who is This One For?

Interestingly, we learned that this is designed for two different subsets of Peloton members. On one hand, this program serves as an entry point to Power Zone training. Matt mentioned in Ride 1 that it’s ideal to complete Boost Your Base after Discover Your Power Zones but before tackling other PZ programs available On Demand. So even though the focus is on endurance work, it’s still sort of a beginner level for some.

On the other hand, Matt encourages seasoned PZ riders to join in and reap the benefits of this extremely focused training and slow, progressive build of time under tension. If you’ve ever taken any of his Low Impact (pedal stroke) classes, you know how jazzed he gets about this! In Class 1, he spoke at length about why it’s important to train in control and not go too hard or too high without proper preparation. It sounds like the pace of this program will be a mental challenge for many veteran riders who want to work on that kind of discipline. If you are ready to “button up the details” then this is the program for you!

What Does Boost Your Base Look Like?

Boost Your Base will progress over three weeks, increasing in the duration of each class, and then the fourth week is a pullback. This pattern repeats, and then the culmination of the program is a 90-minute class. Week 1 was two 30-minute On Demand classes (Matt and Sam) that were both all in Zone 2, with “recovery” intervals using a different cadence. The Live class was a 45-minute class that also stayed in Zone 2. In this class, Matt prescribed cadence changes in two rounds of high, middle and low. In the second round, he added out of the saddle work, including a 90-second section. As someone who rarely chooses the out of the saddle option, that was a long time being “comfortably uncomfortable” and going out of my comfort zone!

Matt’s coaching genius lies in how he makes 45 minutes fly by while helping you focus on what you’re doing and why it matters. In this class, he went through some of the familiar script about the benefits of Zone 2 (for your performance and for your physical health), but also for your mind. Staying quite literally in the Zone and “in the zone” by allowing yourself to “find fluidity” in the movement provides a level of focus for a duration of time that we don’t always do so mindfully (but should).

As of this writing, Week 2 will increase the time, with a 30-minute Monday class (Denis), a 45-minute class (Hannah F, and then Matt’s usual 60-minute “long ride” on Saturday.

 

Should I Be Boosting My Base?

Among our Clip Out Helper Bees (thanks #FlamingoAmy, #Reasons2Wine, #MySprtsBrasStuk, and #JustAskForHelp), we have some who haven’t been on their bikes for awhile due to injury recovery or pursuing other modalities. We also have some who ride Power Zone classes weekly and participate in other challenges. Some of us will be sticking with as many weeks of this programming as we can, while others will be spending time focusing elsewhere for a change up. The beauty of Power Zone is that it’s you vs you, so only YOU know if this training plan is what you need right now.

Pros:

• Easy to schedule and plan
• Predictable efforts
• Not overly taxing to allow for harder work in other modalities
• Variety of instructor styles and musical genres to enjoy

Cons:

• Lack of variety in efforts (all Zones 2 and 3 for eight weeks)
• May not fit one’s health goals (ie no interval bursts)
• Duration of entire program feels long compared to existing PZ programs On Demand
• Limited social interaction

We hope our impressions help you make the right decision for your next workout! Will you be trying Boost Your Base? Let us know!

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