HiLit: Rebecca Kennedy’s Masterpiece – A Review of Peloton’s Newest Program

Rebecca Kennedy’s “High Intensity, Low Impact” (HiLit) program on Peloton is a thoughtfully designed, four-week training plan that combines strength, cardio, and mobility exercises to deliver results without straining joints. The program was a unique concept – new classes were dropped daily for four weeks, Monday through Friday, with RK speaking to members on social media and in the HiLit Team chat in the Peloton app. It is an ideal setup for those seeking a balanced, progressive workout routine that emphasizes both intensity and recovery. Read more about the benefits of HiLit here.

Although I will refer to HiLit as a “program,” this is a misnomer for now—it can be found in Collections, making it available on smart TVs. This launch was incredibly popular. As I write this article, over 40,000 members had joined the HiLit team, and there were likely many more people doing the program who were not using teams.

Several instructors talked it up on social media or were in the program themselves (Go Jenn Sherman!). Emma Lovewell posted a story on IG asking how members were liking it because this could be a new way of offering classes that Peloton embraces after seeing the incredibly high engagement.

I went through it in real time, week by week, as the classes went live on the app. Here are the details (and some tips!) to help you get the most out of the program.

Weekly Breakdown

The HiLit program features five days of structured workouts each week, with new classes dropping daily at midnight ET. Here’s the general weekly schedule:

• Monday: Hiking
• Tuesday: Full Body Strength (Pull) – Additional 10-minute cardio added week 4
• Wednesday: Pilates
• Thursday: Full Body Strength (Push) – Additional 10-minute cardio added week 4
• Friday: Strength + Cardio/Conditioning
• Saturday & Sunday: Rest days

Stretching, mobility, standing core, low-impact cardio, and foam rolling are incorporated throughout the plan to ensure a well-rounded approach. The program progressively increases in intensity, with weeks 3 and 4 introducing more challenging classes like Tread Bootcamps.

The time commitment also increased. If you were following the recommendation of always doing mobility or foam rolling before and a stretch after on the weightlifting or bootcamp days, you could be spending as much as 75 minutes in class. That being said, total rest was encouraged on the weekends, and the Pilates days offered a shorter workout mid-week.

What’s new?

• Class Variety: The program includes a mix of walking, strength training, Pilates, and cardio, ensuring a diverse and engaging experience for four weeks.
• Progressive Training: Rebecca Kennedy’s expertise shines through in the gradual increase in workout difficulty, catering to all fitness levels.
• Trackers: Participants can download workout and lifestyle trackers to monitor their progress, including sleep, nutrition, and hydration.
• Equipment: Several sets of weights are required, along with some helpful add-ons like a Pilates ball, yoga block, and foam roller, making it accessible for home workouts.
• Community Support: Members can join the HiLit Team on the Peloton app for extra motivation and camaraderie.
• Create a longer program: RK suggests repeating weeks 3 and 4 during your weeks 5/6 and again weeks 7/8.
• Tread to Bike Conversion: The classes were designed on the Tread, but Matt Wilpers helped translate the Tread output to the bike output, making the classes accessible on either.

Personal Experience and Tips

I approached this as an advanced beginner. Although I have been a Peloton member for six years and have taken over 2,000 strength classes, I had not ventured into the “split” world yet. A good amount of this program was new for me, so if I can do it so can you! Here are the highlights.

Diversity: I am generally not a fan of repeating classes or seeing the same instructor day after day. I like a ton of variety. I am happy to say that I did not get sick of Rebecca at all—her enthusiasm could be felt through the screen, and at times she was laugh-out-loud funny, clearly never taking it all too seriously. Those dance breaks were much needed, as were those grapevines in low impact cardio! So much joy revisiting my old step aerobics days. Rebecca even dressed in a classic Jane Fonda type of outfit during her final LIC class. Truly epic.

Encouragement: When she was in coaching mode, she reminded us of the power of our negative thinking and to “take out the trash.” She often snuck it in right when I needed to hear it. There were several times I was saying to myself, “I can’t do that”, but I always proved myself wrong. It might not have been as pretty or graceful as Rebecca’s form, but it got done.

Cues: RK’s cuing is impeccable, and that was one of the things that members commented on most. Based on her instruction, I changed several things in my form as I moved through the HiLit program, and as a result, I had less discomfort and more output.

Tread vs Bike: I have both the Tread and the Bike, but due to a nagging knee issue, I have not been on the Tread much in the last few months. I decided to use the Tread anyway and stay with the original design of the program. Upon completion I think would have enjoyed the Bike much more. If you have access to both, I would choose the one that your heart truly longs for. If you don’t have either? Rebecca suggests outdoor walks to supplement.

An Organized Plan: I thoroughly enjoyed having a plan and found more time in my evenings by not surfing the app and looking for what class I was in the mood for or what music called to me that day. There were no choices to make – just jump in and do it. You could add an additional stretch or mobility before or after if you needed it, but otherwise lace up, power up and go.

Trackers: At first, I doubted that I would use the tracker every week and truly believed that my 51-year-old brain would absolutely remember what I did from week to week. I committed to sticking to the program exactly, so I dutifully filled it out, and wow—I’m so glad I did, because NO, I did not remember, and YES, it helped me pick my weights and level up each week.

Just Be You: The most important tip I can share is to (humbly) start where you are and don’t overshoot too early. Week one had a hike where the majority of it was at a 12-percent incline with power-walking intervals. It was discouraging for me and I was hanging on to the Tread for dear life. I quickly realized that I had to go with the steepest hill where I did not have to cheat and could actually do the work. Leave your ego at the door – it will help you avoid injury and feeling disappointed. Push yourself, but don’t ignore where you are coming from.

New Moves: During the last bootcamp, there is an EMOM of Human Makers and an EMOM of Devil’s Press. These were new for me. They are compound movements, requiring a good amount of coordination and care, all while using weights. I wanted to move through them as quickly as RK was, but I had to remind myself to go slow and do the best I could. I ended up breaking them into slower segments, only getting 2-3 completed each minute, but knowing my form was better and my body was creating muscle memory. It was important to be kind myself – after all I was learning something new that was also fairly advanced.

Weight Progression: The weights that I began with were 8, 10, and 13 lbs, and I ended with 10, 13, 15, and 20 lbs, so invest in the next level up of weights – you will need them. Rebecca did provide direction on what to do if you don’t have the next weight you need. You could add additional reps or move even slower. At times you will see RK using 30 and 35 lbs weights. Forget what you see and follow her instruction in choosing a weight that leaves you with two reps in the tank (week 1) or achieves full hypertrophy by week 4. If you are a kettlebell devotee, you can definitely add them during the bootcamps. I broke them out in week 3 and loved incorporating them.

Increased Strength: My strength improved, and I managed to increase my weight (or reps) every single week. It was so gratifying to look back at the four weeks of trackers and see how far I had come. I also noticed my grip strength is significantly better.

Props: The extra purchase suggestions were things I already owned and were very helpful – yoga blocks, a 9-inch yoga ball, and a 36-inch foam roller—but again, RK gives suggestions if you do not have them. These are used in Pilates, mobility, standing core and foam rolling. All can be purchased on Amazon and are inexpensive.

Rest: Finally, do yourself a favor and rest on the weekends. You will need it, and Rebecca encourages it. If you want to get your blue dot, do some yin yoga, mobility, a Power Zone endurance or recovery ride, an outdoor walk, a long stretch, or maybe a meditation or two. Your body will thank you at the start of your next week.

Commentary from the Community

I enjoyed going into the HiLit team every day to read comments, which were overwhelmingly positive. There were some obvious themes:

• Gratitude: Rebecca clearly put a ton of time and energy into meticulously programming a total of 30 classes in a way that made sense and built on one another and the hard work was appreciated.
• Fire emojis: These were everywhere in the comments, noting killer workouts that left people sore in the best possible way.
• Newfound Strength: Members were simply getting stronger in ways they never thought possible and were watching their bodies change in front of their eyes.
• Novelty: Some members had never dabbled in the Pilates or Low-Impact Cardio classes, and this exposure to new modalities was enjoyable and might even change the types of classes they took in the future.
• The Playlists: We know Rebecca has eclectic taste in music and it shows. Members loved the varied artists and genres, sometimes all in one class! She had it all – Ludacris to Tom Petty to RUFUS DU SOUL to Ellie Goulding to Depeche Mode to Metallica to Enya. Just incredible.
• Coach to camera: The filming of these classes was different, and members loved it. Although there were the usual cameras in the places we know well, there was also a live element that allowed the camera to move with Rebecca or have her approach the camera with commentary.

Rebecca’s Closing Comments

As “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” came on at the end of the final bootcamp, Rebecca said, “What a true accomplishment. You committed, you showed up, you stayed consistent, you built something real. Your endurance is higher, you’re stronger, your conditioning is up, your movement is cleaner, your confidence under fatigue is on a whole other level… and I want you to hear this. Not all progress is aesthetic. Some of the biggest wins you just earned cannot be seen in the mirror, but they can be felt in your body, in your heart. Remember when I told you the real glow-up starts on the inside?”.

I had tears in my eyes. It is impossible not to feel on top of the world and totally badass at the end of this program. Rebecca even gives us the gift of an extra 20 minute stretch to close out the program on Saturday.

Verdict

Rebecca Kennedy’s HiLit program is now a standout offering on the Peloton platform, blending high-intensity workouts with low-impact movements to create a sustainable and effective calendar for four to eight weeks. Whether you’re a Peloton pro or a newbie to structured training, this program provides a comprehensive approach to building strength, improving mobility, and enhancing overall stamina. Anyone can do this program by meeting yourself where you are and making the adjustments you need. You do need a little more time in your schedule than for some of the other programs and splits, so plan accordingly.

I hope that Emma was right and that more of these programs come about. It added an exciting element that the classes were dropping daily, and members feel a part of something larger with active team participation and commentary, along with Rebecca’s daily engagement on social media. The only thing that could make the program even better would be to include multiple instructors to vary the daily experience and music genres.

Peloton gets a gold star for supporting this new endeavor, and Rebecca gets a big high five for her amazing planning, member engagement, and varied formats. I absolutely encourage you to try the HiLit series if you missed out during the first drop. You can literally start Week one, Day one anytime and simply plan on five straight days per week. Personlly I can’t wait to try it on the bike next!

Drop your comments and let us know what you thought of this new kind of program. Do you want more?