In November of 2019 I was told I’d need surgery to alleviate pain in my left hip. With the world shutting down thereafter, I focused on exercise and conditioning to remove pain by doing every five minute Peloton core class. Then I did all of the ten minute Peloton core classes.

Then I moved on to the twenty minute classes, when I had a realization.

What I should have done first was the 20 minute ‘Beginner’ classes first:

• The coaches spend a lot of time introducing the movements and how they scale.
• There is more time to warm up and prepare.
• After doing these courses, it is easy to go back and knock out the five minute courses on a daily basis.
• Here’s an earlier post where I discussed my approach – “getting to ab-box zero“

If you’re making the commitment to improve core strength, I also highly recommend:

• I think it’s worth it to have a real gym mat (Amazon link – 6ft x 2ft, 8ft x 4ft, 10ft x 4ft)
• Do a class every day!
• Post to the Reddit R/OnePeloton group for feedback and encouragement.
• I’m also a big believer in the simple scaled movements of KneesOverToesGuy (sled, deadmill) and I highly recommend a slantboard!