Peloton Enters Its Menopause Era

When Peloton instructor Jenn Sherman checks her Instagram comments, there’s a common theme. “Everybody that I'm speaking to is going through menopause," she says.

Last October, the 57-year-old instructor—who has been teaching cycling classes for the fitness technology brand for 12 years—posted about being in the “back-9 era” of her health and fitness journey:

“It’s a whole new playbook, and my workouts look nothing like they did in my 20s or 30s. Less grind, more intention. Less punishment, more purpose. Fitness now is about feeling good in my own skin and staying strong for the long game. Back 9 era and stronger than ever—fitter at 57 than I ever was at 27.”

It was one of her most popular posts ever, aside from a selfie with Bruce Springsteen (the woman knows her audience). Commenters applauded her candour and confidence—and asked for more menopause-related Peloton content.

Fellow Peloton instructor Rebecca Kennedy fields similar requests from her audience. “The most common feedback that I get is that it’s becoming a little bit more challenging to build muscle and it’s taking more time to recover in between workouts,” she says. ”And I think that they're looking for ways to approach their workouts a little bit differently.”

Peloton is listening. While the brand doesn’t share user demographics, a public relations representative says "many" of its members are navigating menopause—so much so that it recently partnered with Respin, a digital health platform co-founded by actor Halle Berry that provides science-backed menopause support, to launch a Menopause Health collection. The 10-class collection features strength training, cycling and treadmill classes taught by Peloton instructors and informed by data from Respin on protocols that improve peri- and menopausal symptoms. (As part of the partnership, Peloton and Respin also conducted a study exploring how targeted exercise can improve menopause-related symptoms; results will be released later this month.)

While menopause was once a taboo subject, it’s now estimated to be a US$16.9 billion dollar industry—and it’s easy to become cynical when a brand announces a new menopause initiative. But the benefits of exercise—especially strength training—during menopause are indisputable. Exercise helps boost mood, improve sleep and enhance mobility, while strength training specifically improves bone density, offsets the risk of osteoporosis and increases metabolism .

“Strength training has to be part of the plan in menopause,” says Sherman. “Cardio definitely fuelled me in my younger years, but strength is the foundation now.”

If you’re new to strength, the classes in the Menopause Health collection—available on the Peloton app; membership starts at $17/month—are a great place to start. But don't stop there: the app has thousands of other strength classes to choose from, ranging from 10-minute quick hits to hour-long full-body workouts, all of which can benefit menopausal women. “You don’t need to crush a 60-minute workout to feel the benefits,” says Sherman. “Even 10 to 15 minutes of movement can boost energy, lift mood and ease symptoms.”

The launch of the menopause collection coincided with the rollout of the new Peloton Cross-Training Bike+, which features Peloton IQ, an AI-powered trainer that—with the help of a camera embedded in the bike’s swivel screen—provides real-time form feedback during strength training workouts. (Peloton IQ can also plan your workouts for you, pulling together a weeks’ worth of classes—including yoga, strength and cardio—based on your fitness goals.) 

“This new technology is game-changing,” says Sherman. “Doing exercises and not having the form isn’t only inefficient, it’s an easy way to injure yourself.”

Peloton IQ brings the brand’s classes one step closer to an in-studio experience, as does the camaraderie that has sprung up among participants. 

“There is a real community, which you wouldn't really expect being a remote technology,” says Kennedy. Peloton users can join various member-run "teams" via the Peloton app, including the MenoPosse, which has 8.1K members and counting. There's also an official Menopause Health Team that's run by Peloton and offers insight from instructors; it has 7.3K members and is the brand's second-largest official team. (You can join both of these teams through the community tab located on the bottom bar of the Peloton app.)

Dianna, a 54-year-old Ottawa resident who prefers not to share her last name, bought her Peloton bike in 2022 and joined the MenoPosse in 2024. She was drawn to the free challenges that the MenoPosse’s administrator creates for the group and posts on the MenoPosse Facebook group—whether it’s a 12-week schedule or a 10-workout stack that the group completes together at a specific time. She also recently flew to New York to meet other MenoPosse members in person—and take multiple in-studio Peloton classes. 

Thanks in part to the MenoPosse, she went from working out twice a week to five times or more. “It keeps me motivated,” says Dianna, who has been dealing with peri- and menopause symptoms for 15 years. “We encourage one another.” Members are also frank about taking breaks from working out when they’re struggling with symptoms. “The group really helps normalize menopause,” says Dianna. “And adds something positive to it.”