Here’s How to Get the New Peloton Just Work Out Feature On Your Phone

During Homecoming this year, Peloton made a big announcement that the app would be soon updated with a new “Just Workout” future.

This was a huge deal because a lot of people, myself included, sometimes like to listen to other music or podcasts while working out outside.

However, I still want credit for my workout and to keep my Peloton streak alive!

That’s where the new Peloton “Just Workout” feature comes in handy!

In this post, I’ll share with you everything you need to know about this new feature and how to get it on your phone.

What is Peloton Just Workout?

The Peloton “Just Workout” feature is a new feature on the Peloton digital app that allows users to do exactly that – just workout.

This is a huge deal because in the past if you wanted to get credit towards any streaks or miles count towards any challenges, you’d always have to do a Peloton class.

Not anymore!

Peloton has a similar feature on the Peloton Bike and Tread, so it was only a matter of time before they released something like this.

Peloton first announced the feature at Homecoming in April 2022 and said that it’d be “coming soon”.

However, after the announcement some members started to notice their app updated and they got access to a beta version of the feature.

Update: This feature isn’t available to everyone just yet so if you don’t have it yet, don’t worry! It’s slowly being rolled out.

How to Get the New Feature

Peloton is still slowly rolling out this feature, but it seems like this week a majority of Peloton iOS users – myself included – finally got it pushed to us! Yay!

In this section, I’ll go through how to get it on the Apple iPhone and iOS devices. I don’t have an Android so I’m not sure if it is the same or released yet – if you’re an Android user let me know in the comments if you have it yet!

To get the new feature, make sure your app is up to date. For me, this meant I had to go into the app store, search for Peloton, click on the listing, and then it gave me the option to update.

If I just looked at the app at first it showed that I had the most up-to-date version, but by clicking into the actual app listing it gave me the option to force update the app.

Once the app update the new feature showed up! Under classes, there’s a new section that says “Just Work Out” and a beta symbol.

Update: Just Work Out moved to the App homepage! If you’ve updated the Peloton app, it’ll now appear on the bottom right corner of the app in a red circle.

Using Just Work Out

When you click on the Just Work Out section, you’re given the option to select if you want to do:

Outdoor Running

Outdoor Walking

Outdoor Cycling

Once you select which one you want to do, click start and you’ll see all the usual Peloton metrics like Pace, Distance, Elevation Gain, and Heart Rate.

The cool thing about the new Just Work Out App is that you can listen to your own music or podcast! I haven’t done a full workout with it just yet, but I was able to listen to Pandora while I did a little test of the app.

Once you’re done with the workout, click end and the Just Workout class will show up in your history, complete with a recap. The workout will also count towards your Peloton streak and any mileage challenges you have.

Here’s a video I shot walking through the new feature:

Just Work Out Review

I’m really excited I was able to try out the Just Workout in my workout this morning!

I had a 5-mile run scheduled so used that to test out the new feature. I decided to listen to a podcast (of course I went with a Peloton-related one – Ali on The Run’s interview with Kirsten Ferguson).

I started the podcast, then hopped into the Peloton app to start the “Just Run”.

There’s a 3-2-1 countdown and then the Peloton app starts tracking. The metrics are identical to the Outdoor content, so the screen seemed pretty similar.

I was impressed that when I clicked start on the workout my podcast still played – in the past, I had issues with different apps cutting out sounds or pausing my music or podcast. Not the case here!

I did my 5-mile run and kept checking the app every now and then. I also ran with my Garmin Venu, and for the most part, my Peloton app said I was running just a little faster than my Garmin would come in.

Nothing crazy, but maybe a 30-second difference – which is similar to what I get with the regular outdoor runs.

At the end of the run, I just had to click end run (there’s also an option to pause your workout), and I was brought to a screen with a recap of the workout. It showed me my pace, distance, speed, and a map of where I ran.

The distance ended up being slightly off from my Garmin – the Peloton app clocked me in at 5.15 miles, whereas my Garmin had me at 5. This is similar to what I usually see when I compare my watch and outdoor runs so no surprise here.

To quickly explain the variance – and this is going back to my old days selling electronics back in college, so not sure if this holds true (let me know in the comments if there’s a better explanation!) – but my understanding is that my Peloton App/cell phone uses the cell phone towers to calculate GPS.

This can often be slightly off based on where the cell phone towers are. GPS watches use satellites so are able to track distance more accurately.

I’ve done a few experiments where I’ll map out my run on Map My Run before going out and my Garmin is nearly spot-on, while my phone is slightly off.

I noticed when I used to use an Apple Watch with GPS my phone was more accurate, so that might be a good way to get your app more accurate if you’re relying on it. In my case, I don’t really mind the variance since I’ve determined my Garmin watch as my source of truth (and it’s what my running coach sees) so I’m not getting too hung up about it.

So back to the app – after my run, in addition to all the metrics, I noticed that it counted as a running class so I got one step closer to my next milestone.

The miles also did count towards my monthly mileage challenge, as well as the minutes towards the annual challenge.

One thing I was concerned about was if it would drain my battery. I have an iPhone 12 Pro and while it has pretty good battery life, I’ve noticed my runs alone can sometimes drain it.

So with my using the GPS for Peloton, plus streaming a podcast, and having my AirPods connected…I was curious to see how the battery would hold up.

When I started my run my battery was 92% and after my 51:36 minute run, my battery dropped to 82%.

Not bad!

This gives me hope that when I use this for longer runs – like possibly a marathon – it won’t kill my phone battery.

Related Post: Peloton Outdoor Workout Guide

Final Thoughts

The new Just Workout feature on the Peloton app is a great addition for those of us who want to get credit for our workouts but want to use their own music or podcast during the workout.

I’m excited to put it to the test on my long run this weekend and will report back with an update!

Have you used this feature yet? What are your thoughts on it?