I Traded in My Gym Membership for the Peloton Tread for 4 Months—Here's My In-Depth Review

• Value: 19/20
• Design/Small-Space Friendliness: 18/20
• Features: 20/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Noise Level: 17/20

Total: 94/100

Have you ever signed up for a gym membership and let it go to waste? You're not the only one—I've been there, done that and never going back again, especially after reviewing the Peloton Tread ($2,995). For the past four months, I've been taking workout classes from famous instructors (hello, Alex Toussaint), sweating my butt off and getting as fit as I possibly can from the comfort of my bedroom and the results? Let's just say I've never felt better (or more snatched) in my entire life. So, I'm officially canceling my gym membership and joining #teampelotontread. Here's what sold me on the machine.

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When it comes to ordering the Peloton Tread, you can either purchase it directly from the brand (online or in-store) or on Amazon. From there, you'll have to select a delivery date for a team to drop it off and set it up for you. On the day of my treadmill delivery, the crew (consisting of two men) arrived on time and set it up in less than an hour. I didn't have to lift a finger beyond helping to open the door for them, directing them to where I wanted them to set it up and showing them which outlet to use). They also helped me set up the software and stayed until I was fully signed into my Peloton account.

Also, just so you know, I live in a two-bedroom apartment, and it fit perfectly in the corner of my bedroom and isn't an eyesore. The brand recommends that you have at least 24 inches of space to the left, right and front of the treadmill, plus 79 inches of space to the back for storing and training. Because did I mention that you can take yoga, dance, meditation *and* stretch classes, which don't require you to be on the Tread itself? I told you, this isn't your ordinary treadmill.

Get personalized workouts

If you're someone like me who wants to take their fitness to the next level but has no idea where to start, you'll be obsessed with the Peloton Tread's ability to give you personalized workouts based on your fitness levels and goals. More specifically, the machine's sensors will track everything from your speed to your incline and heart rate, and then adjust the intensity of your workout in real time. This helped me get the most out of my workouts every dang time, and how I was able to reach my fitness goals sooner than later.

Join classes and create a schedule

Peloton is renowned for its live classes—complete with a Leaderboard, so you can see how your efforts compare to others'—and the Tread is no different. With the All Access membership, you can unlock everything that the Peloton Tread has to offer, including a slew of encore classes (aka previously recorded workouts, with a fresh, live Leaderboard for anyone who's currently taking the class with you), as well as music recommendations (including an entire Peloton x Beyoncé lineup!). More importantly, you can sign up for live sessions in advance with your favorite instructors, build your schedule for two weeks out and get reminders on your phone through the Peloton app so you don't miss a beat. If you ask me, this feature is *essential* to help you fully immerse yourself into the Peloton world and keep you on track to meet your fitness goals.

Connect with family and friends to compete/reach fitness goals

If you know someone with a Peloton Tread or Peloton bike, you can follow them so you can have a sense of community similar to being in a real gym. You can also create a team with your contacts, track weekly stats and participate in challenges to reach goals together, so you're never really alone.

My Workout Experience

When I first started using the Peloton Tread, I was str-ug-gling. More specifically, I jumped the gun and joined classes that were too advanced for me. I remember one of my first workouts was a 30-minute run, and the instructor literally ran on 7-speed (out of 12.5, basically a full sprint/7 mph speed run) the entire time, minus the three-minute warm-up and three-minute cool-off. So, unsurprisingly, I was at the bottom of the Leaderboard, which essentially ranks everyone in the class based on their output (aka the amount of work they're putting into the workout based on their cadence, resistance and sometimes both) for that class, and for weeks before I got into my groove.

If you're someone like me who rarely runs, you may experience the same learning curve, but thankfully, Peloton gives you personalized workouts so you can start at your level and work your way up to where you want to be. For instance, my first goal was to be able to run for 10 minutes straight on a 5-speed, and after attending several classes (more like 25), I learned how to pace myself so that I could go the distance. Now, I can run on 5-speed for 30 minutes with short breaks in between.

While I still might not be in the top ten on the Leaderboard, I'm not at the very bottom, which is a win for me! Plus, I took a slew of yoga and strength classes in addition to my usual runs, walks and HIIT courses, and I've never felt more fit and powerful. I even lost six pounds while taking just 10- to 40-minute runs five times a week over the course of four months.